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Subway shooting victim Monica Meadows has been chatting with the media about her ordeal and how it's actually helped her get offers for TV and movies. Meadows, a model and aspiring actress, was on her way to an audition at Glamour when she was shot on a W train near Times Square; now she will be Glamour's Hero of the Month for August. Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive tells the Daily News, "This is a great message of strength and optimism for young women. Everyone's gone on horrible job interviews, but it's never so bad as getting shot on your way there." This is true - Monica Meadows is like the 50 cent of models! Gothamist agrees with your brother, Monica, says you should keep the bullet holes as your "street cred"!
Meadows also spoke out against removing token booths from subway stations, saying that having a clerk at 40th Street and 7th Avenue helped her, since that was the closest exit; the next one would have been at 42nd Street.
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she's the hero of the month?!? yikes. what is this world coming to? i guess it is glamour though, so it makes some sense.
The hell????? The token booth clerk is sort of a hero, this woman: nothing more than a victim.
Pet peeve of mine: people calling everyone who has a hard luck story a hero.....ridiculous. To me it puts a cloud over real heroes.
While maybe not exactly heroic -- she was shot and still managed to get off the train, go up the stairs and find a clerk to help her...so she is pretty brave and strong, which are attributes of heroicism...
...it sounds like everyone else on the train sorta sat there stunned as the guy took off -- which is understandable, but definitely not heroic...she sorta saved herself, so let her be the Glamour Mag here, c'mon...
I always think that heroism involves choice: you look at a burning building and decide to go in to save someone trapped in the fire rather than stand outside and watch them die. Or, even earlier, you train to be a firefighter knowing that one day you'll have to go in to that building.
Circumstance, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and then letting your survival instinct kick in, doesn't fit the definition of heroism.
Of course, her story is sad and her courage in the face of such a random act of violence is admirable, but it's hardly heroic.
Dumb Luck poster girl might be a more appropriate designation. I mean what are the odds of getting shot on the train and emerging relatively uninjured. I think there's a saying: a bullet in the armpit is worth two in Flatbush. If I ever cross paths w/ an armed gunman I'm praying that he has similarly lousy aim.
It's all about semantics.
Yeah, I would call her courageous, but heroic? No. Heroism is helping others. Heroism is not self-rescue. That is, like D said, Survival Instinct and, in this case, a bit of courage. HEROISM is Coming to the Rescue to help OTHERS in need.
(I saw a news story a few days ago about a young man who's car had careened off a road and fallen down a steep hill. With a broken hip he, over the coarse of a few days, managed to drag himself up the wooded hill to the road where passers-by saw him and took him to the hospital. THAT'S extreme courage.)
Webster's secondary definition a hero is the one most of us think of:
"supremely noble or self-sacrificing" but it's primary definition "a person admired for her achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage. " that would fit here, especially when you see the definition of courage:
COURAGE, METTLE, SPIRIT, RESOLUTION, TENACITY mean mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship. COURAGE implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty METTLE suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty with fortitude and resilience . SPIRIT also suggests a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one's own or keep up one's morale when opposed or threatened .
I think some people mught freak out after being shot and panic--pass out (i probably would) or just sit there on the train waiting for someone else to figure out how to get help--not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that response--some, however, manage to keep their cool and take care of themselves--do what it takes to get what they need. Sounds like she did that.
is anyone else getting a little weirded out about all this? It's like she's on a publicity tour for a new movie or something. I dunno. I'm either disgusted by her flaunting the wonderful fact that she was shot or NYC has made me a cold-hearted bitch.
Jenny, it's probably that NYC has made you a cold-hearted bitch. Don't worry, cynicism is thriving industry in NYC so you're not alone.
Personally, if I had been shot and were lucky enough to have survived with such minimal damage, I'd be damn happy too and would be telling the world about it. So I can certainly see where she's coming from. Just let her have her 15 minutes.
You know she had one of her friends shoot her for the publicity. You just KNOW it. These stories never end well.
This girl fits a heroine! not a hero.
Please grab the "Slow-Witted Killer" (dictionary) and stop watching Superman!!!
• heroine [her·o·ine]
n. female hero, extraordinarily brave woman; primary female character (of a story, play, etc.)
• hero [he·ro]
n. very brave person, one who has committed a courageous act; primary male character (of a story, play, etc.); male character who commits great deeds and is regarded as a god (Classical Mythology)
Jellyguy,
Would you have someone put a bullethole in YOU for publicity? 2 centimeters from your heart? Crimes like this go unnoticed frequently...and you think she would do this for the mere chance it might lead to some publicity!!!!!!!!! You are a moron!
Her Disgusted Sister