tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post3208127613162331717..comments2024-03-28T13:11:03.006-04:00Comments on The AC is On: AC Gets Hungup on the Concept of HerosimAnvilcloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07974744042579564912noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-61814685373295806122015-01-30T18:54:29.943-05:002015-01-30T18:54:29.943-05:00yeah, heroism is bigger than that.
and he wasn...yeah, heroism is bigger than that.<br /><br />and he wasn't a terrorist. he was a mentally ill man who didn't get appropriate treatment in time who was shot instead of treated with politicians holding up spears like caveman and congratulating each other for responding to their fears with violence.Pearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05251168248457758117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-1907457410610578922015-01-23T00:35:27.278-05:002015-01-23T00:35:27.278-05:00I hear what you're saying and don't disagr...I hear what you're saying and don't disagree.. for the most part. The definition is interesting though because it would seem that a hero is also defined by the eye of the beholder. Label someone who we might deem a hero and they'll deny it and say they were just doing their job.. or what anyone else would do.Hilaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-24508152320705929572015-01-22T09:07:30.076-05:002015-01-22T09:07:30.076-05:00You are a deep thinker, AC. And I think I get your...You are a deep thinker, AC. And I think I get your point, which I agree with if I have interpreted it correctly.<br /><br />Understanding the true meaning of words is not something most people like to explore or think hard about. We interpret meanings within the context of our own experiences, and it's really a miracle that any of us understand anyone else at all. (Maybe we don't, actually, but just think we do.)<br /><br />Now that I'm getting older, I'm becoming more and more frustrated with how word meanings are changing over time. Languages evolve. Maybe the meaning of the word "hero" is evolving.<br /><br />Hope this was clear. :)<br />EG CameraGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12803759124643467711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-14299329776258271842015-01-22T06:50:31.089-05:002015-01-22T06:50:31.089-05:00You have tackled a difficult word in terms of its ...You have tackled a difficult word in terms of its meaning to people. Many, including myself, may define hero as describing a selfless act of courage. I agree with your well-taken point that the word has been over used in many instances,including the incident you referenced. Beatrice P. Boydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08281239556392874979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-19903353064689329012015-01-20T22:23:17.333-05:002015-01-20T22:23:17.333-05:00Hmmm...after reading your thoughts, I tend to agre...Hmmm...after reading your thoughts, I tend to agree with you on what defines heroism. Such a tender subject, though. I commend you for airing your views.Gail Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15697820311332653232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-38809408018470096662015-01-19T22:37:03.971-05:002015-01-19T22:37:03.971-05:00Of course, in classical mythology, heroes could be...Of course, in classical mythology, heroes could be very petty and anti-heroic. Think of Achilles sulking in his tent.<br />Maybe it's the definition of hero that causes the difficulty--some of us want to think of any soldier as a hero; some of us question that premise and are aware that some soldiers do awful un-heroic things.<br />We recently saw the movie "Unbroken" which dramatizes a portion of Laura Hillenbrand's marvelous book of the same name. Louis Zamperini was a hero, and even heroic, in his perseverance staying alive and helping his mates in the raft to survive, as well as enduring as a prisoner of war. <br />As I watched some of the portions of that movie, particularly when the airmen were flying bombing missions and were trying to evade enemy fire--I was awed. Here were young men, barely adult, flying monstrous difficult to fly airplanes--bombing the enemy country. But they were also very ordinary flesh-and-blood people who would not have seen themselves as heroes. They were simply doing their duty. <br />And of course, that was Corporal Nathan Cirillo was also doing.<br />Maybe in an age when too few people have a strong sense of duty, one person doing his duty seems heroic.<br />So back to the definition of hero: "a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities."<br />Thanks for raising some good questions, AC.KGMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05165941950953938943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-65075241708933309352015-01-19T19:15:47.870-05:002015-01-19T19:15:47.870-05:00I saw a brave man taking action. It was good.
