Real life is not a comic book story and essential workers are not superheroes fighting a comic book villain. Nowadays, hero culture makes it easy for us to dismiss personal protective equipment shortages when we assume our so-called heroes have powers to save the day.
Calling essential workers heroes puts them on a pedestal. When we call someone a hero, many of us imagine them performing a heroic deed. We say our essential workers heroically risk infection for the greater good, but companies haven’t treated them any better since the pandemic. They pay for advertisements to thank their front line, yet they fail to provide many of them a living wage. Nine percent of service industry workers fall under the federal poverty line, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
They are not heroes; instead, they are victims. We can’t assume that every soldier fighting in this war enlisted voluntarily; some were drafted. Many essential workers living paycheck to paycheck risk infection not because they want to, but because they are forced to.
Rather than praising them, we need to protect them. In the healthcare industry, GetUsPPE.org found that 20 percent of healthcare facilities had no N95 masks in supply. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 9,000 healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19 in April. Unlike superhero movies, there won’t be a godly intervention to save our lost essential workers.
Someday, this pandemic will be over, but there’s a lesson we can learn from history. Take victory gardens in World War I for example. When severe food shortages hit Europe, the burden of feeding millions fell onto the U.S. It inspired Charles Lathrop Pack to form the National War Garden Commission, an effort that encouraged Americans to plant and grow fruits and vegetables wherever possible. Called victory gardens, they were a domestic effort to help soldiers fighting abroad. When they reemerged in World War II, over 20 million victory gardens produced roughly eight million tons of food, equivalent to 40 percent of all fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S. Similarly today, there are ways we can curb the pandemic at home. Calling essential workers heroes is not enough; we can show better support by practicing self-care, respecting reopening guidelines and being mindful of essential worker policies.
Recent headlines have painted the outside world as a warzone. Like the situation a century ago, we now have our own victory garden to tend to. Like us, plants take sunlight, water and time to grow. Tending to your mental health is a daily practice that forms a solid foundation to help others. The war garden movement advocated citizens to “sow the seeds of victory,” and the quote is applicable today. It tells us to be patient; the fruits of our labor will pay off. That means respecting reopening guidelines and maintaining proper health practices. Considering that essential workers make sacrifices for us by risking infection daily, this is how we uphold our end of the bargain.
Adapted from a World Health Organization PSA, you can save lives by staying home, keeping a safe distance of six feet, washing your hands often, covering coughs and calling a healthcare facility ahead of time when sick. On a larger scale, show your support for essential workers by speaking up when companies don’t provide paid sick leave, personal protective equipment or health care benefits to our heroes. We have a voice in democracy, and we make bigger changes when we use that voice to say more than just thank you.
History is in the making. Future U.S. History students will learn about our efforts in curbing the pandemic similar to how we learned about American efforts in the two World Wars. Remember that essential workers are not superheroes—they are only human. Whether it’s treating patients, restocking shelves or staying at home, everyone has their own responsibility. Essential workers provide services for us, but as Former President John F. Kennedy says it best, “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”