Heroes

So today was my awesome brothers birthday and we went out to dinner with him and his fiance, and my mother and her boyfriend. Great fun was had by all, but the reason I bring this up is because of the rather interesting discussion that arose during dinner about Bruce Jenner.

As you can imagine with any hotly contested political or social issue with members of the group on either side, the discussion got somewhat heated at times, but I was very happy to see that it remained productive and thought provoking, and at least as civil as any family discussions ever are. A great many arguments were made, points gotten across, points countered, etc, and I am not here to recreate the entire half hour discussion. What I want to focus on is this. What makes a person a hero?

My brother and future sister in law were of the opinion that Bruce Jenner (Caitlyn Jenner now) could be considered a hero for his decision to have a sex change. The rest of us were of varying opinions, but suffice it to say that we objected to some degree or another to the use of the term hero. Now, I don't want to recreate the arguments of my fellows and get them wrong, so I am going to be stating my own opinions and arguments and invite them to put their own in the comments below. I am much more eloquent when I have time to mull subjects over and write them down, so hopefully this will get my viewpoint across more effectively than the verbal discussion did.

To begin with, I would like to define a hero as I see them. I believe a hero is not just someone who stands up for another, who supports another or helps them. Certainly these people are role models, leaders, inspirations, but not heroes. To me a hero is someone willing to make a sacrifice, to lose everything they have, for the sake of others. Soldiers, police officers, fire fighters, these are heroes because of what they risk. I would not put most social movement icons or leaders on their level. Some exceptions would be black people who peacefully protested and were beaten or arrested for it during the Civil Rights movement. They are heroes because they took action and risked much for their beliefs. However, simply being black during this time does not make you a hero. You may have survived, gone through a lot of hardship, but until you take on additional burdens for the sake of others you are simply surviving. Jewish people during the Holocaust were survivors, struggled, but not all were heroes. Those who were not Jewish and helped them escape or hide, that is heroic. Jews who could have fled, but stayed to help others were heroic. Being in danger doesn't make you a hero, putting yourself in danger for others does.

Now I do not know the personal motivations for Jenner. Perhaps he simply was wanting to find his own identity and become who he feels he is meant to be. Maybe he is trying to become an inspiration for those around him. But I do not believe that he deserves the title of hero. As before, inspiration, icon, role model, sure. But I do not consider him getting a sex change on the level of fighting and possibly dying for people you do not even know.

Now, I would also like to mention the circumstances of this event. A decade or two ago, coming out in this fashion would be sparking a much needed social movement. There would be little support, a great deal of danger, and pretty much certainly social repercussions. Had he come out when he was an Olympic athlete, saying that they could kick him out if they wanted, he was going to stand up for his beliefs, that is heroic. But he did not, whether it was out of fear or simply because he was not ready, or did not know who he truly was. I am not blaming him, simply stating a fact. A decade or two in the future? I doubt that this will even be something worth discussing. Just another guy who was a woman on the inside, no big deal.

I am not trying to say that he planned it, that it was on purpose, or even that he is in any way responsible for the timing. But it does come into play. Someone who stands against the Nazis in Germany during WW2 is a hero, but someone who says that the Nazis are wrong today is not a hero. There is no risk to stating that in the modern day, and little impact. It is widely accepted that Nazis were wrong, just as it is widely accepted that being Transgender does not make you a bad person. The context of the act has as much relevance as the act itself.

I do believe Jenner is brave for the decision he made. I think that it will be difficult for her to go forward from this point, and I am sure the media scrutiny is hardly fun to endure. Certainly there are people very angry with her for this choice. Death threats are most likely being sent. But I believe that at least 90% of the country would be outraged if any action was taken against Caitlyn. When you have the majority of the country behind you, when public opinion and the law are on your side, I do not believe you have earned the title of hero.

Now, if you want to contest whether or not public support is with Jenner and transgenders, alright. I do not have statistics for you. All I have is my observations of the public. And today, America is ludicrously politically correct. Any act against anyone who is any kind of minority is responded to with riots, violence and protests, whether the act is justified or not. It is one of the best times in history to be different.

Now that is just my view, and I would love to hear the views of others. Particularly if they are the views of those who shared in this discussion with me earlier. It would hardly be fair to argue against you in type after mulling it over without giving you the same opportunity to respond. Please do post what you believe makes someone a hero! Minds cannot be expanded and viewpoints corrected (if necessary) without discussion.