by ssjrem
I pretty much live my life on Facebook, so I was making my normal rounds about this earlier today and noticed something. I noticed that several of my friends had a joined a group entitled “Petitio To Remove Group “Soldiers Are Not Heroes.”" I immediately rolled my eyes and decided to check this out. I am all for free speech and I believe people have the right to peacefully criticize whatever they want. So, I went to both groups and looked through them. I find it funny that if anyone had actually read the description for the “Soldiers Are Not Heroes” group, then they might not actual be so ignorant and maybe then they’d know what the group stands for. But no, they’d rather just close their eyes and jump right into an opposing group with little deliberation.
“Soldiers Are Not Heroes” is not a hate group. It does not specifically pick on soldiers and say they definitively not heroes, all the time. It says they can be heroes, that they can do heroic things at times. However, simply putting on a uniform and become a soldier does not instantly make you a hero. The uniform can only do so much. It’s the man or woman wearing it that could potentially become a hero. The biggest thing the group is against is actually needless hero worship. It just hates how soldiers are given a free ride and automatically assumed to be faultless and perfect. That’s their main problem. They outright say that soldiers can be heroes, but nobody actually wants to entertain the possibility that this “sick group,” as the Petition page against it calls it, is actually more open minded.
Furthermore and it’s the damnedest little thing, but I could’ve sworn that I was living in American. I couldn’t sworn we had this little thing called “free speech.” Or did that get lost somewhere in the scramble? Yes, the “Soldiers Are Not Heroes” group does appear appalling to some. And it does disrespect soldiers to a small degree. But to say that it should be shut down? Well, that’s ridiculous. Everyone in that group has every single right to express their opinion on this matter. That’s a great thing about our country. We actually reserve the right to criticize our government and our armed forces. So, if you start taking things like that away, next thing you know, we go down a slippery slope until citizens aren’t allowed to express their minds anymore. The SANH is not doing anything wrong. Nothing. It’s just a few thousand people expressing their opinions. Nothing wrong with that. And then all these people want to shut it down just because it expresses an opinion that differs from theirs. Many of them are probably Republicans. I’m sure they have no problem with Obama bashing groups because those share the same opinion.
I apologize for my rant. I saw that both these groups had been resurrected and I just grew extremely angry. The day we start losing our rights to freedom of speech and freedom of protest is a day that I just plain do not want to see. And I thought that throwing a controversial, more interesting blog into the middle of a bunch of stupid ones pitting fictional characters against each other in death matches would be a good idea. Controversy is usual pretty fun. So, yeah, those are my thoughts. Rebuttals, anyone? I’m interested and rather open-minded about the whole deal, so let’s hear some thoughts. And since I’ve been throwing polls into everything anyway, let’s just toss in another one. I bid you all good day.
hydro033
PHIL0S0RAPT0R
ssjrem
mikexuanle
flash427
dukemich
Lundin' Bridge
Pedro
redfox13b
I really don’t see the harm in calling someone a hero. It’s just a word. I don’t see why everyone is up in arms about protecting a word’s definition. Especially a word as broad as hero, it’s not like we’re talking about the definition of objective facts or laws here.
Secondly, we do not have free speech as you think we do, ssjrem. It’s more of a “free speech with reason.” There are PLENTY of things you can’t just go around a say. For example, “The President should be assassinated.” Now, you can say that, but try and publish it somewhere or express is publicly and see how it goes. How about “Fuckings spics need to go back to Mexico and eat tacos?” See how that works out for you. Or let’s try (on an airplane) “Praise Allah! For the glory of Allah! Down with America! I shall find peace in the afterlife!” See how that goes and let me know if you made it off the plane alive.
We don’t have free speech, snap back to reality.
By: hydro033 on December 20, 2009
at 12:43 pm
Yes, I know that there are limits to free speech and that it’s not absolute. It’s exactly why you can’t go into a public place and yell “fire” when there is no in fact no danger. I’m just saying that in this case, people should be allowed to express their opinions. They’re not saying “soldiers should die!” or “Kill Bush! This was is immoral!” They’re just against needless hero worship and went with a name more controversial than it needed to be just so that they could gain more attention for themselves. So in some ways, I guess they’re rather selfish. But no matter what, I don’t think there are any grounds for the removal of the group seeing as they’re not saying anything wrong. Like I said, the SANH outright says that soldiers can in fact be heroes, but mostly that slapping on a uniform does not automatically make not a hero and infallible even in the face of war crimes. Yes, I do realize that free speech has its limits, but I don’t see how this group violates even that limited free speech.
By: ssjrem on December 20, 2009
at 1:55 pm
You know why dukemich? because we sometimes wear the same hoodie, we sometimes think exactly alike. Cool huh? haha
By: lundinbridge on December 17, 2009
at 3:20 am
hahahaha What do you think Duke hoodie tomorrow?
By: dukemich on December 18, 2009
at 2:26 am
Here are my thoughts, as I’m sure all readers have been waiting on the edge of their seats in anticipation for them. I completely agree with you, ssjrem, that simply putting on a uniform does not automatically make you a hero. That’s not at all fair to say that someone with a purple heart and medal or honor who survived two wars is at the same level as someone who served two months in a non-combat area as the cook. I think the group has a great point in that, however, I think that their mistake came with the naming of the group. Like you said, everyone is immediately up in arms about the name of the group because it makes it seem like they’re bashing all soldiers. I was one of these people upon first reading it but I didn’t bother reading any of the technicalities. I think the makers of the group have a great point but they should have found a better way at getting that point across with a different group name. It’s a very touchy subject, but something that should be discussed, since some people (I think) are ignorant to say that all soldiers are heroes.
By: lundinbridge on December 16, 2009
at 6:26 pm
I agree with lundinbridge 100%. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
By: dukemich on December 17, 2009
at 1:14 am