There’s a new phrase in town. Well… new in context, anyway…
“The Frontlines”
I’m seeing posts all over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & the news about workers, “On the frontline’s” in this COVID-19 pandemic, and something about it is bothering me.
Context
How you use a word makes a huge difference in its meaning, and how people take it. The word, “frontline’s” has always been a word reserved for reference to wars and battles being fought.
Bullets flying, bombs exploding, swords forcibly rammed into abdominal cavities so hard they come out the victims back, severing the spinal cord, flesh being torn from bone by the force of blazing hot metal ripping through it, soldiers being doused in Napalm, (a highly flammable sticky jelly used in incendiary bombs and flamethrowers, consisting of gasoline thickened with special soaps) thereby dying a horribly agonizing death, or worse , surviving a Napalm attack only to live the rest of their lives horribly disfigured and in constant pain… you catch my meaning.
So when I see grocery store clerks and other essential workers describing or being described as, “being on the frontline” of the pandemic—which is essentially a bad cold/flu—my brain has a hard time reckoning it.
Here’s the thing—literally EVERYONE in my immediate family is considered an “essential worker” because of what they do and who they do it for. Even I—as a care provider—am considered an “essential worker” during the pandemic. I have several friends who work in grocery stores. One of my sons is a Meat Cutter, aka Butcher, for Safeway. Yet no one—in my family at least—has yet referred to themselves as being, “on the frontline.”
I absolutely DO, consider police, doctors, and nurses as being on the frontline’s, because of how absolutely intense that situation is in this situation. However, (and yes, I’ve seen the news and been in the stores) I would not consider working in any kind of store or other business that I can think of at the moment, being “on the frontline’s” though I definitely DO acknowledge how absolutely intense and difficult it has been for those workers, God bless their souls for putting up with all the B.S. every day that they show up for work! Nothing but love here, people… nothing but love!
But let’s regroup for a minute and consider what’s been going on. There’s a virus, yes. It has killed more people than anyone hoped it would, (if they even had any hopes where that was concerned in the first place) and yes, essential workers are absolutely putting their health and their family’s health in jeopardy every time they go to work, but… the phrase “frontline’s” — I dunno… I don’t think I’d go that far.
There are no bullets. Well… no more than usual, anyway…
There are no bombs.
There are no swords.
There is no Napalm.
Something else has been bothering me. I’ve seen people in this country—some, I know personally, go from trashing the president for shutting down the country, to not shutting it down fast enough, to not opening it soon enough, to opening it too soon, all in a span of about 60 days. Really?? Have we all become bi-polar, or have we just been watching the news too much and believing EVERYTHING we’re being force-fed in order to keep us in control by living in a state of constant fear?
We need to be stronger than this, people.
Be safe. Wash your hands. Wear your mask—by the way, it should be covering BOTH your nose AND your mouth, not one or the other as I’ve seen quite a lot of. I mean honestly, what’s the point in wearing the damn thing if you’re going to wear it wrong? It’s definitely not protecting you or the people you come in contact with if either your nose or your mouth are not covered, and if you’re going to wear it that way, don’t complain about the risk factor of your job on the frontline’s, because that just makes no sense. They’re uncomfortable. They’re hot. It’s hard to breathe in them. Wearing one ALL DAY fricking SUCKS! But it’s supposed to be working for your protection and the protection of others, and if you’re not wearing it correctly then you are part of the problem and should stay home.
I’m sorry if any of this upsets or offends anyone, but truth is like this, and if you have a problem with any of it, your problem isn’t with me, it’s with hearing the truth and having to acknowledge it. Many of you will blow it off and tell me how wrong I am. Okay, but that doesn’t change the truth of it. If I lose any friends over this then I want to say that I sincerely hope you stay safe and stay well, and THANK YOU for all your hard work and personal sacrifice! I do greatly appreciate it so much more than you might think I do, I just seriously think people need to reconsider some things.
Have a blessed day.
Crystal
C.A. Bennett 