Latinos Are Twice As Likely to be Heroes

This is either awesome or very strange, I’m writing this at a time when I haven’t yet decided.

According to a Stanford University study, Latinos and blacks are twice as likely as whites to perform heroic deeds. This comes to the fore after the massacre in Tucson and the action taken by a young Latino, Daniel Hernandez, who is credited with saving Rep. Gabby Gifford’s life.

Two questions come immediately to mind: Who thinks these studies up? And, what is their definition of heroism? Don’t get me wrong, I’ll accept the prop, as if I were prop-acceptor-in-charge of the entire Latino community. It’s just that I’ve seen raza working three jobs, raising a family and making positive contributions to their community. And if that’s not an act of heroism…

To answer the first question, the study was done by Professor Philip Zimbardo and a host of his colleagues who, according to Fox News Latino, “has a history of focusing his research on psychology in extreme situations.” This is the same guy who did that famous Stanford study, The Stanford Prison Experiment, where students played the roles of prison guards and prisoners with very real and eerie results.  Anyway, according to the hero study Latinos and blacks have a larger propensity for heroism because the have  “greater opportunities to respond” or because “being discriminated against makes them have more compassion to others in need.”

Still, what do they mean by heroism?
Apparently, they took a sample of 4000 adults and found that 20 percent had given aid during a dangerous emergency, given of themselves or their possessions to help a stranger or stood against injustice. The likelihood of heroism was taken from the 20 percent.

According to Joseph Campbell the classic definition of hero is that of a person who embarks on a journey, encounters adversity, returns changed and with an object, gift or insight that benefits his/her community.

Zimbardo says he plans to do more research.