Overuse of the word 'hero'

[LadyOnArooftop]

These days it seems anyone who's been in the army is a hero. every fireman is a hero, all coppers are heroes, and so on . . .. When you overuse anything it becomes devalued. If only the word was saved for when it was really deserved, like yesterday, on the bridge. When most people ran away from the terrorist to save themselves, some members of the public went towards him, disarmed him and without a doubt saved lives. They showed outstanding bravery, far and above what would be expected from any decent citizen - they were true heroes.

 

[Wainright]

they put the GREAT back in to BRITAIN

 

[Altair]

These days it seems anyone who's been in the army is a hero. every fireman is a hero, all coppers are heroes, and so on . . .. When you overuse anything it becomes devalued. If only the word was saved for when it was really deserved, like yesterday, on the bridge. When most people ran away from the terrorist to save themselves, some members of the public went towards him, disarmed him and without a doubt saved lives. They showed outstanding bravery, far and above what would be expected from any decent citizen - they were true heroes.

Every member of OUR armed forces are prepared to save our country and Queen and have done so several times.

OUR Firemen are willing to sacrifice their life to save another and have done so many times.

To say that they are somehow 'False' hero's...?

Just hope YOU don't require their services in future.

 

[LadyOnArooftop]

Just hope YOU don't require their services in future.

Never get personal to support your argument, I think you're better than that.
It's something you often see. For example, you could say something like "I'm glad they abolished the death penalty" someone will pipe up with "you wouldn't say that if your child was murdered" (getting personal to support their argument).

 

[NightOwl65]

Never get personal to support your argument, I think you're better than that.
It's something you often see. For example, you could say something like "I'm glad they abolished the death penalty" someone will pipe up with "you wouldn't say that if your child was murdered" (getting personal to support their argument).

I think anyone who has served or who has family/loved ones serving in our Armed Forces or Emergency Services would have taken your comments very personally. How can you criticise anyone for "getting personal" in response

 

[LadyOnArooftop]

If everyone in the army is a hero at what point to they become one, the minute they put on the uniform? from civvy street to hero in one easy move, marvellous! However, after reading the contributions to this thread I have to consider that I may be in the wrong, that being so, the hero list must be updated. . .
If we are to accept the premise that all army personnel are heroes then by the same token RAF and navy must also be of the same ilk. Air sea rescue with their heroic acts, saving many lives, it goes with without saying - they're in.. It got me thinking, if just by wearing a uniform it got you hero status, but then I thought of royal mail postmen, so no, clearly not.
Moving on to the NHS (Labour's fav topic), doctors and midwives are obviously heroes, (nurses are angels not heroes). Strangely, dentists aren't included on the hero list, the pain they can cause I'm not surprised. Looking at other professions, teachers immediately come to mind. They're underpaid and under-appreciated, but definitely not hero material. Scientists developing cures for cancer? quite possibly. If i've missed anyone out please feel free to update the hero list.
One thing I note about all the above heroes - they don't do it for free........ Paid to be a hero (nice work if you can get it).

There is truth and there is untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you're not mad. but never forget - don't get personal, don't raise your voice, just improve your argument.

 

[NightOwl65]

If everyone in the army is a hero at what point to they become one, the minute they put on the uniform? from civvy street to hero in one easy move, marvellous! However, after reading the contributions to this thread I have to consider that I may be in the wrong, that being so, the hero list must be updated. . .
If we are to accept the premise that all army personnel are heroes then by the same token RAF and navy must also be of the same ilk. Air sea rescue with their heroic acts, saving many lives, it goes with without saying - they're in.. It got me thinking, if just by wearing a uniform it got you hero status, but then I thought of royal mail postmen, so no, clearly not.
Moving on to the NHS (Labour's fav topic), doctors and midwives are obviously heroes, (nurses are angels not heroes). Strangely, dentists aren't included on the hero list, the pain they can cause I'm not surprised. Looking at other professions, teachers immediately come to mind. They're underpaid and under-appreciated, but definitely not hero material. Scientists developing cures for cancer? quite possibly. If i've missed anyone out please feel free to update the hero list.
One thing I note about all the above heroes - they don't do it for free........ Paid to be a hero (nice work if you can get it).

There is truth and there is untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you're not mad. but never forget - don't get personal, don't raise your voice, just improve your argument.

