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For my English class I was assigned to come up with a bunch of ways to define what 'being a hero' means. What makes someone heroic? What is a heroic action? etc. And I thought "Why waste precious brainpower on a question when there's dozens of people online who can do it for me?" Haha, JK. But I am interested to see your guy's thoughts on this.

Ignore this post.

Self-sacrifice, love, and morality. 

Firefighters, for example. They risk their lives (self-sacrifice) for their fellow men and women (love) to rescue them from danger because they believe it's the right thing to do (morality.)

Sadly, firefighters and police have the highest death average per year. It's time like these we need to stop and honor them.

(I'm not being sarcastic)

Indeed. Many of them have died in the line of service. Being willing to walk into an inferno or the line of fire for another human being, often a total stranger ... if that's not heroic, then I don't know what is.

Very well said.

Oh fuck off. They get paid for their jobs, just like everyone else. Also, they're not even in the top ten list of most dangerous jobs in America.

Some of  them are great people, and some of them are dicks. Being paid to be selfless isn't being selfless; firefighters and cops aren't heroes by default.

I'm, I'm just going to wait for the flames from this.

Comments like these are irritating. "Haha, so controversial amirite guise???". No. Say something relevant to the discussion at hand, or don't click that "post message button". This isn't Reddit; inane jokes don't earn you anything but the irritation of other members. 

No, you fuck off! Are you saying that since they get paid for doing what they do, automatically doesn't make them heroes? Regardless of payment, they still put their life on the line to keep our streets safe. I wouldn't do that stuff for all the money in the world. Getting shot at and nearly killed every other day? No thank you.

Where the hell do you live for cops to have such dangerous lives?

I'm pretty sure he is talking in general. :/

Heroes by default.

There you go. Cops around the world being heroes. 

By the by, according to the 2011 report by the NYPD, only four officers were shot. They're not ducking bullets everywhere they go. 

Police brutality is also a thing, and in countries where police are more or less a tool of the government, being a policeman doesn't necessarily equate with heroism. I understand that that's not what you're referring to, but it is worthy to note that being a policeman doesn't mean that you are a hero by default.

I don't think Kiel/me said that anywhere in what he/I said.

 

My example was firefighters, I'll stick to that. But yes. There are bad eggs in every group. 

I love firefighters <3

To me, the most important characteristic of a hero is someone who would sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Firefighters and policemen deserve a ton of respect for what they do. I think I actually replied to the wrong person haha, was meant to reply to Sonic as something to just keep in mind :)

A lot of firefighters are great people, who do great things. Some of them are heroes. But generalizing them as all heroes, and saying that they're heroes by default is naive, IMHO.

Wow, that cop should got fired. 

1 he lied.

2 he he got confrontationl .

3 he hung up before finding out why the 911 call was made.

4 he was unprofessional.

911 operators are not law enforcement officers. They're just operators that happen to work for the 911 dispatch center.

Okay. Yes, I get it. Not all of them are automatically heroes because they are officers. But in the video, that was the operators fault. Officers do not answer the calls.

He still

a) works with the police department

b) performs a task that "helps people". 

The point stands. Not everyone who helps people in their job is automatically a fucking hero. 

Plenty of people work with police departments that have absolutely no law enforcement training or experience. For municipalities, this includes the mayor and other elected officials, other organizations but public and private, etc. That's hardly a reflection on the duty and professionalism of the departments officers. Law enforcement training, much like military training, insills an entirely different mode of thinking from civilians, or at the very least, as to do so.

Depending on what department you're in and area of the country, the frequency of high risk situations may vary. But even something simple as a traffic stop can turn ugly or be a felony stop. That's why academies beat into recruits' brains that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. Complacency kills.

That said, if you want to beat it down to a bloody pulp. No, not all law enforcement officers are heroes. Some have short careers and change paths. Others freeze under pressure and wind up elsewhere, in one sense of the word or another.

On a separate note, most agencies try very hard to only hire upstanding and moral men and women, but no process is flawless and some denizens slip through the cracks. But those people aren't police officers. They're criminals masquerading as police officers. True law enforcement officers despise them as much as any citizen, if not more.

Over 120 law enforcement officers died in the United States in the line of duty in 2015. That's over 120 too many. Countless others put their lives at risk in thousands of different scenarios. Any incident can become 'The Incident" where it's cowboy up time. Every officer goes into every shift with that hazard looming on the horizon for him or her.

Going to work, knowing that today could be the day you fight the bogey man... that's damn heroic to me.

I think it's interesting the idea of trained heroism as opposed to innate heroism. I had a discussion with my friend recently on the notion of trained talent and natural talent (specifically in the Kpop industry where under-18s are trained to be pop idols for years on end; G-Dragon trained for 11 years and is incredibly successful today). Of course, agencies try to scout people who have that innate talent as I'm sure is true with the police and moral heroism as well, but it makes for an interesting discussion nonetheless.

i wouldn't say law enforcement academies or the military train heroism. They train you to do your job, fight for your brothers and sisters in arms, and survive (win). Soldiers and LE officers don't try to be heroic - they try to do their job and keep themselves and others alive. But in those big moments, they don't think so much as they act through instinct. Training, drills and muscle memory override most cognitive functions.

All those drills and repetition have a purpose, but they're not trying to make heroes. They're trying to keep people in the fight. If you're alive, you haven't lost yet.

Yep. I can relate to this. My family has been in the military for years, I'm proud of my father. Don't think I've mentioned this, but he recently won an award. I forgot what it was called. I think the John Walleen award (?)

So thats k pop...Yeah noo i think i'll stick to melodic metal.

