atw: Re: Humbled (now Heroes v Champions?)
- From: Write Ideas <writeideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:03:25 +1000
Well Petra (L)
Emotions are fleeting. The feeling of being
honoured might well have been experienced by the
person in question, except that their expression
of whatever emotion was felt came out, rather incongruously as being "humbled".
What I want to know now is why sports stars and
celebrities are being marketed as "heroes".
Somehow the term hero has become totally confused
with champion in TV media speak.
Compare:
hero he·ro n. pl. he·roes 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.
Usage Note: Many writers now consider hero, long
restricted to men in the sense "a person noted
for courageous action," to be a gender-neutral
term. It is used to refer to admired women as
well as men in respected publications, as in this
quotation from The Washington Post: "Already a
national hero in her economically troubled South
Korea, . . . [Se Ri] Pak is packing galleries at
[golf] tournaments stateside." The word heroine
is still useful, however, in referring to the
principal female character of a fictional work:
Jane Eyre is a well-known literary heroine.
Ninety-four percent of Usage Panelists accept this usage.
versus
champion cham·pi·on n.1. One that wins first
place or first prize in a competition.2. One that
is clearly superior or has the attributes of a
winner: a champion at teaching.3. An ardent
defender or supporter of a cause or another
person: a champion of the homeless.4. One who
fights; a warrior.tr.v. cham·pi·oned,
cham·pi·on·ing, cham·pi·ons 1. To fight for,
defend, or support as a champion: championed the
cause of civil rights. See Synonyms at .2.
Obsolete To defy or challenge.adj.1. Holding
first place or prize: a champion show dog.2.
Superior to all others: "the champion playboy of
the Western World" John Millington Synge.[Middle
English champioun, combatant, athlete, from Old
French champion, from Medieval Latin campi, campin-, from Latin campus, field.]
Source: Opera Web browser Free Dictionary Widget by Farlex.
Cheers,
Micky G.
Write Ideas
At 12:48 10/09/2008, you wrote:
Surely "to feel honoured" is the more apt emotion.
Petra Liverani
Technical Writer / UX Designer
Transport Management Centre
RTA
Michael Granat
Write Ideas
www.writeideas.com.au
http://www.alliance.org.au/freelancers/journalists/write_ideas/details/
mailto:writeideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
21 Years of Write Ideas!
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