Hero Mike - question about my username

Two days ago, I posted a question on this thread. Since nobody replied, I'm bringing it back up:

Is it actually allowed on Reddit to call war criminals heroes?
Also, is it okay to use images of war criminals as profile avatars?

And finally—even if I'm just speculating here—that one user's signature, "We'll do it again!!!", doesn't strike me as particularly peaceful.

I totally get where you're coming from regarding why Jack's avatar and his "hero Mike" username might seem problematic, but I really feel like we need to step back and look at the bigger picture here. There are quite a few people on this forum who actually served alongside him, and they could tell you firsthand that his military record isn't defined solely by the specific reasons that led to his conviction and those years he spent behind bars. Since this is still such a sensitive and, frankly, delicate subject to navigate, our take is that we should probably let both the nickname and the avatar slide for now. We aren't entirely convinced that he belongs in the same category as guys like Himmler or Hitler—who are absolute no-gos here—so we've decided to let it pass for the time being.

What about now? Just leave Jack alone, and I mean forever, not just for the moment. The guy was handed a sentence based entirely on the testimony of someone with actual mental health issues—and I don’t mean that as an insult, I mean there’s legitimate medical documentation for it—who kept changing their story over and over again. And honestly, if anyone actually believes we should be sending university professors off to fight in wars, well, I guess that's just their own opinion.

rustydrifter10 said:We get why you think Norris's avatar and the "hero Mike" username shouldn't be allowed, but we need to look at the big picture here. Plenty of his former comrades are right here on this forum, and they can vouch that his military service wasn't defined solely by the reasons he was convicted and spent years in prison. Since this is still such a sensitive and delicate subject, we feel we should allow the nickname and avatar in this instance. We aren't sure if we should lump him in with Pavlovic, Hitler, or similar figures who are absolute no-nos, so we've decided to let it slide for now.

Fine. But that opens up a massive ethical dilemma, especially regarding the victims.
You claim his buddies on this forum can confirm he wasn't just a war criminal. Seriously? Is there any war criminal out there who was *only* a criminal? Of course not. But that begs the question: How many good deeds can offset one truly evil act?
It creates a dangerous narrative here—the idea of being innocent despite being guilty. Or worse, becoming a hero. I have to ask: what exactly is heroic about organizing the liquidation of civilians or participating in murders? To me, relativizing these crimes feels like Norris's supporters don't just deny he committed them, but actually think there's nothing wrong with those actions.

Since you've already made your call, and I can see this thread heading in a direction neither of us wants, I suggest we close this topic.