What makes someone a hero?
It seems like it's a simple question, but MSNBC host Chris Hayes caused a firestorm when he said on Memorial Day weekend that he was uncomfortable calling people heroes just because they served in the military.
"Why do I feel so uncomfortable about the word 'hero'? I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war," Hayes said Sunday on MSNBC. "I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect the memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism, you know, hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that."
Hayes' remarks immediately sparked a backlash, with some saying it was inappropriate to say such things about those putting their lives on the line to fight for their country.
Hayes issued an apology Monday, saying he understood why people were angry that someone who had never served or dealt with the cost of wars would make such a statement. His apology reads:
"On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word 'hero' to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don't think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I've set for myself. I am deeply sorry for that.
"As many have rightly pointed out, it's very easy for me, a TV host, to opine about the people who fight our wars, having never dodged a bullet or guarded a post or walked a mile in their boots. Of course, that is true of the overwhelming majority of our nation's citizens as a whole. One of the points made during Sunday's show was just how removed most Americans are from the wars we fight, how small a percentage of our population is asked to shoulder the entire burden and how easy it becomes to never read the names of those who are wounded and fight and die, to not ask questions about the direction of our strategy in Afghanistan, and to assuage our own collective guilt about this disconnect with a pro-forma ritual that we observe briefly before returning to our barbecues.
"But in seeking to discuss the civilian-military divide and the social distance between those who fight and those who don't, I ended up reinforcing it, conforming to a stereotype of a removed pundit whose views are not anchored in the very real and very wrenching experience of this long decade of war. And for that I am truly sorry."
Hayes' remarks beg the question: Who exactly is a hero? We'd like to hear from you. We'd like you to sound off in the comments below or hit the button below to send a video comment to iReport. Do you think Hayes was out of line in his comments? Do you understand what he was saying?
Must you have served in combat to be a hero? Does enlisting alone make you one? Should that word be reserved for the military? Or does it apply to people who put themselves above others?
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He apologized as he should have. Still waiting for Bush's apology for the 5000 men and women who died because of his lie about weapons of mass destruction.
97% od Americans approved that war, including Hillary Clinton who stood on the floor of congress to tell America why we should start it. 97% of us all have a reason to say Woops.
Thank you.
Neither serving in the military, not dying, nor surviving cancer, nor fighting back a mugger... etc makes one a hero. He is correct, or rather, was correct before the apology. The word "hero", for all intents and purposes, has lost all its meaning within our generation.
I agree we throw the word "hero" around too freely. Someone who willingly sign up for the military is someone who gets respect for what they are willing to put themselves through, for very little pay, to potentially lose their lives. However, "Hero" is something I would reserve for someone who has faced imminent mortal danger in combat or otherwise (key word imminent) and still performed their duty when they could have run away...
I am a six-year veteran, currently on reserve. I think the points raised by Hayes are excellent, but also think he was highly insensitive and innappropriate to make Memorial Day his platform for this discussion.
There are many in service who have no business being there. I have known some of them. We have all read about some of them. There are also plenty of cops who have no business being cops, CEOs who have no business running any business and parents with no business having kids. This is the human condition, which I like to think is a work in progress.
None of that should detract from the sacrifices made by our service people, their bravery or the honor with which they live every day. I have know many of them, too.
I agree with your comments 100%. Thank you.
Stellar comments!
Exercising the first amendment makes you a socialist, leftist, liberal in america. Conservatives seem to think that it is only patriotic to express ideologies similar to their own. Talk about hypocrites...all for "freedom" but won't let a woman choose to have an abortion, don't want the government up in their business, but want to tell people who they can or can't marry. Pure Hypocrites.
You are NOT a "hero" just because you have a job in the military.
It's just that simple.
We have cheapened the term.
He was speaking about soldier. The fact thats who have DIED for their country in a conflict supported by OUR President. He, on the other hand has never served anyone but himself. He was wrong and apologized. the fact that he has no business comenting on anything seems to beside the point.
The military has awards for those IT considers heroes. As a veteran myself, I do not consider myself a hero just because I served. I may not pay attention to this guy, but to me it seems those who are blowing this out of proportion are exactly those the comment was designed to be about: non-serving politicians who use the military for their own personal gain.
i hear you Kris and I agree with you.
