Real Celebrities are Heroes

Last night I realized something about myself.

I went to Ritas, a nearby Mexican restaurant last night with my friend, Katie. I immediately noticed a police car parked outside and figured we would encounter cops inside, since Ritas is a common hangout site for cops and fire fighters. Sure enough, across the room I spied two police officers sitting at a table, eating. One looked at me as I walked in and continued to watch me as I scanned the menu. I looked over at him and smiled - after all, we did make eye contact. He nodded and smiled back. I shyly looked back at the menu, like a child who just had a stranger say hi to them. I felt foolish, but this is where the realization kicked in. I tried not to keep looking over at them even though I was curious of what they had spread over the table. It was like I saw someone famous and I couldnt believe I was in the same area as them.

I look at police officers as if theyre celebrities. I put fire fighters and all the men and women fighting for our freedom on the same level.

I have instant respect for these people in uniform. I still get excited when I see a fire truck and just recently stopped waving at police cars (I feel it might be a little strange, seeing as Im 20 now). I am always in awe when I come across them. Im always dumb-founded, wanting to say something funny so they have a funny story to tell their buddies back at the precinct, or firehouse. Typically, with fire fighters, my conversation starter involves my aunt, who works at San Miguel fire station. (Usually the trucks/fighters I see have San Miguel all over them.) That always goes over real well. They ask who my aunt is - they always know her - and then theyll talk to me, since shes kinda important and I am her niece! I dont usually talk to police officers. I get nervous that if I say the wrong thing they could get suspicious of me. I highly doubt that would ever happen, but the power they hold makes me extra cautious. My uncle was a San Diego cop for years. I should be a pro at talking to those guys. But I always hesitate before saying something.

Anyways. As I was acting like a child, afraid to talk to a stranger, I realized I looked at them in the same way someone would look at a celebrity. However, why do we get so excited to see a celebrity - an actual "famous" person? What have they done, really? [Im grouping here, of course... I know the following allegations dont apply to every celebrity.] They provide entertainment, sure. Shoot, give me a mirror and I can entertain myself for hours. I dont get any money for it, though. They provide "role models" for kids to look up to. Although most of these people take advantage of the privileges they dont deserve. They behave in a manner they should be ashamed of and are definitely not the people I would want my child to look up to. They give to good causes. Well give me millions of dollars to spare and Ill start my own charity. But are they risking their own lives to save others? Are they protecting citizens at the expense of losing their friends or their own lives? Do they ever ask themselves 'will I go home tonight?'?

So really who are the real celebrities? Dont get me wrong, I realize that every time I turn on the tv, there is some famous person that is providing me entertainment. But why do we put them on such a pedistool? Shouldnt we look at the real heroes and put them on a pedistool? Maybe it sounds foolish to view them in such a way, but ultimately, they just dont get the credit they deserve. They deserve to have people come up, asking for autographs. They deserve to have people want to take pictures with them. They deserve it... And they do all they do without expecting any type of gratitude.