quote:
Do you use hero sparingly or lavishly?
In a recent newspaper article, I read about a man who broke into a burning house to alert the residents, thereby saving six people from the inferno. When called a "hero", he modestly demurred, saying the real hero was his girl-friend, who had awakened to go to the bathroom and noticed the fire in the neighbor's house. Was labelling her a "hero" too lavish an honor? Of course. And that's the problem with the word.
On numerous occasions, I have read accounts of sporting events where a highly-paid athlete is designated the "hero of the game" because he scored the winning touchdown or hit the walk-off home run.
I think these usages denigrate and trivialize the real heroes -- our soldiers, firemen and policemen, and especially the ordinary citizen, like the first man mentioned here -- who unselfishly risk their lives (and often lose their lives) for everyone else's benefit.
We should do what they did for the Olympics. There should be a word reserved entirely for these courageous souls that would celebrate their bravery and, like the word "Olympics", could not be used by anyone else without special permission.
