Here's why I am asking this question.
Maybe 10 days ago, or so, 2 Mounties made a routine traffic stop for a vehicle with a light out or something. The driver shot both officers, one in the head, and then later in the day killed himself.
The one officer was treated and sent home, the other was in a coma for several days and his family decided to take him off life support. He died shortly thereafter.
His funeral was yesterday, and I watched a bit of it, as it was televised. The whole time he was in hospital, the word "hero" was bandied about, and the banner across the bottom of the screen during the funeral was "honouring a hero".
Now, I am saddened by his death, but in my eyes, he did nothing heroic. The most heroic thing that happened was that his wife donated his organs and tissues to 35 people, but that was not him, it was his wife's decision.
I am frustrated by this naming of "hero" to this man. I am thankful for the choice he made to "protect and serve", as I appreciate all police officers. But this, to me, is a sign that something is wrong in our culture.
The other officer who was shot, who took the same risks as Constable Wynn did every single day, has barely been mentioned in the news at all, and certainly he is not being referred to as a "hero" for the risk he took right by Wynn's side.
Am I in error to feel this way?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle22646418/
Oh. A year or so ago one of the city police dogs was killed in some sort of police action. The dog is also hailed as a "hero", and there have been calls for the person who killed the dog to get a life sentence.
I just don't get it. But I guess the dog is a different question for another thread.
Maybe 10 days ago, or so, 2 Mounties made a routine traffic stop for a vehicle with a light out or something. The driver shot both officers, one in the head, and then later in the day killed himself.
The one officer was treated and sent home, the other was in a coma for several days and his family decided to take him off life support. He died shortly thereafter.
His funeral was yesterday, and I watched a bit of it, as it was televised. The whole time he was in hospital, the word "hero" was bandied about, and the banner across the bottom of the screen during the funeral was "honouring a hero".
Now, I am saddened by his death, but in my eyes, he did nothing heroic. The most heroic thing that happened was that his wife donated his organs and tissues to 35 people, but that was not him, it was his wife's decision.
I am frustrated by this naming of "hero" to this man. I am thankful for the choice he made to "protect and serve", as I appreciate all police officers. But this, to me, is a sign that something is wrong in our culture.
The other officer who was shot, who took the same risks as Constable Wynn did every single day, has barely been mentioned in the news at all, and certainly he is not being referred to as a "hero" for the risk he took right by Wynn's side.
Am I in error to feel this way?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle22646418/
Oh. A year or so ago one of the city police dogs was killed in some sort of police action. The dog is also hailed as a "hero", and there have been calls for the person who killed the dog to get a life sentence.
I just don't get it. But I guess the dog is a different question for another thread.
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