In response to the diary How One Cop Sees Us.
Today, I stopped caring about my fellow man. I stopped caring about my community, my neighbors, and those my oath commands me to heal. I stopped caring today because a once noble profession has become despised, hated, distrusted, and mostly unwanted.
I stopped caring today because parents refuse to teach their kids right from wrong and blame us when their kids are too sick or fat or allergic. I stopped caring today because parents tell their little kids to eat an apple a day to “keep the doctor away.” Moms hate us in their schools because we frighten them and remind them of the evil that lurks in the cookie aisle and the pink slime that resides in every Happy Meal. We tell them not to eat, but do they listen? How can we keep them alive when they are killing themselves?
They would rather we stay unseen, but close by if needed, and readily available to “fix their kid.” I stopped caring today because we work to keep people safe from the dangers of sugar, tobacco and alcohol, only to be hated for it, yet hated even more because we can’t cure the cancer that we know these substance cause.
Nevertheless, we are just another tool used by government to generate “revenue.” I stopped caring today because Liberals hate doctors because they think “Big Pharma” is poisoning them for profit and yet they still want to smoke weed all day. We always kill innocent people with malpractice or because we forgot to wash our hands, they get some new infection. We are called drug pushers for overprescribing antibiotics, but are condemned further for not prescribing antibiotics when it is their kids that needs them.
And if we do make a mistake we are asked “why can’t you be perfect?” And when one of us has their reputation ruined and malpractice rates go higher still, the haters say, “Its just part of the job.” I stopped caring today because Conservatives hate us as we are “the Government.” Now they have free health care and they claim it is killing them.
We represent for profit medicine where doctors prescribe drugs willy nilly and one person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drugs. We are Jack Kevorikian coming to give your kid a lollipop. I stopped caring today as no one wants us around, but instantly demands cures when their clogged arteries can no longer take the nicotine and Big Macs and crappy light beer with fake lime.
If their illness isn’t cured instantly, we are inept, incompetent, or covering something up. If we do get “lucky” it was just that and everyone with a Facebook account can post wonderful comments of how “they” had already knew the cure and how “we” are not nearly as clever and if everyone just stuck raw kale up their ass every morning we’d all be immortal.
I stopped caring today because some doctor in some two bit town forgot his oath because he was strung out on the very pills he was supposed to be handing out to the public like candy. And he is being sued “by the family” by some heartless lawyer and they just want more, more, more. And yet we are greedy corporate vampires because we make a lot of money which we just need to pay back the hundreds of thousands of dollars of loans it takes to get into this line of work. How much money do you have to borrow to be a cop?
I stopped caring today because the culture of today’s instantly connected youth is only there to take and never give back. To never accept responsibility for ones actions, but to blame everyone else instead of themselves. To ask “When can I get more Ritalin?” versus “Would sleep and diet and exercise help?” And to ask that question in broken english as they cram their face with just one more Kentucky Fried Chicken Double Down or McRib which they wash down with poison like RedBull. It gives you wings. That ain’t all it gives you.
To idolize celebrities with perfectly photoshopped bodies and expect the same without hard work, dedication, achievement or even basic Photoshop skills. To live in a country were McDonald's is the most popular restaurant and still expect everyone to look like matthew mcconaughey. To smoke even though we know it kills. To eat and never exercise. Yes, I stopped caring today. But tomorrow, I will put my scrubs back on and I will care again.
