Originally posted by midnight Target
I think, however you may have switched the words "selfless" and "selfish". They mean exactly the opposite.
I ment that truly selfless behavior - heroic or not, is detrimental to propagation. So my use was probably correct.
What is sad IMHO is the lack of feeling you seem to have for heroism. You are not logically wrong, just missing out on a wonderful human experience. I was raised and lived in Soviet Union for 25 years including some interesting military service in the 80s. The heroism theme was the most exploited trick in the communist propaganda arsenal. I think I got sencitised to it so that every time I hear a talk of "heroism" I suspect that there is either a scoundrel trying to manipulate people into doing his bidding, a scoundel trying to distract people from his screwups or a scoundrel that wants to sell you something. Most of the time I find that scoundrel right away.
I have very strong respect for capable people that can overcame their biological fear and do what they consider right. Todd Beemer is definitely one of them. But in a discussion of heroism he would much better illustrate my point than the opposite one.
If we consider weather he was a selfless hero by the standards of some, he would not make a good picture.
As far as I know he was not serving in the US Army at the time, have not done so before and did not intend to in the future. So any wish to protect innocent americans must have come to him (if it did) after his wife talked to him on the phone.
When four hijackers captured a plane with dozens of healthy men on board, they were content to let them do what they wanted rather then risk a nasty box-cutter cut. I bet that returning safely to his wife and children was more important to him than fighing for general american interests. In some cultures that would have been shamefull behavior but not in american one where people are taught to leave the matters to the "professional heroes". Only when his wife convinced him on the phone that he was surely going to die, he and his comrades chose to act.
If you cannot respect him without putting labels of "american hero" and "saver of innocent people" - too bad. I can respect him as a man, not as a silly label.
miko
