Something thats been bothering me in terms of who society views as heros, and who they don't...

Refuge workers are not really that visible in society. Much of the population have an NHS story not many refuge worker stories. I saw MPs bringing up DV in parliamentary debates and meetings so I disagree that it's been forgotten about.

How are footballers heros and paid so much. That angers me more than NHS hogging the limelight.

They are greatly respected, but we can't all talk about every single person we respect and are thankful for throughout this pandemic.

I have seen lots of campaigns raising money and making packages for womens refuges over the last year or so, so they aren't forgotten about.

Presumably they also have to fly below the radar, for the safety of their clients?

YABU. There are so many people who deserve to be thanked - if we thank everyone, it becomes meaningless. Frankly everyone who kept working during the pandemic should be thanked. Our roles are so interlinked that if any section of the workforce just downed tools others would collapse too. (Just look at the sections that did close, and the effect that had on other industries. Pubs closing doesn't just damage the landlord, but their suppliers too.)

Maybe you could argue that people who reaped the benefit of furlough or self-employed payout schemes should face an extra tax once they are back in the workforce, which could be used to give a little bonus to all those who just got on with their work.

The word “hero” has been devalued over the years, too. In the modern media, it apparently means anyone who did something mildly beneficial to the community, with very little personal risk. Like a sponsored run, for example. In my youth, it meant someone like a WW2 fighter pilot.

There is something quite problematic with viewing or labelling anyone just doing their job as a ‘hero’ anyway - it makes it easier to accept them dying in the line of duty, for example. In the case of health workers, calling them heroes and clapping was easier for those in power to do than providing the appropriate resources to keep them safe.

YABU there are so many people that could be seen as hero's but who are never really seen. Carers for elderly, with dementia, disabilities etc never get the recognition they deserve. NHS workers and care workers will they be forgotten once things return to "normal"?

I totally agree and I think you can say that for a lot of the third sector. At the beginning of the pandemic a lot of council services shut down and they still haven't opening. Its been the third sector left supporting vulnerable people and leading the community response, without any recognition.

In fact in Scotland social workers, who had been working from home got the £500 payment from government and third sector workers who had stepped up to support people, got nothing

You’re not wrong but I can think of lots of other groups of workers about whom you could say the same.

I agree that using the word "hero" for anyone is problematic. A hero is someone who does something exceptional, risking themselves for no benefit. Like the teenager lowered into a tiny hole to rescue a toddler because he was the only one small enough.

A person doing their job isn't a hero, it's a person who chose a specific job. I'm glad they do it, I don't want to do that job but I want someone to. But it's not heroic.

And I agree with the above poster, it excuses the poor treatment from superiors and the lack of resources they receive. Oh aren't they heroes putting up with that, rather than, that's not acceptable for any human, it needs to change.

I don’t view anyone as a hero. There are brave people, good people, kind people etc. But they’re not heroes IMO.

Calling people heroes devalues their efforts. The people I know who society refers to as heroes would rather have decent working conditions and pay.

I don’t know many NHS workers (about 4/5) but they all detested the clapping and felt they were just doing their job.

I worked in DV until very recently and I don't think any of my colleagues would have felt comfortable described as heroes. They know the value of their work but certainly aren't in the business of rescuing which is what hero status implies.
What we really want is decent funding for refuges and domestic abuse services and good education in schools about consent and respect.

There are lots of professions and people that might be considered heroes. Its impossible to recognise them all.

For example the hero nhs thing tends to assume the nhs is just drs, nurses and prehaps some hca's. Even on covid wards there were many more people eg. Physios and occupational therapists that were barely mentioned. Let alone non physical health staff such as those that staff mental health wards or run community mental health services. I do also agree that often hero type stuff is used to allow poor working conditions or planning etc

In terms of key workers it felt like every other post was about a forgotten group eg dustment, transport workers etc.

Lots of heroic acts are small eg. The person who I've found inspirational in this lockdown has been a local mum with children with additional needs.

In some ways its a good thing that there's so many people doing good things that we can't recognise them all

We all need each other and are heroes in different ways. In primary school, my teacher gave each child an occupation to research and then debate about which was more important. Bin men? Doctors? Sewage workers? Bank workers? Telephone engineers? MPs? Prison Officers? Teachers? Cleaners? Factory workers? Bakers? We're all linked, and we couldn't manage without each other. Refuge workers and other support staff do a vital job and deserve recognition, but think about the old lady lying on the floor, whose hero is the ambulance man who picks her up. She doesn't think about the person who took her 999 call, or the telephone engineers who made that possible, the factory workers who built the ambulance, the cleaning staff who keep the factory workshop pristine, the builders who built the factory, the men who made the materials.......

@81Byerley

We all need each other and are heroes in different ways

What a brilliant thing to say 🙂