NationStates Jolt Archive

Source (http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/36941)



Young hero died protecting sister from molester
A seven-year-old boy who died defending his older sister from a potential rapist has been honoured posthumously. Zhenya Tabakov's mother received the order of courage medal on behalf of her son.

Just over two months ago Galina lost her son and she's still struggling to get over the shock.

Zhenya was brutally murdered by a robber, as the boy was trying to save his 12-year-old sister from being raped.

It all happened in late November, in the small military town of Noginsk-9 - a place where even small crimes are rare.

Around midday, a man rang the bell of the flat where Zhenya and his family lived.

“I asked who it was. The man said he was the postman, and he needed to give us a telegram and get a signature. So I opened the door,” recalls Zhenya’s sister Yana.

The little girl says the man held a knife to her throat, and demanded that her brother bring him all the money he could find. Zhenya did as he was told. But when the man started undressing his sister it was more than the boy could bear.

Zhenya seized a knife from the kitchen and plunged it into the man's back. This didn't kill the attacker, but it was enough to set Zhenya's sister free. She ran for help. But it was too late for her brother - he was stabbed eight times.

Thirty-five-year old Sergey Kiyashko is in custody accused of the murder. Police say they have all the evidence they need to convict him.

The entire population of the little town seemed to show up for the farewell ceremony. The heroic death of seven-year-old Zhenya was something that the federal prosecutor's office could not pass by either. The chief inspector Aleksandr Bystrykin paid tribute to the boy's courage.

“At the prosecutor’s office, we witness many atrocities on a daily basis. But this case has sent many of us into shock. And it's played a part in the drafting of a new law on tougher punishment for those who commit crimes against children,” Bystrykin said.

Receiving the order for her son, Galina was unable to speak.

Nothing can bring Zhenya back to life again, but the little boy's heroism has become the pride of the town - and of his school in particular.

The boy’s photo now occupies the desk where he used to sit. Later on a special plaque will be fixed onto it. And only the best pupils will have the chance and honour of taking that place.

Zhenya has my respect. He saved his sister though unfortunately it cost him his life. This little boy has sort of restored some of my faith in humanity.

All I can say is R.I.P Zhenya and I hope the guy who did this gets life without parole.

What a brave little man

What a brave little man

Agreed. :(

Sad that a child has more integrity and honour than most adults.

Wasn't really worth it in the end, was it? Saved his sister but couldn't save himself. Bit of a crappy deal.

Wasn't really worth it in the end, was it? Saved his sister but couldn't save himself. Bit of a crappy deal.

obvious troll is obvious.

obvious troll is obvious.

Don't be obnoxious. He's certainly a hero for saving his sister, but it was still a shitty deal to exchange his life for hers.

Source (http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/36941)



Zhenya has my respect. He saved his sister though unfortunately it cost him his life. This little boy has sort of restored some of my faith in humanity.

All I can say is R.I.P Zhenya and I hope the guy who did this gets life without parole.

I hope he gets what he deserves from the prison's GP... (General Populace)

Don't be obnoxious. He's certainly a hero for saving his sister, but it was still a shitty deal to exchange his life for hers.

obvious troll is still obvious.

Don't be obnoxious. He's certainly a hero for saving his sister, but it was still a shitty deal to exchange his life for hers.

I wasn't sure, at first - but you try too hard. Zombie is right.

Maybe you're not doing it to troll, but you do seem to be faking for some effect. Not buying it

I wasn't sure, at first - but you try too hard. Zombie is right.

Maybe you're not doing it to troll, but you do seem to be faking for some effect. Not buying it

There's certainly a degree of hyperbole when I write things online, but I wouldn't say it's any more pronounced than anyone else here. The anonymity of the internet and all. I'd argue that I'm more honest here than in reality. But that's irrelevant to this thread.

All I can say is R.I.P Zhenya and I hope the guy who did this gets life without parole.
This is Russia - murder and attempted rape of a child'll get him a bullet in the back of his head. If not that, almost certain death from TB in the hell called the Russian penal system.

Only thing that worries me is this comment: "Police say they have all the evidence they need to convict him."
This is Russia after all. How much 'evidence' do they actually have?

I always think that we are bolder as children. As adults we seem to have more sense of what we can lose.

This is Russia - murder and attempted rape of a child'll get him a bullet in the back of his head. If not that, almost certain death from TB in the hell called the Russian penal system.