After wiping my screen of the sarcasm dripping from your post I will add that I clearly stated ARMED FORCES AND EMERGENCY SERVICES..
They sign up and get a salary for putting their lives on the line, you object ??? As for nice work if you can get it, well anyone is free to apply but only some do. Have you ever tried? I know that I haven't and would not like my sons to put their lives on the line every day, salaried or not.

Maybe you should take some time to actually talk to someone who has experienced being in active service, whether Armed Forces or Emergency Services. You may find you are not so casual in your dismissal of the work they do and the risks they take.

As for truths and untruths, and improving your argument.......... I think maybe it's advice you should consider taking yourself, but that is only my humble opinion

 

[Altair]

Never get personal to support your argument, I think you're better than that.
It's something you often see. For example, you could say something like "I'm glad they abolished the death penalty" someone will pipe up with "you wouldn't say that if your child was murdered" (getting personal to support their argument).

There was Nothing 'Personal' !.. I wasn't actually arguing about anything.

It seems to Me that the only person arguing here is You.

 

[supercookie123]

Hmmm. Just stumbled upon this. Am talking to my man about this now, asking for his perspective as former Armed Forces... 'Some are, you know' was his reply. His experience is that there are shirkers and more and less brave in every walk of life. We are of the opinion that being ill doesn't make you brave necessarily (choosing to take that illness from, say, a child and suffering it oneself would make one brave, perhaps). He thinks that people can perform herioc acts in many jobs; it is not the job title that makes one a hero. It is acts. Joining the Army was a sad last resort for many, he says, who had no qualifications or alternatives. Not everyone joins as a graduate, as he did. Some of those don't even realise how they will be used - as cannon fodder to protect others. That is not heroic; that is criminal.

 

[Wojcik]

The concept of serving your country and playing an important role in the safety of its citizens, is heroic in nature. However, there is another side to this where people join up for the wrong reasons. The perception is that everyone that does join up are heroic. For example, is someone who wants to kill and joins the Armed Forces seen as heroic? I do think our Fire Service and Health Service in general are heroes. The principle of helping the sick and injured is something to be admired and celebrated.

I see where you're going with this in that there are shades of grey

 

[megs233]

To me a hero is some one whose a good deed and expect's nothing in return.

 

[JJ50]

they put the GREAT back in to BRITAIN

Britain is a country like any other, it has good points and bad points, there is nothing great about it.

 

[Wojcik]

Britain is a country like any other, it has good points and bad points, there is nothing great about it.

I disagree. I feel extremely fortunate to live in a country where we live in a democratic society, where we have the choice to make changes. It's not perfect, but i think it's something to celebrate as a whole. So i think our country is a great one in that regard. We also are one of the most inclusive countries throughout Europe. I think it's something to be proud of.

 

[JJ50]

I disagree. I feel extremely fortunate to live in a country where we live in a democratic society, where we have the choice to make changes. It's not perfect, but i think it's something to celebrate as a whole. So i think our country is a great one in that regard. We also are one of the most inclusive countries throughout Europe. I think it's something to be proud of.

Whilst I prefer to live in the UK, having lived here for 50 years since I married, I am not blind to its many faults. The British Empire was a terrible blot on British history, as was the way Ireland was treated in the past, causing the rise of the evil IRA. One of the biggest mistakes in recent history is Brexit, which I am sure we will live to regret, tiny little Britain is too small to stand alone.

 

[Wojcik]

Whilst I prefer to live in the UK, having lived here for 50 years since I married, I am not blind to its many faults. The British Empire was a terrible blot on British history, as was the way Ireland was treated in the past, causing the rise of the evil IRA. One of the biggest mistakes in recent history is Brexit, which I am sure we will live to regret, tiny little Britain is too small to stand alone.

Yes, i would agree that the British Empire did terrible things, but so were many other countries around the world. But to suggest that it was entirely terrible, is something that is not true. For the many evils we did in past history, we also did some good, but those are things that aren't discussed.
I have only seen and heard stories about slavery, but not acknowledging the fact that we played a part in abolishing it by liberating slaves, for which I'm thankful for. Slavery still happens in the modern day, and i hope it's one day gone completely abolished for good.
Other things we should celebrate are technological advances, a common speaking language, a shared love of sport that brings people together, outlawed some of the most barbaric practices from across the globe and we brought democracy to the world on a larger scale.

So i think for all the biggest mistakes it's ever made in history, and there have been a lot, i also believe there's a lot to celebrate also.
On Brexit, i am a firm believer of people of any nation that they should choose their own path, for better or worse, whether that's through independence or joining political unions. After all that is part of the democratic processes of each individual country.

