Have we devalued the term "Hero" ?

I dont like guys who expect to be treated like that due to our chosen profession. That being said, if I am on duty and going to a buy my meal at a local restaurant, I will often go to a place that has a history of giving discounts to us (cops) while we eat. Why? Not because I expect it, but because I like to make my money go farther. i always will have enough cash on me to pay full price, and I do  not expect the discount- but it is nice when it happens. That was one of many lessons drilled into me by my training officers. Now I know that some restaurants offer the discounts because they like having the security of having a few cops and the patrol car there much of the time- not too likely for them to be the victim of a robbery if a unit is there. probably worth any loss of revenue to them for discounted meals.

Guys, I didn't mean to start a heated thread.  

The point that I was making about my former friend and the restaurant he stopped going to was that he really believed that he should have been treated like a hero.  In his mind it was offensive that some restaurant owner didn't kiss his behind.  My point about the salary is that he certainly makes enough to cover a restaurant bill ( I think it was a Chipotle).

I think his attitude was like that because so many people in the media, or people within the firefighter ranks, keep feeding this notion that these guys are heros simply because they exist.

ajlafleche

To the guy who begrudges his "friend's" inflated union salary as a firefighter, maybe he should start working swing shifts, enter burning buildings (even with maximum training) for a few months,  pull out the charred remains of a kid, show up at a home where a guy ate his shotgun, struggle to get a 600 pound heart patient out of a house and down a set of winding stairs, hold back a mother whose child can't be rescued.. climb a ladder wearing a hundred pounds of gear in hundred degree heat and -20 degree snow, , Maybe he should respond to a car crash (as happened in New Hampshire this week) to find his daughter was a fatality as a result of an apparently distracted driver. and see if he thinks his "friend's" the salary is so inflated.

Uhmmmm....as one who HAS done all the above, I take issue with your saying the guy's begrudging the over-inflated union salary.....as I mentioned, I've done ALL the aforementioned activities, and I did it while missing out on holiday dinners, family functions, missing my daughter's school activities, etc. and I did it without complaint.......for FREE as a volunteer firefighter/EMT!  BTW, I ain't a hero....I did what I was trained to do and because I wanted to help my community.

p.s. the firefighter that responded to his own daughter's fatal traffic crash in Nashua, NH was a VOLUNTEER - he was NOT paid.

p.p.s. of the 1.3 million firefighters in the U.S.ofA. roughly 80% are volunteers.

I could  NOT agree more! This has honestly been a pet peeve of mine for some time now. There's almost an obsession with calling ordinary people "heroes" today. I think it says a lot about our society--how TRULY we need REAL "heroes" today.

And by that term, I don't mean a guy who wins a medal in the war for bravery, or a sports figure who makes a game saving score, or a policeman or fireman who does something which their job requires them to do; i.e., saving a life, taking out a bad guy, etc. -- ALL these people are just doing what their job demands of them. What I mean is someone who stands on principle against a prevailing-but-phony ideology, or against this current self-serving sickness of deceit and corruption today in just about any position of authority that you can find.

I don't want to bring politics or religion into it, but the last person I saw that I could honestly call a "hero" today would be the current Pope. Yeah, I said that--those of you who know me will know how unlikely that is. But boy, does that guy has a set of cajones on him, and is he ever shaking trees! I got nothin' but respect for him!

ajlafleche

Use of the term hero for sports figures goes back as least 80 years to the song "You Gotta Be a Football Hero," written in 1933.

To the guy who begrudges his "friend's" inflated union salary as a firefighter, maybe he should start working swing shifts, enter burning buildings (even with maximum training) for a few months,  pull out the charred remains of a kid, show up at a home where a guy ate his shotgun, struggle to get a 600 pound heart patient out of a house and down a set of winding stairs, hold back a mother whose child can't be rescued.. climb a ladder wearing a hundred pounds of gear in hundred degree heat and -20 degree snow, , Maybe he should respond to a car crash (as happened in New Hampshire this week) to find his daughter was a fatality as a result of an apparently distracted driver. and see if he thinks his "friend's" the salary is so inflated.  Does the firefighter deserve a discount? I don't know, but I get discounts just because I've lived more than 55 years.

And last time I checked he signed up for that job.  No one is forcing him to do it.  

You wanna discuss this more?  PM me about it and I'll be happy to continue this argument privately.  Don't turn this thread into what we all don't want it to turn into.  Please.

Use of the term hero for sports figures goes back as least 80 years to the song "You Gotta Be a Football Hero," written in 1933.