Only thing that worries me is this comment: "Police say they have all the evidence they need to convict him."
This is Russia after all. How much 'evidence' do they actually have?

Well, the story is that the boy stabbed him - a knife wound would be pretty conclusive on that one. There's the witness testimony of the sister (at least) and... we don't know what else. I assume they can place him, place the weapon in his hands, and may have some forensic evidence... but he's probably going to stand or fall on witness testimony.

There's certainly a degree of hyperbole when I write things online, but I wouldn't say it's any more pronounced than anyone else here. The anonymity of the internet and all. I'd argue that I'm more honest here than in reality. But that's irrelevant to this thread.

No, I'm a pure pragmatist. And I think that's what you are pretending to be, but I'm not convinced. It's relavant to this thread because of the nature of the comments you're making in this thread.

Wasn't really worth it in the end, was it? Saved his sister but couldn't save himself. Bit of a crappy deal.
A more subtle troll might have focused on the fact that trading death for rape isn't exactly a good exchange. Not that your trolling has ever been subtle.

No, I'm a pure pragmatist. And I think that's what you are pretending to be, but I'm not convinced. It's relavant to this thread because of the nature of the comments you're making in this thread.

I dunno what you mean by "I'm a pure pragmatist" and how it relates to this topic. I wouldn't describe myself as a pragmatist, at least in the philosophical sense.

A more subtle troll might have focused on the fact that trading death for rape isn't exactly a good exchange. Not that your trolling has ever been subtle.

I was pretty sure that was what I was dwelling on. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. In any case, I'm not here to convince people that I'm not a troll. You either believe I'm who I say I am, or don't.

Zhenya has my respect.
Agreed. This was a truly honorable act.

I dunno what you mean by "I'm a pure pragmatist" and how it relates to this topic. I wouldn't describe myself as a pragmatist, at least in the philosophical sense.


That's unfortunate, because it means...


...I'm not here to convince people that I'm not a troll.

...is especially resonant.

That's unfortunate, because it means...



...is especially resonant.

Huh?

so sad...what a brave boy, rest his soul forever.

Let the SOB get what's coming to him.

On cold steppes and dark forests, monsters wake and walk, carved from the rock of harsh lives, and in their native ground of corruption and squalor, they stride to their prey....

But they should remember, Bogatyri are born there, too, like all men, begin as boys...

According to police, Kiyashko, who had spent 17 years behind bars for murder and robbery, came to Noginsk to find a job. When he didn’t succeed in job hunting, the man fell back into old habits

linky (http://www.russiatoday.com/russian_news/news/34145)

chances were good that the girl would've been Raped and Murdered.

There's not too much to add here, really. The boy's actions speak for themselves. I'm just amazed that a boy that young would be able to throw himself into action like that.

I don't think many adults could have even pulled off something like that...

There's not too much to add here, really. The boy's actions speak for themselves. I'm just amazed that a boy that young would be able to throw himself into action like that.

I don't think many adults could have even pulled off something like that...

I have no idea if this is true, but my old Russian Prof claimed that during the Great Patriotic War, resistance fighters would hide out in trees and buildings, and lower young boys onto passing German tanks to throw molotov cocktails into vulnerable openings.

Perhaps Russian blood still runs thick...

Zhenya has my respect. He saved his sister though unfortunately it cost him his life. This little boy has sort of restored some of my faith in humanity.

And the fellow who stabbed obliterated mine.

All I can say is R.I.P Zhenya and I hope the guy who did this gets life without parole.

Zhenya gains my commendation. If the attacker cannot be rehabilitated--and I seriously doubt he can be--than life without parole.

obvious troll is obvious.

I am certain the chap is serious, as his post is congruent with the philosophy he follows, which is, as far as I can tell, congruent with the teachings of the most honorable Yang Zhu.

My god that's terrible. Good for Zhenya.

I am certain the chap is serious, as his post is congruent with the philosophy he follows, which is, as far as I can tell, congruent with the teachings of the most honorable Yang Zhu.

People keep throwing complicated philosophical definitions and/or philosophers at me and frankly, I don't have a clue what you're on about.

This is Russia - murder and attempted rape of a child'll get him a bullet in the back of his head. If not that, almost certain death from TB in the hell called the Russian penal system.

This is Russia:

ON MARCH 26th 2000 Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia. By coincidence his election, partly promoted by the war in Chechnya, was soiled by a horrific crime that same night. A Russian colonel, Yuri Budanov, entered a house in the Chechen village of Tangi, home to an 18-year-old girl, Elza Kungaeva. Mr Budanov ordered his soldiers to wrap her in a blanket, put her in his armoured personal carrier and take her to his quarters.

