Please understand from the git, that this is not a denigration of those fine, brave, well educated people
who are certainly filled with courage and have incredible fortitude mentally to be dealing with the fear and suffering they are seeing.
But, do I think that they are heroes? No, I don't. They are doing their jobs just like and as well as they always do pretty much a) of the time.
I just cannot call heroic engaging in a dangerous situation where the odds of survival are over 98%.
But, it really may just be God's wish.. These people face far more scary stuff all year long and hardly get a mention mention. So maybe I am wrong maybe there is a thing like ' poetic reward' just like there is poetic justice.
Maybe being called heroes is just fine and certainly deserved for their full body of work.

Cloying claptrap, nothing more.

Humans feel the need to create hero stories for thir world. Unfortunately, in this day and age, what qualifies one for spinning thse tales is a journalism degree.

Being a former medical professional myself, I can tell you that as a group, healthcare workers possess a degree of cynicism which they pretty much don't express to those outside of their group. These people know what they are, whet they do, and the valus of their contributions, and they don't need sappy sentimentality or news stories with swelling music in the background. In other words, they're grounded and all the pretty words and shallow praise doesn't mean a thing to them.

Everybody gets a trophy; everybody's a hero. Same nonsense.

Ya gotta read Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This stuff is hardwired into the human psyche. We must create heroes.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Ya gotta read Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This stuff is hardwired into the human psyche. We must create heroes.

Yes we do, it's why we give all those solders medals such as the Medal of Honor for saving live at the risk of their own life. Sort of like all those nurses facing a "2%" risk of death to save those who are infected with this virus. Granted, they don't have bullets whizzing past them but they are facing a risk of death. So call them whatever you wish to, in the end they all deserve our respect and thanks.

I couldn't agree more. I work in heathcare daily and work with doctors, nurses, technicians, etc. They know they do an important job and they get a very personal satisfaction from what they do.

I can't see where labeling them "heroes" does anything but make those who label them as such feel better about themselves (hospital administration, media, etc.)

Businesses try to capitalize and politicians trying to take credit as though they are the H/C Professionals. I know plenty of Drs, Nurses and they see this as what they were trained to do, Hero is not their motivation.
A local meal delivery is worth more than the blab blab blab going on.
Are they tired? Hell yeah, but they are doing what they chose to do and a being well compensated.

Whew, I am glad I am not needing to apologize for this;

So after 23 years in the Navy I do not consider myself a hero for doing what I was trained to do. To be honest, after five cruises on the flightdeck of carriers and two on LHA 1, I never saw a "heroic" action. Saw some amazing actions and even more stupid ones, but nothing "heroic."

More importantly, all hands (yes, even the pilots) did our jobs during two cruises in particular (Desert Storm on the Ranger and LHA1 being first US asset on-site for the USS Cole event) which stand out as very stressful times.

I feel the same applies to these healthcare workers. This C-19 event should be something healthcare providers (as a whole) should have trained for and something they should have been personally looking forward to. Nothing "heroic" in doing your job under a stressful situation or one which you may incur an injury from.

Now, convince me that the healthcare providers' actions are likely to kill them if they treat a certain type patient, different story on its face. Go into a radioactive environment (think Chernobyl type situation) where you can expect to die if you head in there and treat a group a patients, that meets my definition.

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Glad to see this thread. I live near a hospital and the road is overflowing with "THANK YOU HEROES!" signs, banners, etc.

Do I admire these folks for the great work they do? Absolutely. But, are they heroes? No, they're not. They're doing their jobs.

Also, the cynical curmudgeon in me wonders why it's only the doctors and nurses in these hospitals who are lauded as heroes. What about woman working in the hospital cafeteria? What about the fellow mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets? Or, that lady working at the admissions desk, who gets to be the first person exposed to these coronavirus patients? Why aren't they celebrated as heroes too?

yeah, I'm with you, OP. This isn't to say we don't admire doctors, nurses, etc. for what they do. But they're doing the same thing they do anyway. What makes covid-19 different?

They have worked long hours before. They're exposed to diseases themselves as part of their work.

I see the commercials jumping on the bandwagon to thank health workers and I think, "great, they're still drawing a paycheck. But what about those people who can't work and are bleeding out financially?

I’m glad I’m not the only one that sees it that way. I do not see them as heroes, they are performing a job in the profession they chose. They chose a job where they will always be exposed to viruses and a multitude of other things. I’m not sure how that is heroic, nobody forces them to continue in their fields. I served in EOD in the Air Force and I was far from a hero. My job involved numerous aspects that could have killed or maimed me. But, that’s also what I signed up for. In reality I’d say there are very few heroes, very few truly selfless people who have laid down their lives for others.

Heroes is one thing. Being thanked for your service is quite another. Frankly, it feels creepy and uncomfortable. I thought that was reserved for combat veterans, not health care workers.

If I recall correctly this sort of thing did not happen when the guys came back from World War II. There were bonafied heroes then, like Audie Murphy and the like.

I would offer up the opinion that the guy working at the counter at the gas station is more of a hero than those brave health care workers. He is in contact with more people, and does it for far less pay, even though he could make more at home on the dole.

Health care workers, meh, but...

I swear, if I see one more "Heroes Work Here" sign at a grocery store, I'm going to throw up!

Half those folks would rather be making more drawing unemployment, which is certainly true, instead of ringing up TP.

During the Bosnian shootout, a US fighter pilot was shot down. He was called a hero for avoiding the enemy for a few days and being rescued. WTF!!@

I’ve watched Mrs DF put in exhaustive hours for weeks on end. I know in her capacity she has saved lives. But if you ask her she’ll deny heroism. She does it for love and profit. Love of humanity and profit in a world that requires it to live. I think ‘hero’ is too often awarded. If everyone is a hero, no one is. However, if one loses his life to save another, that is heroic. That is true heroism.

My wife (who has been in turn, a CNA, an LPN and a RN for years) said: Imagine that, no one's given a shit about any of us in Healthcare for the last 25 years, now all of a sudden we're heroes? Watch it all disappear when this is over.

She's right, too.

No.

Worked with a lot of them ovwer the years when I was one the road. For the most part, they are an outstanding group of people. Human, they make mistakes like everyone else. But like the job I had, at least those in the ER who I had most contact had a emergency thrown at them giving minutes to come up with a solution. Not always possible. I saw that first hand not many years ago,. I felt as bad for the staff who worked on my wife as I know they took the
loss personally. But I know they odds were just stacked against us.

Over the years I had people "thanking me for my service". I know their hearts were in the right place. But I took the job because I wanted to do something that helped. So do they. they didn't do it for the money.