Hero or Villain?

This American website has an article about the fact that people are divided over whether Julian Assange is a hero or villain.  

I think he's neither.

In my mind, he's not a villain.

He's not a rapist. He's not a traitor to his country. As people have said, you can't be a traitor to America if you are NOT American.

I don't think it's a bad thing to report the truth....even when important people want to keep things secret. 

I don't really think he's a hero. He's not saving people from burning fires. He's not overcoming some type of horribly unfair adversity. I could say he's brave for what he does. It takes courage to put your reputation on the line like that.  But I'm not sure that bravery equals heroism. 

I guess I see Assange as more of a victim.  I mean I do see him as a hero to a small degree.   But otherwise, I just see something really wrong with our society.  I think he's being treated unfairly. I think he's being judged unfairly.  I fear for him. I'm afraid he'll be locked up too long in a legal system.  I'm afraid America will somehow find a way to convict him. And then what happens?    Thinking about that makes me very anxious.

I don't know. Now after writing this....I'm kind of changing my mind.  I hate when I do that. Well, I don't hate it. It's just kind of annoying. But I suppose it's better than being rigid.

But anyway, maybe I DO see him as being a hero.  He  might be a bit cocky. And he's not rescuing small children from hostage situations. But he is fighting against a corrupt system. A part of me thinks...well, he's just doing this to get attention.  Another part of me is saying he did all this knowing he could get in trouble and knowing that he'd attract a lot of hatred. 

In some ways, it IS like going into a burning building. I mean I'm guessing sometimes it's just instinct for people.  Someone goes into save someone, and they don't even think about it. But I think other people do rescue missions partly because they WANT the attention.They want to be seen as a hero.  They want their picture plastered all over the internet. And as Assange risked getting arrested and being labeled as a villain, rescue heroes take the risk of....getting seriously injured or killed.

Oh crap. I really don't know.  For now, I'll just say that I think Assange is a brave guy fighting against a very unfair world.  I hope he's given back his freedom. That will restore some of my faith in humanity.