When this whole coronavirus thing is all over and we look back, it is going to be the brave men and women of our service industry — grocery clerks, the sales associates, the burger flippers, and the delivery folk — who will be seen as the true heroes that saved that day. But please note, that in no way means I feel like they should be paid a salary in which they would be able to live upon.
Did Superman ask for a raise every time he saved Metropolis? No. He got a second job to make ends meet and so should the heroes of this epidemic.
Much like the first responders after 9/11, we should do everything in our power to thank the employees at our local Krogers and Taco Bells for going to work when it posed a threat to their very lives. And also like the 9/11 first responders, we should do little else in the way of thanking them besides empty gestures and platitudes.
I am sure some members of congress are going to show pictures of all the sick and dying employees of Wal-Mart, demanding that we treat these people with free hand-outs we can’t afford. They’ll be dead before they can even waste their hand-outs on booze and cigarettes. We should be giving that money to the company these people sacrificed themselves to save.
No one ever said a hero’s life was easy and if they didn’t want to put their lives on the line for $7.79 per hour then they shouldn’t have enlisted to serve at their local grocery store. The men and women of our armed forces are cast aside and forgotten after their tours of duty, why should some Burger King employee be any different?
So, let’s come up with a hashtag, ring a bell, print a shirt, or some bullshit to thank these people but stop short of letting them feed their children.