Is it just me that thinks it's part of their job ?

Bear with me here.

I work as a salesman. I sell cell phones over the phone (telemarketing). In my job description, there is no lethal risk invovled. There is one chemical substance possibly harmful for my life that I am in contact with : liquid paper. And the other harmful lement in my day is an elevator or rolling stairs (whatever you guys call it). When I go to work each day I don't write a will before leaving.

Now and Astronaut on a space mission. Is going away from the planet, in an environment he knows is highly dangerous (no air, low gravity). In a space shuttle, which when entering the atmosphere has a window the size of a paper sheet compared to a basketball. No ejectable seats, no second chance. Also it is a good thing to note when they come back from space, they have no more fuel upon landing (no second chance).

So why is this a tragedy if they die ? It seems to me in their job description there is something that says (your job is one of the risker job after guinea pig for nuclear bomb testing).

Now as an astronaut if I left for a space mission. Top of the morning I sign my will, I kiss my wife and kids and take a good look at them telling them how much I love them and make a quick prayer so that I make it back alive.

See where I am going ? They are not martyrs, they are doing their freaking job... just like you and me.

Now they crash... They are suddenly HEROES ???!!! Maybe I don't get this right, but I would actually say someone who makes it back ALIVE is a heroe... dead is just... well that dead.

As an astronaut I would expect death rather then life when going on a mission. And even if I make it back alive... i'm just doing my job.

It would seem to me someone walking in my department or any other deprtment just like mine anywhere in the world and shooting 7 people (keep in mind getting shot at is not in their job description... police officers are counted out, army men or anyone whose job or life involves them getting shot at regularly).

Now those people are not heroes but it qualifies as a tragedy.

this may just be my opinion, but American news broadcasts need to stop making things out of proportion and start bringing things to what they actually are. I hate dramatization.

9/11, that was a tragedy (most people don't have airplan crashes in their job description, then again pilots are excluded).

Space shuttle crash, a small event thrown totally out of proportion by the media.

I may be the only one who thinks so but read it through and think about it, it may just make sense.

People who work in danger to serve society all the time deserve our praise, even when they are just doing their job. When they die, they are heros. Just because people forget that their job is dangerous, does not mean it isn't and that we shouldn't thank them less, or care less when they die.

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-Gheist

'Heros' are people that do something. People that die needlessly are 'mistakes'. At best, they're martyrs.


Steel.

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I can't decide on a quote. I have too many.

Heroes have always been Cowboys....


Arctuniol

"In an open world, Who needs windows or gates?"

Ok ok, I'll give you the hero thing. And that was a good post, Teeklin.

When they find the recorder, you think the last words they said will be "Oh **!" like on most aircraft?


Steel.

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I can't decide on a quote. I have too many.

>>Heros aren't people that do something, they're people that aren't afraid to do something.

I refuse to see whichever one of those N'sync guys planned to go into space as a hero.