To the guy who begrudges his "friend's" inflated union salary as a firefighter, maybe he should start working swing shifts, enter burning buildings (even with maximum training) for a few months,  pull out the charred remains of a kid, show up at a home where a guy ate his shotgun, struggle to get a 600 pound heart patient out of a house and down a set of winding stairs, hold back a mother whose child can't be rescued.. climb a ladder wearing a hundred pounds of gear in hundred degree heat and -20 degree snow, , Maybe he should respond to a car crash (as happened in New Hampshire this week) to find his daughter was a fatality as a result of an apparently distracted driver. and see if he thinks his "friend's" the salary is so inflated.  Does the firefighter deserve a discount? I don't know, but I get discounts just because I've lived more than 55 years.

my definition of a hero is someone who risks his physical life, emotional life or financial life to protect innocents. a whistle blower may not be in physical harm but his financial life could be jepardized but he does it anyway because innocents are getting sick or dying. obviously a soldier who goes into a mine field to rescue children or other soldiers is a hero. someone who makes a game saving diving catch is not.

one can be courageous and not a hero too. someone with a serious disease who maintains a good attitude can be brave but not heroic (by my definition).

one can be a good role model but not be a hero and one can be a hero but a lousy role model.

and sometimes there is a thin line and a lot of luck between a hero and a fool. there is a story of a new LT in GOODBYE DARKNESS that describes it well.

i am a former soldier and certainly did nothing heroic. my service wasn't even a sacrifice.

I disagree with you all, respectfully.

I think any one who places the common good above their own priorities is a hero.

I don't think the "media" has degraded anything, i general, but I think our way of living has become much more selfish.

Sports figures? Not in their day jobs. Doing charity work, yes.

I agree wholeheartedly. I am in the same boat and was actually thinking about this yesterday. What is bravery? What is valor? What is Gallantry? What is above and beyond the call of duty?  Those who put their hides on the line nowadays in a uniform usually have volunteered to do so. They are not there against their will. Most are well equipped and trained. At least in the "western world". Now I suppose that being willng to do so is bravery or courage. doing something that many can not or will not do.  But then comes the hard part. Where does it become true heroism, beyond just doing your job? One is expected to show initiative and come up with a solution to a situation on the spur of the moment, either thru training, experience or instinct. Where does it rise above doing the job expected? You know it when you see it happen. But the term has been quite devalued and way overused in mainstream media.  Not to put down all the good deeds done by many, but if there is not risk to life or limb, there is no heroism.  Courage and bravery are suppressing the fear for self preservation and doing the job at hand. But where do true heroics begin?

I do perceive the overuse of the word, but I'm not certain that I have the knowledge to suggest that it's overused where the military, certain other vocations & situations are concerned. Some military personnel have to contend with & see things during the course of active duty that may not fit into the traditional vision of heroism, but I don't think that it necessarily excludes them from being heroes...

There seems to be a general trend towards exaggeration these days in the media driven world that we live in - fast cars have been called "Supercars" for as long as I can remember, but this title now seems to be inadequate with the top of the crop being referred to as "Hypercars" - If it's the "Ultracar" next, what after that?

I've had this discussion before and I completely agree. The word "Hero" gets tossed around way too often and loosely.  It most often gets used in the law enforcement, firefighter and military context. I'll use firefighters as an example:

They receive quite a bit of training to fight fires. They also use state of the art equipment to protect their bodies and help fight the fire. They fight fires in a very calculated way that limits the risk to their lives. They assess risks and do their jobs on their terms. They don't just charge into a building that's on fire throwing caution to the wind.

This is not heroic. Dangerous? Yes. And this logic can be applied to law enforcement and the military.

I had a firefighter buddy who told me one time he wouldn't eat at a certain restaurant. I asked why. He said it was because they wouldn't offer the firefighters discounts. I was like "seriously?" He said he was out there risking his life for those people and the least they could do was offer him a discount. I thought,"wow, you're an ***." I also thought "Yeah, their tax dollars are paying your over inflated union salary, so maybe you should give them a discount."

I agree wholeheartedly with what everyone has said. I especially agree with John in that sports figures...and I would go so far as to say any celebrity or anyone else who gets paid handsomely to entertain and constantly be in the public eye, don't deserve to be called heroes unless they've truly done something to risk their lives to help someone else.

What really frustrates me is when a sports figure is described as a hero.  SERIOUSLY????? They are highly paid entertainers.  I do not have much of a problem describing someone who goes in harms way to help someone a hero, even if they do not see themselves as doing anything but their job.  I agree that the term hero is overused.  We do need to come up with another term that has a similar meaning to describe our returning warriors and our public servants and reserve the term hero for someone who does something above and beyond the call of duty.  Just getting tagged in combat does not make one a hero, getting tagged because you put yourself in the line of fire to save a comrade does.  Just my 2 cents worth.

John

Wirraway

I must say I completely agree that the term has been devalued. I hear the term so often in connection with people who play sports etc and that really gets me angry.

I can agree with you about the suggestion just because a person has in been in combat does not mean they have done something heroic. Respect for someone service is always there but putting your life on the line when its part of your job I don't believe makes you a "Hero". There are lots of stories of true Hero's and at time I think calling so many people Hero's devalues a truly heroic act.

Phil