 

[JJ50]

I suspect many people hadn't a clue what they were voting for when they voted to leave the EU. They were lied to by that sewer rat, Farage, who stated the NHS would benefit, whereas it will be much worse off. We have relied on people from the EU to help man the hospitals as there are not enough brits trained to do so. We were told that leaving the EU would end immigration, another porkie. We should welcome migrants, imo, many of them work a darn sight harder than flipping brits. The UK has been built on migrants, many people's ancestors were incomers.

 

[Wojcik]

I suspect many people hadn't a clue what they were voting for when they voted to leave the EU. They were lied to by that sewer rat, Farage, who stated the NHS would benefit, whereas it will be much worse off. We have relied on people from the EU to help man the hospitals as there are not enough brits trained to do so. We were told that leaving the EU would end immigration, another porkie. We should welcome migrants, imo, many of them work a darn sight harder than flipping brits. The UK has been built on migrants, many people's ancestors were incomers.

I don't doubt that you're wrong there, but i would also suggest that people who voted remain, also didn't know what they were voting for entirely.
I think there were many lies told on both sides of the debate, many catchy slogans and catchphrases that captured people's attention. The EU is a complex structure, something that no average citizen would ever fully understand. A bit like legal language, it's not the same as normal everyday language that we use. You have to be in that group to fully understand the terms that are used.
And i do agree on immigration. We should be welcoming those who come, and make them feel welcome who work hard and contribute.
You have two types of people on the leave argument when it comes to immigrant. One side who wants to end it completely, which like you've correctly stated won't happen, and on the other side you have those who want to control the numbers coming into the country. A fairer immigration system, but not completely cutting it off.
As for Farage, i think he has proven that politics is more about personality. That type of cars salesman that can engage with the masses who gravitate towards them. Like him or loathe him, but he's been the most influential politician that has never been truly elected to Westminster. It's quite a remarkable feat.

 

[Bad_Influence]

I suspect many people hadn't a clue what they were voting for when they voted to leave the EU. They were lied to by that sewer rat, Farage, who stated the NHS would benefit, whereas it will be much worse off. We have relied on people from the EU to help man the hospitals as there are not enough brits trained to do so. We were told that leaving the EU would end immigration, another porkie. We should welcome migrants, imo, many of them work a darn sight harder than flipping brits. The UK has been built on migrants, many people's ancestors were incomers.

So.... you've been living in the Uk for 50 years.... coincidentally around the whole time we were part of the EU. So you don't remember that we survived well enough BEFORE we were dragged into a common market. (Please note it was a 'common market' we joined... not an all powerful bunch of unelected pen-pushers that do not have OUR interests on their agenda).

How can you say people didn't have a clue what they voted for regarding Brexit?? I know exactly why I voted to leave and those reasons are mine and nothing to do with anyone else.
You say the NHS will be worse off, so give us some evidence to back up that claim, or are you just spouting the garbage that Momentum and the lefty numpties throw out to cause trouble?
I was never told that leaving the EU would end immigration... I was told however that it would attempt to prevent ILLEGAL immigration. Immigration does have a place in our society but uncontrolled immigration is dangerous as we have seen many times. We SHOULD only allow those who benefit this country to come here, not those who are just a burden, both criminally and financially.

 

[JJ50]

So.... you've been living in the Uk for 50 years.... coincidentally around the whole time we were part of the EU. So you don't remember that we survived well enough BEFORE we were dragged into a common market. (Please note it was a 'common market' we joined... not an all powerful bunch of unelected pen-pushers that do not have OUR interests on their agenda).

How can you say people didn't have a clue what they voted for regarding Brexit?? I know exactly why I voted to leave and those reasons are mine and nothing to do with anyone else.
You say the NHS will be worse off, so give us some evidence to back up that claim, or are you just spouting the garbage that Momentum and the lefty numpties throw out to cause trouble?
I was never told that leaving the EU would end immigration... I was told however that it would attempt to prevent ILLEGAL immigration. Immigration does have a place in our society but uncontrolled immigration is dangerous as we have seen many times. We SHOULD only allow those who benefit this country to come here, not those who are just a burden, both criminally and financially.

I am a Brit and probably know more about the UK and how it works than most of you, due to my family connections, my late father was a senior politician.

 

[Bad_Influence]

I am a Brit and probably know more about the UK and how it works than most of you, due to my family connections, my late father was a senior politician.

You may well do, but it is also possible you don't, as you know nothing about me. I would never presume to claim to know more than you as I know nothing about you either... but that's just me.