I'm a New Yorker and I wasn't a Hero on 9/11

[fayhunter]

Snips:

One day a little girl with a piece of paper was in front of a wall plastered with tributes to the lost. She was with a police officer who was holding a roll of masking tape. She lifted the little girl onto her shoulders and handed up the tape, and the girl stuck her piece of paper on it. The paper had a great big heart drawn on it, kind of like a big border. The little girl must have drawn it before writing in these words...

But looking back, in spite of the incredible acts of bonding and kindness and hard work during those weeks and months, we were not really heroes.

Do you know anybody who really is a hero?

Full Article

[Girard442]

1. Beware of people who talk endlessly of heroes.

There are lots of heroic acts and not a few genuine heroes, but people who wax eloquent about heroes are more likely hangers-on who want to experience history as a rush of excitement, like watching a 007 flick. Listen instead to the people who remember the tragedy and loss and pain and are willing to work quietly behind the scenes over the years to make it less likely that those tragedies will be repeated.

[fayhunter]

2. Totally agree

Like that article says, the term is applied to practically everyone who holds the door open for the person behind them.

[BigmanPigman]

3. What is even worse is when overpaid sports players are called HEROES.

Did they do anything heroic!? The definition of hero has been misapplied for decades and attributing the word to those who are not heroes is an insult to the true, unsung heroes.

[CTyankee]

4. My son is a hero and he was a first responder on 9/11...

drove a truck down to lower Manhattan and collected ice from every bar and restaurant he could find so the people cleaning up could get the fires out of rubble still burning.

He is also a prosecutor who is working on getting wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not do, due to a former DA who zealously worked against these people. It's a kind of Exoneration Project. He regards it as his life's work.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Your son truly sounds like a hero.

[CTyankee]

6. thank you. My two sons in law are great too...