Two hours later she was dead, her strangled naked body displaying marks of severe beating. She was buried in secret but an autopsy later showed that she had been raped and sodomised. After a three-year legal odyssey, Colonel Budanov was sentenced to ten years in prison for the murder. A rare case of a Russian officer being brought to justice for a wartime crime in Chechnya, it became a symbol of the army’s atrocities there.

On January 15th[, 2009] Mr Budanov was freed on parole for good behaviour, 18 months early. Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer for the Kungaev family, protested vainly against his early release.

People keep throwing complicated philosophical definitions and/or philosophers at me and frankly, I don't have a clue what you're on about.


Why must you? Feel what you feel, think what you think. Screw them.

Unless of course you started the whole philisophical shit.

Why must you? Feel what you feel, think what you think. Screw them.

Unless of course you started the whole philisophical shit.

I do agree with this. I've never looked at a list of philosophies and chosen one that conforms to how I think. I just think the way I do because that is what I am. I don't have a name for it.

And nope, wasn't me. I don't know enough about philosophy to bullshit it.

People keep throwing complicated philosophical definitions and/or philosophers at me and frankly, I don't have a clue what you're on about.

"Life is full of suffering, and its chief purpose is pleasure. There is no god and no after-life; men are the helpless puppets of the blind natural forces that made them, and that gave them their unchosen ancestry and their inalienable character. The wise man will accept this fate without complaint, but will not be fooled by all the nonsense of Confucius and Mozi about inherent virtue, universal love, and a good name: morality is a deception practised upon the simple by the clever; universal love is the delusion of children, who do not know the universal enmity that forms the law of life; and a good name is a posthumous bauble which the fools who paid so dearly for it cannot enjoy. In life the good suffer like the bad, and the wicked seem to enjoy themselves more keenly than the good”

-Yang Zhu.

"Life is full of suffering, and its chief purpose is pleasure. There is no god and no after-life; men are the helpless puppets of the blind natural forces that made them, and that gave them their unchosen ancestry and their inalienable character. The wise man will accept this fate without complaint, but will not be fooled by all the nonsense of Confucius and Mozi about inherent virtue, universal love, and a good name: morality is a deception practised upon the simple by the clever; universal love is the delusion of children, who do not know the universal enmity that forms the law of life; and a good name is a posthumous bauble which the fools who paid so dearly for it cannot enjoy. In life the good suffer like the bad, and the wicked seem to enjoy themselves more keenly than the good”

-Yang Zhu.

Seems pretty accurate. I'll need to read more on him. Cheers.

Seems pretty accurate. I'll need to read more on him. Cheers.

It is hard to call someone a troll when he is voicing an opinion that agrees with an Eastern philosopher. :D

.

Something Good (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cA5u0sQ6VQ)



yes I'm ripped

The thread title says it all. This boy was a hero.

All I can say is R.I.P Zhenya and I hope the guy who did this gets life without parole.

Life without parole is too good for that motherfucker. The guy who killed him deserves nothing but the death penalty. I hope he dies a slow, agonising death.

"We live our lives the way they should be, to show the world what it ought to be"
from the American TV "Angel"

Sometimes, in order to live a life the way they ought to be, the person has to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The boy’s photo now occupies the desk where he used to sit. Later on a special plaque will be fixed onto it. And only the best pupils will have the chance and honour of taking that place.

I love that they're creating a plaque for his school desk, and only letting the best pupils sit in it (I hope that isn't limited to simply having the best grades). I have to wonder what a kid would need to do to have that honor.

I hope he gets what he deserves from the prison's GP... (General Populace)

Why don't you call for a lynching instead?

It is hard to call someone a troll when he is voicing an opinion that agrees with an Eastern philosopher. :D
Hitler lived east of the Rhine ...

Why don't you call for a lynching instead?

Because a Lynching replaces the court system.

Hitler lived east of the Rhine ...

Getbrett is not advocating anything particularly malicious. Actually, he is like me, he sees things as they really are. The difference is I still have enough idealist in me to feel disgusted, whereas he is at peace. He follows the idea that man is a just a superb animal--you cannot call him evil any more than you can call an animal evil. And indeed, humans are moral hypocrites; we like to preserve our own, but he have no difficulty in killing and eating creatures that surely feel pain, and certainly do not wish to die.

