The Word "Hero" is Now Meaningless

If you didn't already know this, there is further proof on the Sun's website (the UK Sun). There is a caption that reads "Hero sailors free!" This is perilously close to the way in which Stephen Colbert routinely refers to his audience as heroes.

While I'm sure that the last two weeks have not been terribly pleasant for said sailors, I'm not sure if getting your ass caught makes you a "hero" either. Granted, this is not as bad as calling everyone who showed up to work on time on September 11th, 2001 at the trade towers a hero, it's still a misuse of the word.

Am I being callous? I don't think so. One might endure misfortune or tragedy and one might do so very well, but that is more rightly called fortitude or courage even, but not heroism. I don't want to diminish how frightening such an ordeal might be, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time is not heroism.