Yes, the word "hero" is overused for propaganda. Many of the people at war hate to be there and don't want to be hero.
In response to this, a hero can be anyone who puts their life on the line to save others. A hero doesn't have to be someone in the military. We hear this word "hero" alot because of the sacrifice that men and women have made over the past decade and even before then to ensure that this country is still standing. I myself, who have served 4 years in the Navy have heard this many times myself and I say "thank you" and take the word humbly. A hero can be a firefighter, a teacher, a police officer, a student, a mother, a father, or just a stranger. We say "America's Heroes" not just to throw it out there without thought. The word is said not only what we have gone through but because what we, are families, and our friends will go through with us moving forward. If Chris Hayes served in the military he would understand that. I, as a Navy Veteran, accept his apology and I can see where he is coming from, but, I don't think he will ever understand the day in and day out of a United States Armed Forces servicemember. And for that, there has been backlash because if someone who had served had said the same thing, this might be looked at in a different like. Personally, it seems like common sense that one who has a "mike" so big as Chris Hayes' should not have spoken on this topic because quite frankly he never had to put on the uniform or a servicemember.
"Awarding this distinction to everyone cheapens the accomplishments of those who earned it — and makes the rest of us feel guilty that we have somehow stolen recognition from the worthy." My favorite quete. I am a vet, I am not a hero. I have several friends who are.
Totally agree Mike. I am a member of the Cdn Military and have deployed several times. I am not a hero, I am a soldier.
Sorry, but he's absolutely right. The word "hero" is thrown around these days to the point that it's lost it's meaning. Just because someone is in the military does not make them a hero – they're doing a job they signed up for and they're getting paid. And just because someone in the military dies while on duty doesn't make them a hero either, unless, of course, they died doing some truly heroic feat, like throwing themselves on a live grenade to save others – that's a real hero. I also think that all the accolades and big comfy words, like hero, are cast upon enlistees to make them feel better about what can be a sometimes thankless job. Their sacrifices are truly appreciated, but they're not all hero's – in fact, in trying to build troop mass to support these never-ending wars, the military has often dragged the bottom of the barrel and scooped up some of the worst in society, so they are definitely not hero's, they're often criminals or soon-to-be criminals. In all, we should reserve the word hero for it's intended purpose and not as a feel-good label used to encourage someone to do a job that most others don't want.
were you there? and this goes to anybody else badmouthing? If you were not there then your word can not be listened to, because your word would be a lie.
These so-called "heroes" murder for the sake of capitalist imperialism. History may judge these people quite differently than the brainwashed Americans now.
What is wrong with you? Those men and women may be misguided but they are not risking their lives for capitalism. They believe that they are serving their country. Have you? If not shut up and get a life.
EVERYTHING! Everything makes them a Hero with a capital H. Because without them we wouldn't be able to type on our computers like we all are doing right now. We all have the right to speech, but don't be dumb enough to bad mouth the people that are giving you the ability to do anything and everything.
They can't ALL be heroes. Think about it. What about the bad apples? Every single person in the military isn't a saint....
hate to break it to you, but our freedom was NEVER in jeopardy from foreign forces. our freedoms are more under attack from domestic sources. the fourth amendment has been visibly whittled away at since 2001.
So, every single person in the military is a hero? BS. What about the soldiers who act in discraceful ways, kill civilians, toruture prisoners, etc.? There are DEFINITELY a lot of heroes in the military, but to say every person there is a hero is ridiculous.....
I don't see why this guy had to apologize for just giving us food for thought. It is ironic but unavoidable that the freedoms we all enjoy are defended by those whose hero status he questions, but how could it be otherwise in a democratic free-thinking society? The truth is that there are heroes all around us – soldiers, parents, teachers, social workers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, etc. Anyone is a hero when they sacrifice their own needs for the sake of others, even if they don't necessarily get a holiday.
Let these NON Veterans come with me some time as we escort a wounded warrior to his house that has been rehabbed because they are an amputee, or better yet watch the folded flag being presented to his widow and hear the sound of "TAPS" at his funeral.
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and every Little Leaguer gets a trophy for showing up – are they "heros" too?