Getbrett is not advocating anything particularly malicious. Actually, he is like me, he sees things as they really are.
No he isn't. He's like a pathological liar: He pretends to be a swaggering sociopath (he's so hard that an, apparently not very bright, person has started stalking him. Forcing him to change his NSG handle! *gasps of shock*).
The difference is I still have enough idealist in me to feel disgusted, whereas he is at peace. He follows the idea that man is a just a superb animal--you cannot call him evil any more than you can call an animal evil.
I wouldn't call him evil, because I don't believe that he lives by his bullshit. I've met people who talk like that, and they're inevitably the first people to lose it and go running to daddy (or the cops, or whatever).
And if, for one minuscule second, I were willing to believe his nonsense, he's still a hypocritical weakling. Animals, all animals, have rules. Chimpanzees and ants aren't as elaborate as humans, but they've got society. A bully who can quote philosophers is still just a thug and a coward.
And indeed, humans are moral hypocrites; we like to preserve our own, but he have no difficulty in killing and eating creatures that surely feel pain, and certainly do not wish to die.
That's not hypocritical. It's a value judgment humans>non-humans.
What's more, that's a ridiculous generalization. There are people who really do embrace a doctrine of total non-violence, and there are others who believe that animals should be treated ethically before slaughter and live by that standard.

No he isn't. He's like a pathological liar: He pretends to be a swaggering sociopath (he's so hard that an, apparently not very bright, person has started stalking him. Forcing him to change his NSG handle! *gasps of shock*).

He does not pretend to be a sociopath. He did not say something like: "Hah, the rapist should have brought a gun!" He called the kid hero, but said what the kid did was not worth dying for. I am sure Getbrett has a conscience, he just sees it as an inhibiting function.

I wouldn't call him evil, because I don't believe that he lives by his bullshit. I've met people who talk like that, and they're inevitably the first people to lose it and go running to daddy (or the cops, or whatever).

Entirely possible, since the fellow said he, himself, would not stab the intruder.

And if, for one minuscule second, I were willing to believe his nonsense, he's still a hypocritical weakling. Animals, all animals, have rules. Chimpanzees and ants aren't as elaborate as humans, but they've got society. A bully who can quote philosophers is still just a thug and a coward.

Most animals cannot see anything wrong with rape, murder or theft.

That's not hypocritical. It's a value judgment humans>non-humans.

And you believe you are better than this poster, but you still would not kill him and eat him.

What's more, that's a ridiculous generalization. There are people who really do embrace a doctrine of total non-violence, and there are others who believe that animals should be treated ethically before slaughter and live by that standard.

Killing and eating a creature which does not wish to die can never be done "humanely".

Killing and eating a creature which does not wish to die can never be done "humanely".

Nonsense.

This is Russia? He'll get life without parole if he's lucky.

He does not pretend to be a sociopath. He did not say something like: "Hah, the rapist should have brought a gun!" He called the kid hero, but said what the kid did was not worth dying for. I am sure Getbrett has a conscience, he just sees it as an inhibiting function.



Entirely possible, since the fellow said he, himself, would not stab the intruder.



Most animals cannot see anything wrong with rape, murder or theft.



And you believe you are better than this poster, but you still would not kill him and eat him.



Killing and eating a creature which does not wish to die can never be done "humanely".

While I appreciate your defense of me (it's certainly more eloquent than I could muster on short notice) I don't really think you'll benefit from it. H N Fiddlebottoms VIII harbours an irrational dislike of me.

He does not pretend to be a sociopath. He did not say something like: "Hah, the rapist should have brought a gun!" He called the kid hero, but said what the kid did was not worth dying for. I am sure Getbrett has a conscience, he just sees it as an inhibiting function.
I'm referring more to post history, in which he has claimed to be entirely asocial, completely without morals or table manners.
Entirely possible, since the fellow said he, himself, would not stab the intruder.
Nah, he'd wet himself and cry in the corner.
Most animals cannot see anything wrong with rape, murder or theft.
Not as general rules, but they do exist within systems of social obligation. Wolf packs gather food for those too young or old to hunt; elephants will gather around their young in order to protect them from attack; chimpanzees go to war (meaning that they're willing to die to promote the interests of their troop); etc.
And you believe you are better than this poster, but you still would not kill him and eat him.
I don't actually. All humans are equally low in my eyes, but for different reasons.
Killing and eating a creature which does not wish to die can never be done "humanely".
Of course, because they're not humans. I said ethically, and once you accept that animals are beneath humans, it is simply a matter of calculating how much regard they deserve. (A quick death and a pleasant existence, for instance)

While I appreciate your defense of me (it's certainly more eloquent than I could muster on short notice) I don't really think you'll benefit from it. H N Fiddlebottoms VIII harbours an irrational dislike of me.
It isn't irrational. I've read what you've posted now and in the past, and I have developed a dislike of you that is founded on my principles.
You're, at best, a thug with ridiculous pretensions, and, at worst, a liar.

