Do you remember the lessons of economics in high school or college? The basic level of economics taught us about supply and demand. If we have 10 million gadgets, they are not worth as much as if we only have 10. Then, some people discovered that if supply is low and demand is high we can raise prices to extreme levels. That is, until the government stepped in and created price gouging laws. This is where I exit the economics lesson since it gets complicated from here and mixes with the law. I'm sure I've seen enough episodes of Boston Legal to try any case, but just the same, you get the point of supply and demand.
Recognition is for extraordinary behavior. Doing your job in a support role during a crisis, while commendable, is not extraordinary. I will go as far as saying most people who are part of this crisis in a support role didn't sign up for any part of a dangerous job. If you are one of those people and are sticking it out, then you are behaving like a responsible citizen doing what it takes to help our country succeed. I'm sorry to tell you that doesn't make you extraordinary, at least not in this country.
Fast forward to today and the Covid-19 pandemic. I never thought in my lifetime I would see a movie-like situation to cripple the economy of just about every nation in the world, without it being a war. But everything gets equated to war. People refer to this as a war on the virus. Terms like "front lines" are used. This is where things get crazy to me.
In World War I, when our troops advanced on the enemy, they were on the front lines. It wasn't a figurative term, as it is used today. Now, everybody deemed as "essential" by the government claims to be on the front lines. We can't thank the hospital staff and say they are on the front lines without offending practically every other person who still has a job because some government official deemed their job "essential." I'd like to talk more about what our government has called "essential" but that will be another blog.
In the military, there are those who go into battle against the enemy, then there are the support staff. If you serve food to SEAL team 6 in Afghanistan, yes you are potentially in harm's way...at least more so than if you were at McDonald's. But when we thank the military for their bravery and keeping us free, do the cooks who are back on base carrying a meat thermometer deserve the same recognition as the SEAL team who carried a weapon into a hot zone to engage in gunfire with terrorists? I don't think so.
In the military, there are those who go into battle against the enemy, then there are the support staff. If you serve food to SEAL team 6 in Afghanistan, yes you are potentially in harm's way...at least more so than if you were at McDonald's. But when we thank the military for their bravery and keeping us free, do the cooks who are back on base carrying a meat thermometer deserve the same recognition as the SEAL team who carried a weapon into a hot zone to engage in gunfire with terrorists? I don't think so.
Recognition is for extraordinary behavior. Doing your job in a support role during a crisis, while commendable, is not extraordinary. I will go as far as saying most people who are part of this crisis in a support role didn't sign up for any part of a dangerous job. If you are one of those people and are sticking it out, then you are behaving like a responsible citizen doing what it takes to help our country succeed. I'm sorry to tell you that doesn't make you extraordinary, at least not in this country.
Here is the important thing to keep in mind; people who do extraordinary things don't have to ask for recognition. They get noticed because it is, in fact, extraordinary. People that are yelling for attention with social media posts about how important they are because their job is listed as "essential" are minimizing the recognition of people actually fighting the disease. Supply and demand. When we give recognition to every single person for doing their job, the recognition is not worth much. It's like participation trophies. Give everyone a trophy and now the first place trophy doesn't mean much because everybody has one.
We are all in danger of getting the virus, whether we are working in the store or going to the store to get essential items for our family. If your job supports people who actually are fighting the virus, that is great but you are not fighting the virus. When people want to thank the medical staff who are actively fighting this pandemic, you should join them in thanking them, and be satisfied in knowing you have a job that supports them. It is not the time to demand your participation trophy and de-value the recognition being given to those who watch people die every day and celebrate the victories of saving someone's life. It's time for humility. People will recognize that for sure.
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