Its real meaning is being slowly cheapened.
...rant off. Thank you.
I'm with you. Heroism must entail physical risk.
This is a pet peeve of mine as well.
From dictionary.com:
he·ro
1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine. See Synonyms at celebrity.
4. The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.
5. Chiefly New York City. See submarine. See Regional Note at submarine.
Now, 2 is CLOSE, but I would amend it to say: A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose who has voluntarily risked or sacrificed his or her life for others, without self-interest in mind.
By that definition:
You are not a hero if you break into a burning building to save your child.
You are a hero if you break into a burning building to save someone else's.
You are not a hero if, standing in an open field and armed with a pistol with no hope of retreat, you shoot a hundred Nazis to save yourself.
You are a hero if, with the ability to escape yourself without firing a shot, you shoot a hundred Nazis to allow others to escape.
You are not a hero if you are Evel Knievel and get paid to jump Snake River Canyon--simply because your job may include a higher risk to your life doesn't make you a hero.
However, you are a hero if, in the course of such a job, you go far beyond the call of duty to protect others, risking your life in a way that you far exceed the daily risk of your job--and voluntarily do so while having the ability to avoid that sacrifice.
I know some folks will immediately disagree, that they think the members of the U.S. armed forces are all heroes, and disagree away--but answer me this as you do: if all soldiers are heroes, why is it the U.S. gives only some soldiers certain medals?
If you are a soldier, you MIGHT be a hero. If you win a unit citation, heck, even a Silver Star, you MIGHT be a hero. But if you win the Medal of Honor, you ARE a hero.
Heroism isn't something you do every day as a cop, or fireman, or soldier. Heroism is defined by how you act as a cop, or fireman, or soldier, when you're faced with a situation where you KNOW you could be risking your life and you can back away without injury. If heroism were about what you are as opposed to what you do, every crooked cop or goldbricking fireman or desk-sitting REMF would deserve praise as a hero. Do they?