SO, WHO BENEFITS FROM AMERICA'S 'HERO CULTURE'?

Americans like to sing the praises of their Police, the armed forces and their firefighters. The first responders, where the police and the fight fighters and paramedics are concerned. 

The armed forces, the police and the fight-fighters are, in the perception of many Americans, of whatever political party, 'hero-worshipped'. Their is a myth surrounding them, a sort of 'band of brothers' aura, which is reinforced by seeing men and women in visually striking uniforms. 

Although both of them, like any other occupations, are being paid to do the job they are doing and probably love to do, and have all joined their respective forces of their free-will, they are perceived, as it were, as 'doing something beyond and above the call of duty.'
Many Americans seem to, at least publicly, revere their police and their armed forces personnel. Though it might well be a very different approach when they leave their employment and fall on hard times, and might be treated like any other American who has fallen off the economic ladder.

I find this 'hero worshipping' addiction of Americans, something which the British popular media has been copying, somewhat mystifying. At the same time, it might even be being used as strategy by some of these first-responders and their political and economic guardians, to exert political and economic clout in their demands for more resources. 

But never mind, what is worst, is the apparent establishment culture of indifference towards the health and welfare of American fire-fighters.

None of this should be seen as detracting from the need to appreciate the hazardous nature of many aspects of the excellent and courageous work which the fire-fighters are called up to undertake. They more so than the Police and the military, which rely on the threat and use of their fire-power to deal with many of the challenges which confront them, are having to deal with the broken and dead bodies. 

Having watched a very poignant documentary on Al jazeera, I was appalled by the manner in which fire-fighters are sometimes being treated by their management, and, like many military veterans, discarded after they have been used by their 'proud organisations.' It seems that, in deference to the need to protect the 'myth of invulnerability of fire-fighters to being affected by the regular traumatic experiences which confront them, some of their management do not enable them to demonstrate their need for and access therapeutic support. 

Having a fire-fighter who, it seems, is vulnerable to common human afflictions such as depression and suicidal thoughts, 'is not the right image' which the fire-fighting establishment wants to project or promote. It might be hidden away. 

Fire-fighters, not wanting to breech the myth of 'fire-fighters' imperturbability', and display the spectre of the 'silent but ear-splitting screams', which probably a majority of fire-fighters do feel, are having to resort to taking their own lives. In case they should upset the apple cart, by demanding that their employers provide them with the appropriately safe and protective working conditions they need. ~

Thus is the 'coerced conspiracy of silence' allowed to permeate and cause unnecessary havoc with the lives of fire-fighters.

Could this be a case in which management sees a high rate of suicide amongst its workers as having some kind of 'tactical and strategic' advantage for the force, and therefore not something which it should tackle?

How terribly tragic that these, yes, brave and intrepid men and women, who, like many police officers, paramedics, morticians, et al, who are having to deal with physically destroyed bodies and lives, should be denied the the safe working environment within which to express the adverse effect of their jobs on them? 

After all, unless you are a robot, it is impossible for anybody not to be traumatised by the experience of having to recover the bodies, the remains of people who, deliberately or through some other acts, have lost their lives in horrendous situations.

And so it is, that when men and women are, by virtue of the too often misused concept of 'heroism' or of being 'a hero', are having to carry out soul destroying work, care should be taken to ensure that do not have to forgo their humanity. By concealing and not having appropriate treatment for the emotional and psychological trauma which becomes their constant, if despised, companion.

We all pay a relatively high cost for the process of 'accommodation', even when it is being expected to work in tragic circumstances on a daily basis. This cost can be by way of developing a kind of 'immunity' to the impact of the work, which is not entirely a good thing. Or it can be by way of the nature of the work destroying the worker and leading serious mental health problems.

People who are doing certain jobs, even when they appear to be excellent at it, should probably be encouraged, if not limited to doing it only for a limited period of time. Thereby allowing them time to 'recover' from the cost of the immunity they have developed, or reducing the risk of them developing mental health problems.