I am completely amoral in the sense that I view morals as created social constructs, inherently false, completely subjective and therefore completely irrelevant. That doesn't mean I am immoral.

I am completely amoral in the sense that I view morals as created social constructs, inherently false, completely subjective and therefore completely irrelevant. That doesn't mean I am immoral.

I believe this has turned into a hijack of epic proportions, and that, if you wish to make a thread on it, I'd be happy to join in. Over there.

I am completely amoral in the sense that I view morals as created social constructs, inherently false, completely subjective and therefore completely irrelevant. That doesn't mean I am immoral.

Bullshit. No one is exempt from societal conditioning, no matter how much you think you've risen above.

I believe this has turned into a hijack of epic proportions, and that, if you wish to make a thread on it, I'd be happy to join in. Over there.

Yeah, apologies. I'm not inclined to create a thread so people can attack me, but if H N Fiddlebottoms VIII wishes to do so, he's more than welcome.

Bullshit. No one is exempt from societal conditioning, no matter how much you think you've risen above.

I am not exempt from societal conditioning, as you put it. I recognise it, and I play it to my advantage when required. However, I don't conform to it. Any morality I display is for the benefit of others - it's shallow. Nothing has moral value, from my perspective, everything is merely an elaborate social game designed to maintain order.

I'm not above this game, I merely recognise its existence.

This is Russia? He'll get life without parole if he's lucky.

Once again:


ON MARCH 26th 2000 Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia. By coincidence his election, partly promoted by the war in Chechnya, was soiled by a horrific crime that same night. A Russian colonel, Yuri Budanov, entered a house in the Chechen village of Tangi, home to an 18-year-old girl, Elza Kungaeva. Mr Budanov ordered his soldiers to wrap her in a blanket, put her in his armoured personal carrier and take her to his quarters.

Two hours later she was dead, her strangled naked body displaying marks of severe beating. She was buried in secret but an autopsy later showed that she had been raped and sodomised. After a three-year legal odyssey, Colonel Budanov was sentenced to ten years in prison for the murder. A rare case of a Russian officer being brought to justice for a wartime crime in Chechnya, it became a symbol of the army’s atrocities there.

On January 15th[, 2009] Mr Budanov was freed on parole for good behaviour, 18 months early. Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer for the Kungaev family, protested vainly against his early release.

So the guy in the OP is a high ranking member of the Russian military? I missed that part.

I'm pretty sure the abuses of justice go both ways.

Nonsense.

The concept of creatures bred by the millions, killed, then eaten--then hearing the consumers proclaim their concern over the creatures is humorous.

The concept of creatures bred by the millions, killed, then eaten--then hearing the consumers proclaim their concern over the creatures is humorous.

I'm glad you find it amusing. Look, there is a difference between killing, and needless suffering. There's nothing to do about the killing and eating - the former is required for the latter, and the latter is generally required as humans are omnivores, not herbivores. This doesn't mean we should (for example) rape the animals too. Similarly, just because a state might have the death penalty doesn't mean the prisoner sentenced to die be tortured as well.

The concept of creatures bred by the millions, killed, then eaten--then hearing the consumers proclaim their concern over the creatures is humorous.

And also imaginary. It's nice inside your head, I'm sure, but reality isn't just somewhere you should keep a summer home.

I'm glad you find it amusing. Look, there is a difference between killing, and needless suffering.

Indeed. Generally speaking, murder is considered a crime worse than rape. Not to compare criminals to butchers, but I find it strange that when it comes to humans, death is considered worse than most suffering (note that many persons object to someone dying, even if that person is in agony, mentally or physically), but when it comes to animals, death is of virtually no consequence, yet suffering is condemned.

There's nothing to do about the killing and eating - the former is required for the latter, and the latter is generally required

No, it is not.

as humans are omnivores, not herbivores

Humans can live easily without meat; any vitamin, protein or anything else that we need can be found in non-meat foods...surely you know this? What is more, think of the amount of time, energy, and food it takes to raise an animal which is killed, then eaten quickly; if all that time, energy and food was used to feed humans rather than bred livestock, there would be much less starvation.



