OK. I admit it. I've been living under a rock this week.

I missed all of the controversy over the 15 year old bullying victim who hit back.  This evening it came home here and smacked me in the face.

The workaholic showed me the news story on TV.

My reaction was disgust. What is wrong with society to come out and call this kid a hero to millions all over the world?  Violence can never be the correct response to violence. FULL STOP.

The workaholics response? "What is wrong with me?  He's a hero."

I did a quick scan online and found that this story was on the news because, yes people are calling this kid a hero.  WTF???

According to dictionary.com:

he·ro

   /ˈhɪəroʊ/ Show Spelled[heer-oh] Show IPA

–noun, plural -roes; for 5 also -ros.

1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.

4. Classical Mythology .

    a. a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.

    b. (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.

    c. (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.

5. hero sandwich.

6. the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich.

Use hero in a Sentence

See images of hero

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Origin:
1605–15; back formation from Middle English heroes  (plural) < Latin hērōs  (singular), hērōes  (plural) < Greek hḗrōs, hḗrōes

—Related forms

he·ro·like, adjective

sub·he·ro, noun, plural -roes.

un·he·ro, noun, plural -roes.

un·he·ro·like, adjective

—Synonyms 3.  lead, star.

—Antonyms 3.  villain, heavy.

 

Tell me where does this kid fit in here?  I rather cast him as the antonym, a villain or a heavy (rather).

 

I was interested in the opinions that went along the lines of, "his being violent in response to bullying is not the issue, the Internet and electronic media is the problem".

 

Mostly I just wonder why nobody went for a teacher or phoned the Police. They obviously had mobile phones, they recorded it! 

 

I keep coming back to this though: This happened in a school, where is the duty of care?