Quote Originally Posted by Sir_Russell View Post
Yeager is hero but also the same kind of nut that evel was. He knew he was facing death but wanted to go fast higher then anyone else. Where is the difference really.
In my mind, Yeager, and any hero really, did what he did to benefit someone or something other than himself. In Yeager's case, that was his country. Yes, he knew he was risking death, but his death would have served a purpose. Knievel, on the other hand, was a show-off, benefiting only his own pocketbook (and those of his employees, of course) and satisfying his own ego. Courageous? Certainly! Talented? Maybe. Insane? Undoubtedly! But a hero? I don't think so.

Course my heros are Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, people that didn't really face death but brought music and joy to the world.
Again, I must disagree. While they might have talent and a flair for showmanship, and might even be worthy of a certain amount of respect, their primary motivation was for their own gain. One might enjoy them and even look up to them (in fact, I wrote a High School term paper about Dylan back in the '60s) but I don't see how they could be considered heroes.