[barnstenchfartface]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

If you are going to go that route, then there are no heroes because every culture and country has invaded and conquered some land. The Egyptians enslaved Jews (and pretty much everyone else). The Romans killed everyone who refused to bow to their rule. Alexander the Great conquered Persia, Alexandria, and some of India by killing millions. Genghis Khan slaughtered millions as well. Vlad the Impaler murdered thousands to free Transylvania from Turkish rule. Americans enslaved Africans. Washington and gang betrayed the King of England and then murdered his soldiers because he didn't agree with that.

It's true. There are very few true heroes in the history of humanity, because turns out most humans are dingbats. Finding people who truly contributed more to the world than they did damage to it or its inhabitants is truly difficult. That's why heroism means something at all.

Of course, times change and societal norms with them, and we can't truly judge past societies by the standards of our own--this does not mean, on the other hand, that we should ignore or celebrate what we now perceive to be evil acts. Because there is a lot of that going on in history. If we want to have some degree of admiration for the people who came before us, allowances must be made. But if we're going to start giving some leeway for people of the past, I wouldn't start with the guy responsible for the slaughter or slavery of millions of people. Or one who did all that as cruelly as Columbus did (because as Switchblade said, even by the standards of the time, the acts that Columbus and his men took were atrocious) or one who did so for virtually no reason (or, alternatively, for pure commercial gain).

Some of the people you mention did take lives, but in the context of military endeavors. I don't really give war a pass, either, but I don't believe comparing life lost during a revolution to the senseless slaughter of a native people by invaders really makes any sense. But no, I wouldn't really say most of those are heroes. Heroes do exist, mind you, but for the most part I'd argue you'd find them among the ranks of people who at the very least never murdered or enslaved other human beings. Just sayin'