Am I Wrong Here?

[Threefingeredjack]

Tonight on the news there was coverage of the ceremonial finishing of the Boston Marathon. A fitting and appropriate thing to do. But one of the lines in the story struck me as a little over the top, and maybe I'm wrong. The comment was made about the "heroic first responders who rushed to aid the victims" What? They rushed to aid the victims because it is their job. It's what they do day in and day out. It is how they make their living.

The media seems to overhype every story like this. Was the aid needed? Without doubt. Was their service quick and effective? No doubt. Was their performance "heroic"???? Mehhhh....no. The scale was unusual, but it seems that since 9/11 the media seems bent on making everyone a victim, and anyone who does something vital a hero. This, IMHO, tends to cheapen the actions of those who truly do perform heroic service. Or maybe I'm just turning into a crotchety old man.

 

[Jim Logajan]

Tonight on the news there was coverage of the ceremonial finishing of the Boston Marathon. A fitting and appropriate thing to do. But one of the lines in the story struck me as a little over the top, and maybe I'm wrong. The comment was made about the "heroic first responders who rushed to aid the victims" What? They rushed to aid the victims because it is their job. It's what they do day in and day out. It is how they make their living.

If a runner or spectator has a medical problem, which is the kind of event those first responders were most likely to encounter, there is little danger to them. That sort of thing is definitely their job.

But well executed terrorist bombings, on the other hand, often come in two or more explosions. The M.O. seems to be to wait till rescuers have created another concentration of people and detonate a second bomb. Perhaps those who are first responders can chime in and say whether this is a risk the typical first responder is trained for and told to expect. If first responders are trained to delay or be careful after what appears to be terrorist bombing, then those who didn't delay might then be called heroes (or foolish for making themselves potential additional victims?)

The media seems to overhype every story like this. Was the aid needed? Without doubt. Was their service quick and effective? No doubt. Was their performance "heroic"???? Mehhhh....no. The scale was unusual, but it seems that since 9/11 the media seems bent on making everyone a victim, and anyone who does something vital a hero. This, IMHO, tends to cheapen the actions of those who truly do perform heroic service.

It's the media. Over hyping is their job!

Or maybe I'm just turning into a crotchety old man.

Ahem. Being right about this and turning into a crotchety old man aren't mutually exclusive.