This doesn't mean we should (for example) rape the animals too. Similarly, just because a state might have the death penalty doesn't mean the prisoner sentenced to die be tortured as well.

Eliminating one injustice does not allow another. The death penalty is quite unnecessary--Hitler's death camps would not be any more condonable if they were "humane".

And also imaginary. It's nice inside your head, I'm sure, but reality isn't just somewhere you should keep a summer home.

Which part is imaginary? The animals being bred, then killed and eaten, or humans expressing concern over the treatment of the animals?

Look, I didn't wait through billions of years of evolution and the eventual supremacy of the human race to hear all this whining about animal suffering.

Dig in.

What a hero.

Look, I didn't wait through billions of years of evolution

Right-o.

and the eventual supremacy of the human race

One has to love idea of a supreme race that is not required to show mercy to any other.

to hear all this whining about animal suffering.

Who wants to hear about suffering? who cares?

Dig in.

Why?

Why?

Nothing beats a good steak, and its tough to top a top-notch burger. Meatloaf, chicken parm, a nice blt minus the t with turkey and plenty of mayo...

These are a few of my favorite things.

Nothing beats a good steak, and its tough to top a top-notch burger. Meatloaf, chicken parm, a nice blt minus the t with turkey and plenty of mayo...

These are a few of my favorite things.

Rather selfish, is it not? Even if something is not as smart as you are, does that mean there should be no consideration of its feelings; you are provided with a sensation in your mouth, yet is it worth the cost? If you try for a few minutes, you can get an idea of what being an animal is like; not deep thinkers, but still capable of experiencing fear and pain.

Am I the only one thinking that while it's tragic this kid died he isn't a hero?

He reacted to a situation he probably didn't fully understand and got himself killed. In my opinion, a hero is one who understands how bad his chance of survival is and then does it anyway.

Getting off topic here.

Can you imagine the pressure on the next student to sit at his classroom desk?

Am I the only one thinking that while it's tragic this kid died he isn't a hero?

He reacted to a situation he probably didn't fully understand and got himself killed. In my opinion, a hero is one who understands how bad his chance of survival is and then does it anyway.

How do you know he didn't.

A big man is hurting [my] older sister.
I'm goinna make the big man stop hurting [my] older sister.

sure he may not be expecting to die, but the fact that he still went ahead to save his older sister makes him a hero to me and to those people in that town.

Rather selfish, is it not? Even if something is not as smart as you are, does that mean there should be no consideration of its feelings; you are provided with a sensation in your mouth, yet is it worth the cost? If you try for a few minutes, you can get an idea of what being an animal is like; not deep thinkers, but still capable of experiencing fear and pain.
Cows wouldn't exist without human interference. Seriously, they're stupid as all Hell after years of domestication, and if we let them roam free most of them would find horrible, agonizing ways to die.
Since we've got to take care of them, the least they can do is provide us with meat and milk.

How do you know he didn't.

A big man is hurting [my] older sister.
I'm goinna make the big man stop hurting [my] older sister.

I don't know he didn't but I remember how hazy my notions of death and understanding of cause and effect were when I was around his age.

sure he may not be expecting to die, but the fact that he still went ahead to save his older sister makes him a hero to me and to those people in that town.

I think that the hero tag is throw around too frequently these days.

I don't know he didn't but I remember how hazy my notions of death and understanding of cause and effect were when I was around his age.

I think that the hero tag is throw around too frequently these days.

I agree but there are reasons why the tag 'Hero' is given. A Hero can be anyone from a boy who saves his sister to a firefighter giving a koala a drink, to a flight crew who managed to save everyone on their airbus...

heck, a teacher doing his job can be a hero. the real question is "is he 'your' hero."

what that boy did won't affect my life. so no, he's not MY Hero. but for his family who misses him... his sister who he saved from rape or worse, for his friends and classmates. He's their hero. and, because of his actions, I won't begrude him the title.

you know... this might make an intersting thread. 'what makes a person a hero."

I just hope his killer lives a long, hellish life of unbearable and endless pain from his injury and does so while rotting in prison for that entire time.

I just hope his killer lives a long, hellish life of unbearable and endless pain from his injury and does so while rotting in prison for that entire time.

I hope he develops a conscience. That'd have much the same effect.

Optimistic, I know.