On the Heroic: What is a hero?

I

invert_nexus

Ze do caixao
Valued Senior Member
A debate rages which I put forth to the good people of Sciforums to ponder.

A scenario:

A man wakes every morning at 5 a.m. He goes to the bathroom. Shits. Showers. Shaves. Puts on his clothes. Makes breakfast. Gets in his car and goes to work. Spends 8 hours in his cubicle. Comes home. Makes a light dinner. Watches some tv. Reads. Masturbates. Goes to bed.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.​

Some would claim that this man is a hero.

Would you?

Why or why not?

Note: There is a piece of hidden lore here. Be wary of your response for you see through the glass darkly.
 
He isn't a hero.

a) he didn't wash his dishes.
b) he masturbated. And to what?

Anyway, he seems to be fitting a continual mold without ever surpassing it. Is that heroism, or cowardice?
 
Anyway, he seems to be fitting a continual mold without ever surpassing it. Is that heroism, or cowardice?
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And if this same man was in a wheelchair?

Hero then?


Nexus:

Playing devil's adv?
 
Geoff,

a) he didn't wash his dishes.
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Good eye. But, perhaps he's even more heroic if he has not only the economic wherewithal to hire a maid, but also the ethical fortitude to hire one as heroic as himself.

b) he masturbated. And to what?
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Isn't it all the more heroic if he needed no porn to mastubate to? And wait until I tell you the man's secret.

Anyway, he seems to be fitting a continual mold without ever surpassing it.
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Like Gendanken said. What then?


Gendanken,

Playing devil's adv?
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Perhaps. I'd rather not, but I'll play the role the fates have in store.

Oh. And by the way, welcome back.
 
There is a context/condition by which this man is a hero. The only question we don't know is whether or not the man has accepted that condition.
 
A working class hero is something to be.


p.s. GENDYYYYYYYY! COME HERE I WANT TO SMOTHER YOU IN SALIVAAAAA!
 
Whitewolf said:

GENDYYYYYYYY! COME HERE I WANT TO SMOTHER YOU IN SALIVAAAAA!
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Be that as it may, it would be best if you kept that between the two of you.
 
Taken at face value, there seems to be nothing heroic in this man's daily action; if it were so, then virtually everybody would be a hero merely by living, but you know that!

What is the hidden lore that can change everything? Maybe, as he sits in his cubicle he gets physically or mentally abused, 'for the good of the nation'...I don't know.
 
There is a context/condition by which this man is a hero. The only question we don't know is whether or not the man has accepted that condition.
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What condition would that be?
Given the same labor for income parameters as any working class male.

Perhaps. I'd rather not, but I'll play the role the fates have in store.
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I don't think you have to.

Wasn't it you wanting to acknowledge the efforts of a cripple taking a leak?


Whitewolf:

Liven this cadaverish place with some lesbian porn, shall we?
 
Sniff sniff.......getting close:

Taken at face value, there seems to be nothing heroic in this man's daily action; if it were so, then virtually everybody would be a hero merely by living, but you know that!

What is the hidden lore that can change everything? Maybe, as he sits in his cubicle he gets physically or mentally abused, 'for the good of the nation'...I don't know.
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Ah, well now. You're the perfect one to ask then.

What if I told you this was man was paralyzed from the waist down?

I would imagine that is the intention.
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No it isn't.

<--------impaled on Whitewolf's fist.

(does this new forum allow the word 'vulva'?)
 
Alright. Alright. So, I'll talk.

The context is just as Gendanken has stated so prematurely. The man is a cripple. An amputee. A burn victim. Mentally deficient. Bipolar. Extremely hairy. Take your pick.

The man is handicapped in some way, shape, or form. The more handicapped, the better for this discussion. (I would find it amazing that he could masturbate effectively if he were quadraplegic, but heroic?)


Gendanken,

Wasn't it you wanting to acknowledge the efforts of a cripple taking a leak?
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Yes. But only insofar as I could see how this could be seen as... not quite heroic... but worthy of respect. The man could quite easily live a life where he just shits all over himself without any blame being laid on him because of his infirmity. However, he strives to make his way in the world on his own merits. I can imagine the difficulty that a double amputee must go through in just making his way across the bedroom floor, let alone the challenges of getting on the toilet.

A hero? No. I'd not go so far, but I do find it respectable.


Tiassa,

The absurd hero.
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A modern-day Sissiphus?
But, in that case, wouldn't your judgement of his heroism be valueless? Sissiphus is a hero, according to existentialsim, because of his own judgements. Not yours.
 
Well, I agree with your conclusion, invert, as regarding an amputee or othersuch differently abled person.

The hairy one would be harder to respect on its own merits. Say if he had a gas stove or something. Although that could also just be foolhardy.
 
What if in his cubicle he is progressing towards the cure for cancer by unheard-of leaps?

Do you know how hard it is to carry on the same routine for ages?

Do you know how hard it is to roll off the bed before 7 a.m.?

Yes, this man is a hero merely because he does his part. He rises to the challenge every morning. Blame me for pulling Social Realism Soviet-style if you want. I don't see why this man needs to be a cripple in this scenario; he can be in perfect health and still be a hero. Recall classical heroes: they were in perfect health and possessed good strength; they even had small penises.
 
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