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We Turn The Spotlight On Bravery And Recklessness. Once Again

November 7, 2009

Shoplifter Thomas Mathew writes: Here we go again: another have-a-go-hero is in the news for standing up to an armed robber, who burst into a petrol station with a shot gun demanding money. The hero in question, the attendant, chose not to hand over the cash but struggled with the armed criminal. It was by pure luck that the shotgun did not go off and eventually the robber made a quick exit.

We hear stories like that a lot. Recently we wrote here about man in London who actually chased a couple of armed robbers down the street and got shot in the process. The two thugs he was after had just robbed a betting shop and were getting away. And that is when this have-a-go-hero decided to apprehend them. And nearly paid for that with his life.

I still remember the fuss the newspapers in Britain made last year about an 84-year-old pensioner, who had foiled an attempted raid on a jewellery store in London by two thugs wearing balaclavas. As they were trying to smash the shop window with a sledgehammer, the pensioner walked up to one of them, pulled off his balaclava and just stood there, waiting for the criminals to flee. Which they did, having realised that they were risking getting picked up by the CCTV cameras in the area.

The hacks got very excited then about the whole thing and wrote about the courage of the old man and the cowardice of the passers-by, none of whom were brave enough to give him a hand. Even the police praised the pensioner for his quick thinking.

But, in my opinion, both with the scribblers and the cops got it all wrong. The pensioner was not brave but reckless. It was not like he had saved somebody who was attacked by muggers. He interfered in a violent robbery and confronted two criminals, who could have killed him on the spot. Not to mention that other people might have also been, hurt if the two thugs had decided to vent their anger on some of the bystanders. And then this supposed act of heroism would have quickly turned into a major tragedy. So it was not really a case of heroism but rather one of recklessness.

Just like it happened with the driver of a London double-decker bus recently when he decided to stand up to a thug, armed with a knife, who was demanding money from his till. Instead of giving him the cash, the driver accelerated suddenly, drove like a maniac for a while and then crashed into a building, with the attacker fleeing from the scene. The driver, who was hailed as a hero, showed no consideration for his passengers and was probably convinced that he was doing the right thing by saving the takings for the tickets. What he did was reckless and stupid. And it had nothing to do with bravery.

I don’t want you to get the wrong message here: I am all for people becoming heroes, but only when it makes sense. If, for example, you see a woman attacked by a rapist or a mugger, you should obviously come to her rescue at once. Or if you see a child being abused, you should come to his rescue. But you should not confront armed thugs when the chances of you and other people getting hurt are extremely high. You should not try to foil a bank robbery by armed men just because you hope to become a hero for a day, or get a reward. Banks, by the way, are insured, so they will get their money back anyway. But if you get killed or seriously wounded, you would not get your life or your health back.

That is why it always makes sense to think before you decide to become a hero.

– End –

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