Th...I saw a brave man taking action. It was good.<br /><br />Thanks so much for your notes.Magehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17333086721654817750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-9150570361939502072015-01-19T14:52:32.528-05:002015-01-19T14:52:32.528-05:00I see your point and I agree.. i found your point ...I see your point and I agree.. i found your point interesting.. you expressed yourself and your point perfectly. Hena Tayebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15419428884435062756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-63840483091009755532015-01-19T13:16:31.965-05:002015-01-19T13:16:31.965-05:00I think we confuse heroes with bravery. Also ther...I think we confuse heroes with bravery. Also there are those in such situations that should just not be there! The fear is that we come to worship war as a solution to resolving problems with our enemies.Taborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-7883251021499217062015-01-19T12:39:42.826-05:002015-01-19T12:39:42.826-05:00Thanks for sharing that poignant anecdote, Ginger....Thanks for sharing that poignant anecdote, Ginger.Anvilcloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07974744042579564912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-48318275871702852082015-01-19T11:21:40.800-05:002015-01-19T11:21:40.800-05:00P.S. I had the sad experience of hearing one of ou...P.S. I had the sad experience of hearing one of our students, Matthew, speak (in Washington state, when I was VP of a university there) about his experience as a "hero" in Afghanistan. He told of how he went with visions of serving his country and of fulfilling that image of the strong soldier. It was more of a lark and an ego-booster for him, than some idealistic mission. <br /><br />One night Matthew and his buddies were following up on an assignment to eradicate some Taliban who had been identified as being in a house in the countryside. Matthew and his buddies were up on a hill, and used the skills they'd been trained with, to launch a rocket, which landed squarely on the little house. Through their night vision scopes they saw it hit the target, and celebrated with hoots and hollers on the hillside. Then they had to go down to verify at close range that they had accomplished their assignment. Matthew broke down in front of the classroom full of people as he told of seeing the shredded bodies of women and children in the rubble. It shattered his life and his worldview, completely changed his life. He would tell you that joining the military and going off to other countries to fight does not automatically make you a hero, by definition of the word, and that the use of the word "hero" for that is very troubling.Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14826899900356202742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-31205396857859653262015-01-19T11:03:24.061-05:002015-01-19T11:03:24.061-05:00AC, I'm totally on board with you. By calling ...AC, I'm totally on board with you. By calling someone a hero simply because they are present in some difficult situation (for whatever reason), we devalue the word. Being courageous is much more common, in my thinking. Being heroic should be a rare label reserved for people who set self aside and do things that are almost superhuman. There should be a word for the latter, and "hero" is it.Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14826899900356202742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-82038954550128271042015-01-19T10:59:55.661-05:002015-01-19T10:59:55.661-05:00I knew this would happen. :)
Linda, as much as I...I knew this would happen. :) <br /><br />Linda, as much as I tried, perhaps I didn't make my point well enough. I was not tossing a metaphorical grenade at soldiers but trying to say that in my eyes simply doing your job doesn't automatically make you a hero.<br /><br />Surely you have to do something that is above and beyond what the job would normally entail. If everyone is a hero, what do we call the person who performs a truly heroic act: one that goes beyond normal expectations such as pulling a wounded comrade from a vehicle that is under fire? An extra heroic hero?<br /><br />It's a serious point on my part. When we alter the traditional meaning of a word, we may be left with nothing to replace it.<br /><br />That being said, we are all free to define hero as we like. I have offered my thought that it takes a special person performing an especially brave act to qualify, but if everyone else wants everyone to be a hero so be it.<br />Anvilcloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07974744042579564912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-29546744093875987522015-01-19T10:52:21.564-05:002015-01-19T10:52:21.564-05:00I can comment my friend. We live with these homici...I can comment my friend. We live with these homicidal lunies and have done for my sixty years. <br />I love what I see and hear of Canada. Just carry on. Just train your police better.<br /><br />The USA sponsored IRA terrorism here for decades.<br /><br />He was a soldier and soldiers live or die by their training or incompetence.<br /><br />He was a wee lad that thought carrying a gun was important. Pity he hadn't been trained to use it. ADRIANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113961163396562781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-90849209926173062572015-01-19T10:26:07.271-05:002015-01-19T10:26:07.271-05:00i understand your point. it might seem like you ar...i understand your point. it might seem like you are splitting hairs for the sake of word definition, but i get it. in this case, maybe he was more an unwilling martyr.TexWisGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13641962051044162710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998770.post-50716406542069690782015-01-19T09:58:52.077-05:002015-01-19T09:58:52.077-05:00I can tell you of one hero from the Iran conflict,...I can tell you of one hero from the Iran conflict, my SIL who is a surgeon doing repairs in the green zone on the young men who were injured in battle. He wasn't fighting the war, just saving those who had the misfortune to be there. I consider all of them heroes for being on those front lines to defend whatever our country deemed necessary. All wars are kind of like that, right?Linda Kayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17237332954767037400noreply@blogger.com