Amtrain

I did not write this but I sure as hell am passing it on:

A perspective:
A couple of days ago a young man from Pittsburgh was being paid to entertain as a professional athlete. Sadly that young man was severely injured, he almost died but his life was saved. His contract is $4 million for 4 years. It was a scary incident that could have had a much sadder outcome and I am glad he will survive. Since he is an athletic entertainer his name is all over the media and almost everyone is talking about him, about how lucky he is. He went to work and carried the weight of football pads and the pressure of putting on a good performance for the fans and his team. The media is making this the top-of-the-hour story. The young brave entertainer survived a brush with death in a freak accident while he was making millions performing. Social media and news media is bragging about how a Go Fund Me for the entertainer's charity has raised more than $4.7 million (much more than this by now I would suspect) in his name by people donating.
Two other men went to work yesterday also from Pittsburgh just like the entertainer. These two men made a lot less money, had a lot more pressure, and carried the weight of promises to their families and an oath to their community. Instead of pads and a helmet, they wore a badge and a vest. The badge they wear reads POLICE OFFICER and it may be small but it carries the weight of knowing they promised their families they will return home, the weight of an oath to serve and protect a community by being the only thing that stood between the innocent and evil. On a scale, the football pads weigh more than a badge of a few ounces. But in the heart, that badge weighs a thousand times more than those pads. One of those men lies in a hospital recovering from a gunshot wound. His family, friends, community, and the Blue Line are by his side. The other man paid the supreme sacrifice, No Greater Love One Has Than This, To Lay Down One’s Life for One’s Friends. Today the officer's family, friends, community, and Blue Line prepare to say goodbye. These two men, Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire and Tarentum Officer Jordan Schrecengost are the second story in the news and are talked about less on social media.
While the entertainers Go Fund Me charity is now at $4.7 million and dozens of sports and screen entertainers reach out to support the entertainer and his charity. The family of murdered Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire will say their goodbyes and have to face a future without him. Tarentum Officer Jordan Schrecengost will face a long road to recovery and a lifetime of physical and mental scars. I am sure there will be community support for both of these brave men but do you think it will amount to the tune of $4.7 million? Neither do I. It saddens me these men are second to an athlete. The media needs to get right who the true heroes are.
Again I am glad the entertainer will be ok, but I stand with the Blue Line. My heart and prayers go to the families and LEO family of Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire and Tarentum Officer Jordan Schrecengost, the true heroes.
*Originally posted by a True & Honest American*

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

The same line of thought & sentiments I have with a van gogh and most modern art.

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

Apples and - bermuda grass!

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Must be hitting some nerves

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

Sorry - not even in the same universe!

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

Very well said; would more than just a few truly understood - and acted appropriately! Unfortunately, we're sliding downhill at an accelerating pace.

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Yes it is. The I-me-mine money universe where everyone is falling down a very deep slope of crazy.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

This generally shows the values of today’s society, I suppose.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

BebuLamar

I am not responsible! I don't care for sport and I don't buy stuff endorsed by atheletes.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

I'm not sure that a comparison of the two is quite fair. Athletes, for one, despite what they may be paid, have worked years to get get into the condition that they are in order to participate at such an elite level. No matter the sport, we do not expect them to keel over and almost die. That he has not, and has continued to improve, is one reason that he has remained in the news. That this was on national television is one reason that it has received national attention.

Do not think for one instance that fallen officers go unnoticed. Their communities and fellow officers, not just locally but nationally, mourn their losses. Their funerals are designed to make the families proud and let them know that their loved one was, indeed, loved. A couple of years ago, an officer from my area in Dallas was killed. His car was placed in front of the area police station. People from the community covered it in flowers.

When the five police officers were ambushed in Dallas in 2016, it was a national tragedy.

No, not every police officer will receive the attention that Damar Hamlin has. It's a different stage, but they do receive the attention of their communities. What else would you expect?

lesdmd Loc: Middleton Wi via N.Y.C. & Cleveland

So where does the blame lie? Certainly not with the athletes (or celerities, or actors, or CEOs) who are able, in our free market economy, to translate unique talents or attributes into phenomenal financial awards often accompanied by societal respect. Maybe it is those of us who haven’t found a better way to divvy up the rewards of Capitalism.
I do not think anyone would endorse a government enforced pay scale…too much like Communism. So we rationalize by saying that salary is always secondary to satisfaction, and that respect respect for a job well done can substitute for the risks involved.
To further muddy the issues involved luck plays and enormous role. How many of us carefully choose a job only to find out later that it is no longer needed.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

My father was into sports big time. In early life he was a pitcher for a farm team of the New York Giants, but broke his elbow and that ended his performance career. So he became a coach at a local college. Then he ran a hardware store and coached part time.

I worked in the hardware store and value the education I received there. But I did not inherit the interest in sports. The closest I got was taking photos of the football games in High School. I lived in Pittsburgh but had no interest in the local teams. I lived in Boston but had no interest in the local teams. I'm living near NYC and have no interest in the local teams. The closest thing I got to sports was to join in with a few guys in pick-up soccer games for over the hill guys. I did not know the rules of soccer, but it was exercise with friends.

So I never really understood why sports figures command such ridiculous salaries. Or adulation. For that matter I don't understand why sports figures or actors get such attention when they talk about politics or finance or science. Their expertise lies elsewhere.