On Being A Hero...

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks died Monday at the age of 92. I have tremendous respect for Rosa - she told the man where to put it. We need more Rosa Parks.

I think there is a lot of confusion (MOSTLY CAUSED BY THE MEDIA) regarding what really constitutes a heroic act.

Heroic means exhibiting or marked by courage and daring; supremely noble or self-sacrificing. I have watched the television media refer to people many times as heroes or heroic for doing something to save themselves. Some moron that does something stupid and then has to overcome great adversity to survive is NOT a hero. They are a survivor. Such person has not made a noble or self-sacrificing act - no, they have done exactly the opposite. They have made a self-PRESERVING act.

Rosa climbed on the bus in 1955 and sat down...not because she thought she was special, but because she thought that this act (which exposed her to physical attack and arrest) would, in some way benefit mankind; it did. She received very little direct personal benefit from this act. It was supremely noble, self sacrificing, courageous and daring. That is heroic.

Pulled from a CNN story about Tiger Woods: Presidents Cup hero Chris DiMarco, who drained the final putt to secure victory for the U.S. at Lake Manassas, Virginia, is the only other member of the top 10 to tee it up at Walt Disney World's Magnolia and Palm Golf Clubs that will co-host the event.

President's Cup "hero"?!?! What was supremely noble and self-sacrificing about making a putt to secure victory in a golf tournament? Isn't winning a sporting event a selfish act (winning) and not a selfless act (sacrifice)? Chris DiMarco may be a hero for other reasons, but the media completely missed the mark using the term "hero" here. How about using the word "star" or "outstanding player"? Adjectives such as these work fine here without cheapening what it means to be a hero.

Rosa Parks made a noble and selfless act and is a hero.
Chris DiMarco made a great putt and is a golfer of note.
I hope the distinction is clear.

Rant #2

While on the media rant, I was listening to the radio this afternoon and the news report was about hurricane Wilma. The report covered people that lived in the path of the hurricane in mobile homes that were ordered to evacuate, didn't and then called the police when their homes began collapsing expecting the local police to come to their rescue. What the hell. These MORONS calling the police and/or fire department to come to their rescue and risk their own life and limb to save them from their own horrible decision.

Let's see...I live in a poorly constructed structure and I know, absolutely, for a fact, that a hurricane is coming. I can either (a) evacuate for 2 days or (b) crack open my bottle of Jack and hang on to my valuables (including my entire collection of Penthouse that I built up over the last 3 years) and ride it out. Then, when I realize that my poorly constructed structure is about to collapse on top of me, I call someone and expect them to come out into the highly hazardous environment to save my ass.

This country has become a society of victims. We expect the government to bail us out every time we make a stupid mistake. If you make a choice like this on your own after advice, then you should live (or die) with the consequences. Some poor police officer should not risk death due to your lack of the ability to think rationally.

It is not the responsiblity of the government to protect us from our own stupid acts; it is our responsibility to endeavor to avoid being stupid.