Honours for the winners

[Hugh Spencer]

Has the definition of a hero been altered? I thought a hero was someone who, to great danger and inconvenience to themselves, goes out of his way to do a great service, maybe life saving, to another person. Wonderful though the Olympic results are, I would hardly regard them as heroes. There are 55,000 heroes waiting to be recognised from RAF Bomber Command in WW2. What do you think?

[ll_billym]

I know where you are coming from but I suppose that the olympic team are heroes to some people in the traditional definition. Not sure if danger is really a prerequisite for heroism, I think it's somebody exceptional who fights for a cause and if they are fighting (competing?) for your cause then you will see them as a hero.

I mean no disrespect to any of the RAF bomber command and I fully recognise the part they played in the war and without them the world could be a much worse place and I thank them for it, but there were many thousands of them, some of which probably didn't want to be there, dropping bombs on people who certainly didn't see them as heroes. Just to make the point that heroism is pretty much a personal viewpoint.

[squarebear]

These people are certainly excellent athletes and sportsmen/women who have made our country proud in these games. They are not heroes though.

[anotheoldgit]

Couldn't agree more Hugh, they are not heroes in any stretch of the imagination. But they will be given an hero's welcome home, given a grand parade, and some will even be given titles. More than can be said for those young brave heroes coming back from Iraq & Afghanistan.

Bomber command was not on it's own regarding heroes. I think Fighter Command also had their fair share of heroes, athough not in the same numbers, of course.

[scotgal]

Another example of our language being dumbed down. Anybody can be a hero nowadays.

[JockSporran]

One definition (not necessaroily the primary definition) of a hero is a person who wins the admiration and respect of others. From that definition, therefore, sporting champions can be heroes.

[squarebear]

I'm sure the guy who got his legs blown off in Afghanistan would be happy to know he was classed the same as someone who cycled round a track O_o

[leggysback]

theyve got medals ffs


give em nothing else



a celebration parade etc is good but honours ?



i thought you had to pay for them ???

[vehelpfulguy]

One online dictionary defines a hero as:

1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability

b: an illustrious warrior

c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

d: one that shows great courage

So "c" seems to fit very well (probably "a" as well)

So maybe in our minds we think a hero can only be someone in a dangerous sitution who does a brave deed, but the definiton above seems to fit an olympic champion very well.

[Hugh Spencer]

I know that the Oxford Concise English Dictionary alters spellings and meanings of words according to the usage by the general public so we can expect anything, depending on the mood of people over a period of time. 'Nuff said'.

[anotheoldgit]

Deffinition of a hero.

c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

So "c" seems to fit very well

Perhaps not if the hero happens to be a female.

[puzzled54]

These are people who are highly motivated, highly talented and gifted in their chosen sports. I would rather they were role models for young people than the empty-headed overpaid so called celebrities and wags that are always hitting the headlines in search of fame.

BTW, I have had a bad day!

[vehelpfulguy]

>Perhaps not if the hero happens to be a female.

Then she would be a heroine.

[jno]

unlike our brave lads in Iraq and Afghanistan, those at the Olympics were required to outperform others, not kill them. Perhaps there should be special categories of heroism, armed and unarmed.

[anotheoldgit]

Perhaps not if the hero happens to be a female.

Then she would be a heroine.

touche vehelpfulguy, but not very PC these days,

i.e. Actress = Actor, Chairwoman = Chairperson