Hero Today, Villain Tomorrow: How the Media Kills Courage for Clicks

Daniel Penny Pays the Price for Stepping Up in a Broken Society

This is a follow-up piece to “Calloused Hands to Clout Chasing: How We Traded Strength for Spectacle”

It is a post for paid subscribers, who, on top of getting access to all content, also have the ability to leave comments and engage directly with me on that article.

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Remember when being brave was a good thing?

When someone jumped in during a crisis, we called them a hero.

Now?

If you act, you’re gambling with your freedom, reputation, and future; we’ve reached a point where doing the right thing isn’t just risky, it’s damn near suicidal, especially if the cameras are rolling and the outrage machine is hungry.

Now, I’ll preface this entire piece by sharing that I am ready and willing to do what is right, letting the consequences be what they may. I will not allow fear of ostracization or legal action to prevent me from helping my fellow men and women.

That decision is one that the best men I know have also made; acknowledging your decision to override self-preservation does not strip the fear from those around you, and that is why I am writing this piece, to bring awareness to help you make the decision now, to do the right thing “then”, so you do not fail to serve your duty in keeping honor and courage as integral components to daily life.

Let’s start with Daniel Penny.

The Marine vet found himself on a New York subway train with a man screaming at passengers, saying he didn’t care if he died or hurt others.

That man, Jordan Neely, had over 40 prior arrests and a documented history of violent and erratic behavior. He’d assaulted people before, and he was in a full-blown mental crisis/breakdown.

Penny stepped in.

He subdued Neely in a chokehold, and Neely died.

Penny stayed.

Cooperated with the police.

Witnesses backed him up.

But none of that mattered, because the media didn’t wait for any of the facts, they had an agenda to push...

Within hours, they had their story: A white Marine killed a Black homeless man.

Penny was labeled a racist, a murderer, and a vigilante.

The nuance didn’t matter.

The context didn’t matter.

The moment became narrative fuel, and Penny was thrown into the fire.

But let’s not pretend this is new; this is the pattern…