... Sure, Malk. As opposed to taking a safe desk job or literally any other profession, firefighters choose to take a job risking their lives for others, and the fact that their death rate could be higher, or that some of them are paid or can be dicks like everyone else somehow negates their sacrifices. (Never mind that there are volunteer firefighters who do not get paid.) Meanwhile, you'll act like a bitch on the Internet for free. I'm sure that entitles you to judge them.

No, I was not implying they're all heroes, but I agree with Mason on showing respect for the ones that died in service. Go be an ass somewhere else.

Sure. They do a dangerous job. That doesn't make them fucking heroes. Suggesting otherwise makes me a "bitch". Holy shit, what Kool-Aid are the Americans drinking, these days? Idolizing these people as heroes is never a good idea.

Umm... It's not just dangerous, Malk. They save lives.

Nah, you've just been one in general lately. 

Yes. Doing a dangerous job does not automatically make you a hero. If that were enough, then I'd have to include sword swallowers. Risking death to rescue someone, on the other hand, is another story.

Not all are paid exactly some are volunteer.
My town's firemen are all volunteer they don't get paid for it and have to have part time jobs to survive.

Most of the firemen around my area are all volunteer

They're all volunteer in my area, too.

If memory serves, farmers have the most dangerous profession.  I don't hear anyone singing their praises, though.

Yeah, I agree. Self-sacrifice is a big one.

Would you kindly stop already?

Huh? Stop what? Posting?

Hey, I think I recognize you from somewhere, can't tell. Have we met before?

He's that, uh, WC shit writer. I think.

Longer than you think. And yes, stop posting here, would you kindly?

Why? :/ 

 

My apologies Sonic. *snaps*

Your profile pic looks like that ghost thing from the orcarena of time... 

 

That's Pandora from Kid Icarus Uprising. Best. 3ds game. Ever.

Stuff.

Haha, look at the shit above Shadow ^^^

Lol.

Our site gets uncivilized pretty fast due to trolls. Lol, me, Kiel, and Turbo just start a chat when BOOM!, they start acting like animals. It's times like this I just have to stop and laugh.

 

Well if we’re going by the ancient greek myth standard, you could be a complete dick and still be considered a hero.

Like Achilles.

Simple Definition of hero

• : a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities

• : a person who is greatly admired

• : the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.

So. If people like you, you're a hero then?

EDIT: That definition seems pretty old. Since it states that only a male can be a hero in a play, movie, book etc.

Well, yeah. Technically.

What do you expect? I simply copy/pasted this from the internet. XD

The reason we've been researching this in English is because it is not as simple as finding a definition. Since there are hundreds of different interpretations.

That is very true.

Male = Hero  / female = heroine

Ah... right. *facepalm*

Actually, hero is mostly considered a gender neutral term now.

Many will agree with what Kiel said. But for someone to be called a hero... it also depends on people's perspective and their occupations.

Ned Kelly, a famous outlaw in Australia who robbed banks but played Robin Hood, for example. Many view him as an outlaw. But others view him as a hero.

When you contribute meaningful things to society, you become a hero.

If you built the freeways, you're a hero (or devil, depending on whether or not you screwed up the designs).  Good teachers are heroes.  Volunteer firefighters are heroes.  Lawyers are heroes for their clients...if they don't purposely screw up the case for a bribe.

Hell, even baristas and street sweepers are heroes.  Keeping the consumerist cogs moving takes the work of millions daily, and if it takes caffeine to keep it going, then the baristas are in their own way making the machine work.

Soldiers are heroes in the way how they defend a nation's best interests.  Cops are heroes in the way how they make sure these interests are protected from inside the borders.

Gamers help thousands of kids occupied with...um, some interest for coding or whatever.  I dunno.

And kids that do drugs....are the cartels' heroes, in a way?  They provide the customer base needed to keep those industries going.  But then by extension, wouldn't that make rappers that perpetuate the "thug" lifestyle the heroes?  But wouldn't the corrupt politicians that make those neighborhoods go to crap be the heroes?

Wait, how the hell did corrupt politicians even rise to power?  How many 1st world bigots does it take to fuel a drug industry?  How many heroes does it take to make an industry like that?

How many terrible, underpaid, backwater teachers does it take to make these bigots?  How many seemingly average parents who are actually less-than-OK did it take to screw over several nations an entire continent south?

And how many lay-offs did it take to do that?  How many embezzlements did it take to trigger the recession to produce those?

I think that a hero is just some who does good out of a sense of justice a kindness and doesn't want anything in return. Its the little things that matter. Not that i really have a right to say what a hero is. I'm a shitty person, with a shitty personality, who would probably abandon everyone and everything if it meant my own survival.

I think it depends on whom you ask, as notions of what constitutes heroism tend to differ from person to person. For example, in some of the previous posts, the example of a police officer or a firefighter was given, where opinions differed because self-sacrifice could be seen as part of the job description. Similarly, a soldier could be hailed as a hero and a liberator by one party, and as an oppressor and criminal by the others.

Also, good job of making other people so your homework.

Totally did not reference Kiel's example in my essay.

Someone who gives you something that you need that you cannot get for yourself.

I think being a hero is an incredibly subjective term. Many of the qualities mentioned can be found on terrible people as well as good. With some something like loyalty to a cause, doing what's right and self sacrifice, that could be found on a fireman running into an inferno or a suicide bimber. Both believe they're doing what's right. Heroes as they're portrayed in media don't exist in real life. As shown above, people disagree with whether police are heroes. Some see them as people who take risks for the greater good. Some see them as people who many are corrupted by their power and don't take statistically many more risks than other jobs. I think when it comes down to it, what a hero is is more of a personal question.