That Hero Guy?

There’s always some hero guy at work. The one who comes into the office no matter what the weather, and even if the authorities say again and again not to do it. But rain, snow, hurricanes, whatever, this guy—and there are more of him/her than just one—is there. Probably just bored, and maybe looking for the BlackBerry Brown Nose Award or something for his dedication.

Not that he/she needs to be there any more or less than the good folks who are at home. He or she’s the one who wants the perfect attendance score, the gold star for just showing up.

This guy/gal? Not a hero. Stay at home. Let our first responders do what they do best, and do what best needs to be done. We don’t give these brave men and women the honor or respect they deserve. Particularly not by getting out on the roads when they’ve asked you not to.

So when Mayor Bloomberg or Gov. Cuomo, or my home, Fairfax County, asks you to shelter in place or evacuate, don’t be a “hero.” Leave that to the real heroes. The first responders. Just do the right thing and stay out of their way.

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About Steve, i.e., him

Stephen Stark is an award-winning novelist and bestselling ghostwriter. His fiction and nonfiction has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, Poets & Writers and in many other journals. He has been a fellow and taught at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and won an NEA Literature Fellowship in fiction. His novel, Second Son, was a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 1992, and a New and Noteworthy Paperback of 1994.

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