What is a hero?

Definitional papers are great, but they're only a start. Should look to narrow the focus a bit.

Downsides to Heroism

There definitely are some. Real life heroes tend to be people who risk life and limb, and the consequences of those risks mean some bad things can happen.

Become Your Own Hero

Often we get caught up in the culture of hero worship, which means we neglect our own potential hero journeys.

The search for meaning in life is answered by many through religion, for others through art, and still others through love. But it's important to search for that meaning, and why not be your own hero?

Saving Pets after Natural Disasters

There are a lot of pets that get  left behind. Most often, owners don't do so willingly, but evacuation orders come quickly, if they come at all.

For people who stay behind, many of them underestimate the damage to the area, and if they survive and their homes are livable, they still may not be ready to care for pets while trying to care for themselves.

Wim Hof

Wim Hof is the creator of a self-help healing method that has been named after himself. It usually involves extreme temperatures, particularly cold.

Recently there have been some skeptical pushbacks against his teachings, particularly because the benefits may not work for as many people as claimed.

Pelé

Probably the world's best soccer player of all time. But with all GOAT discussions, it's impossible to know for sure.

He was, however, more than just a soccer player. He was a humanitarian, a giver, an ambassador, a philanthropist, and a motivational speaker around the world.

Recent Philly Plane Crash

A terrible crash we still don't have all the details about, but the neighborhood in Philadelphia has come together in ways people don't generally think of Philadelphians

The City of Brotherly Love, it's nickname, is more often than not used sarcastically. Philly sports fans are notoriously crude and violent, but when it comes to helping their own, they're usually ok.

Trained Animals

Animals have done some pretty awesome things. They went to space first. They can be loyal to a fault. They can communicate with people. They can literally save lives.

Sustainability and Ecological Heroism

I was going to say "modern culture throws away a lot" but the truth is humanity has always thrown shit away. In fact, theories about pyramids is that the first mounds that became temples, long before the Great Pyramids in Giza, were merely where people threw their crap away. Not an exaggeration! It was only after decades of this disposal of goods that places of worship began being built on those mounds.

Muhammad Ali

African American boxer born Cassius Clay. Joined the black supremacy movement known as the Nation of Islam and fought for equal rights for black Americans. Changed his name after converting from Baptist and rejecting his "slave name." Became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Then left the NOI and became a true Muslim. Always thereafter an advocate for equality and humanity of all people.

Jackie Robinson

Famously broke the color barrier in professional baseball. After retiring from the sport, dedicated the remainder of his life to the Civil Rights movement.

Real Life Spiderman?

Mamoudou Gassama

Neat article from 2018 about a man who climbed four stories to save a child who'd fallen over a railing, but was hanging on while other people watched from the ground.

Responding to School Shooters

Famously, the police in the Parkland school shooting in FL did not respond even though they could hear the shooting.

But that's not always the case. Just this past week there were four band dads who stepped in and stopped a shooting at a band competition.

Small Acts of Heroism

Too often the focus seems to be on celebrities and athletes, when it is the smaller acts by virtually unknown people that really provide daily heroism. The neighbors who save children who fall into pools, the strangers who donate blood or organs, etc.

Aid Workers in Wartime

The original post was about work in Gaza, which is a great, very specific topic. I just wanted to broaden the discussion a bit to include any sort of healthcare or aid work in any war-torn region. If you choose this topic, stick with a specific area for your paper.

A.T. Ariyaratne

I know nothing about this person, but people leading anti-poverty efforts, particularly in very poor countries, definitely fit at least one definition of hero.

Local Heroes

The specific topic presented was about passengers on an airline preventing a crazed passenger from breaking windows, but in general there have been many incidents like this. Focusing on just a specific incident is probably best.

Super-heroes as Advertising

Super-heroes have been used to sell everything from supplements to cereals, from exercise products to feminine hygiene products.

Gender and Super-heroes

Historically, women super-heroes were rare, and if they existed at all, it was in company with male super-heroes, and those women often still served as "mother" or "wife" alongside whatever powers they might have.

Disney Princesses

I don't think it's as clean as "Snow White and Cinderella bad, Moana and Tiana good" that I see being stated now. One thing that may sound dumb, but is true, Snow White and Cinderella have more speaking lines than any male characters, and they are the sole main characters. That's not true of Moana (she shares most of the movie with Maui) or with Tiana, where one could convincingly argue that the real main character is Naveen.

The first Disney movie that really rejects male dominance is Brave. But Disney has always centered women's empowerment. Cinderella breaks free of a wicked stepmother. Snow White is taken advantage of by a jealous queen, but has established her own dominance of the dwarves. Ariel rejects her own father to establish an independence. Yes, there is some problematic crap with falling in love with a human, but before that, it's about her forming her own truth and way forward. Jasmine does the same thing in Aladdin.

Narratives about Disney princesses aren't as

cut and dry as they might seem.

Free Speech Advocacy

It may not seem heroic in the sense of putting a life on the line, but standing up for freedom of speech has been literally that. In modern times, the government of democracies don't usually jail people who speak out, but social and financial ostracism can be worse.

Dune / Furiosa / etc

Recent movies about heroes have called into question some traditional hero narratives. Dune, based on Herbert's novel, explores the dangers of hero worship. Paul Atreides seems like the good guy, but in the scope of the book series, he's proven to be far more complex.

If you've seen Mad Max and then in particular Fury Road, there are some legitimate questions about whether Max or Furiosa are heroes at all. They are self-serving, and although they have codes of honor, they sell out frequently, and for surprisingly little.

Wicked

The post was about the movie, and specifically about Cynthia Erivo being a black woman playing Elphaba. But the story of Wicked itself is a story about complex narratives. Villains and people we call evil do not see themselves as such.

Charities?

Do your research before donating to charities. The non-profit industry is rife with scam artists. There are a few who start as well-intentioned and then fall off, and some that start as outright scams, but whatever the case, be sure the money you're donating goes to the causes you think you're supporting.