Does being a ‘hero’ mean you are a perfect person?

Submitted ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Grimreaper@sopuli.xyz⁩ to ⁨nostupidquestions@lemmy.world⁩

This question is for ‘hero’ in all forms: realistic, fiction, superhero, comic book, anime, etc. Let’s say a person is flawed, or is very arrogant, or has a superiority complex, etc., but also does heroic things—like being a firefighter, doctor, wizard, superhero, whatever. Do you think that person is still a hero despite having negative personality traits?

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Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Gonna echo the other folks here - heroism does not require perfection. Every one you can think of as a hero has a flaw (or several), big or small.

The upside to this is that heroism is accessible to almost everyone. Any opportunity you have to do the right, but difficult (and tbh sometimes not all that difficult, perhaps just uncomfortable or risky), thing is the chance to be a hero to someone in some respect. The downside is that people you may admire as heroes, when you meet them as just a person, can sometimes be disappointing.

The only flawless heroes are superheros (and even then, few are written about like that these days). Think about that prefix- how are the terms superhero and supernatural alike?

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cows_are_underrated@feddit.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Doesn’t have to be and in stories its absolutely boring. The wheel of time has a quite great example of a hero that is far from being perfect. The main character has to save the world but due to him being the chosen one he develops quite the superiority complex and becomes arrogant (which is also because kings bow before him) this inner conflict of being absolutely flawed and his duty to save the world largely contributes to the storyline being literally the best book I have ever read. I can only recommend it (but be aware, the whole story is 11.000 pages long)

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swordgeek@lemmy.ca ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Of course not.

If a fictional character is a perfect hero, then you’re either writing for five year olds or a terrible author.

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bizzle@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Only one of us was perfect, and I ain’t HIM (His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie I)

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RBWells@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Of course no person is perfect, and in literature a perfect person would be boring.

In my view, anyone who does something selfless that really helps other people or person, because they see the need to help, is a hero. They don’t need to be good in every other way. Just that they use their powers for good.

Villians can be nice, too. With some fatal flaw that causes great harm.

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Dorkyd68@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
No such thing as a perfect person. We are all flawed in some way

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Steve@communick.news ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

Colossus: Four or five moments - that’s all it takes to become a hero. Everyone thinks it’s a full-time job. Wake up a hero. Brush your teeth a hero. Go to work a hero. Not true. Over a lifetime there are only four or five moments that really matter. Moments when you’re offered a choice to make a sacrifice, conquer a flaw, save a friend - spare an enemy. In these moments everything else falls away…

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Fyrnyx@kbin.melroy.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
No. Who you described at the end is what is called an Anti-Hero, who is someone who can do good things but they do them their own way which might not always be the right or correct way to solve a problem. Even if the problem was solved.

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- FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Deadpool is an anti-hero - loves killing people and partaking in all sorts of immoral things, but is doing good deeds by only doing the killing on bad people.
  
  An arrogant person like Tony Stark is not an anti-hero, just a hero.
  
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twice_hatch@midwest.social ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
It’s dangerous to put people on a pedestal. A lot of good happens because someone who isn’t perfect decided to do something good that day

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Lemvi@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
No, it just means you are someone that helps others, even when you know that you won’t gain anything from that yourself.

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Ilixtze@lemmy.ml ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
No. It just means he’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast and he’s gotta be fresh from a fight.

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- tuck182@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Doesn’t the need to specify those in addition (“and he’s gotta be …”) mean those are characteristics that aren’t necessarily inherent to being a hero?
  
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  - Ilixtze@lemmy.ml ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I don’t know how to grapple with the semantics of it all when he also gotta be sure and It’s gotta be soon and He’s gotta be larger than life.
    
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- Strider@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  This is the best answer.
  
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DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
fictional heroes can be perfect, real “heroes” are always flawed.

Mahatma Gandhi supposedly did some weird thing where he is said to have slept naked with young girls, including his niece. 🧐

I personally don’t idolize people, but rather commend them for their specific actions.

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Angelusz@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Perfect, like many things in life, is matter of perspective. You can have some traits that some may perceive as flaws and still be perfect. Just means your life is at least a tad more interesting.

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mugita_sokiovt@discuss.online ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
It doesn’t. It means that they do good things despite their personality traits.

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Zagam@piefed.social ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
A hero is only a hero from one perspective.
There was a movie in ’92 called Hero that sort of explores this a bit. It’s not a great movie, but it has a sort of scummy guy do something great and a sort of OK guy do something scummy.

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boydster@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

The theme song from Mighty Mouse gives the description of a hero that I subscribe to. A hero is someone who is there to save the day when someone really needs saving. Anyone can be a hero if they answer the call when fate provides them the need for one.

Mister Trouble never hangs around
When he hears this Mighty sound.
"Here I come to save the day"
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way.

Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right
Mighty Mouse will join the fight.
On the sea or on the land,
He gets the situation well in hand

So though we are in danger, we never despair
Cause we know that where there's danger he is there!
(He is there, on the land, on the sea, in the air!)

We're not worrying at all
We're just listening for his call
“Here I come, to save the day!”
That means that Mighty Mouse
Is on the way!

We're not worrying at all
We're just listening for his call
“Here I come, to save the day!”
That means that Mighty Mouse
Is on the way!

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/mightymouselyrics.html

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Zagam@piefed.social ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Dude. For some reason Underdog got mixed up with Mighty Mouse in my head and I could not figure out wtf you were on about. It took me a full minute to have this all click.

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Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Nobody is perfect. Not even heroes.

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Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
That will depend on your values and culture. In ancient greece, heroes were warriors that killed many or defeated impossible odds. Now it is usually about self sacrifice or saving many people. Some people see humble hard workers as heroes. Though that also has an element of self sacrifice.

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givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Literally no one is perfect, just like if someone was truly average in every respect, they’d be the most unique person who ever lived.

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Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
One good feat does not a hero make.

Everybody has flaws and makes mistakes, but when the number of good deeds far outweighs the bad, you earn the title of hero.

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