I nominate the Tank Man from Tiananmen Square, because sometimes a dude has to take a stand. The fact he did it with shopping bags makes his dudeness hard to ignore.
Yeah, like he was on his way home from getting half & half for Caucasians, swung by the square to get a J off his Dude. And bamo, what the fuck are all these tanks doin' here? A Dude has gotta face down reactionaries, especially when they come between him an' a J.
As much as I hate to admit it I do not believe there is any evidence of bravery in the Dude.
Now Walter......
I resectfully disagree, the Dude did not submit to the carpet peeer, he let his feelings be known about the situation, was even a bit of a smart ass. He went to confront TBL, even knowing he had money, which can intimidate some. He was not scared of the nihilists, just concerned about their intentions. Yeah man, the Dude never backed down, that is the mark of bravery, not how many guns you got, or who's rug you pee on, those things are not bravery, they are the actions of reactionaries.
Even at the last scene with the nihilists, he did not run or cower, he just offered the money they obviously needed to satisfy their stupidity, fear of running out of money is what motivated Walter in that scene, the Dude had no fear of money shortage, so he could give his money to nihilists in a fear free mannor.
But hey, that is like just my opinion, just say'n.