Youth merit respect

In his daily covid-19 briefing on Wednesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson used a horrendous stereotype of younger generations, and the local media perpetuated it. When trying to explain a rise in cases among younger people, Hutchinson said that youth think they are invincible and are being careless about the current pandemic. My daughters are about to be 15 and 19, and both are quite afraid of this virus. My youngest stays inside most of the time and still washes her hands the recommended 20-plus seconds. My oldest returned to her summer job at a fast-food restaurant, and she complains about the number of adults who don’t wear face masks coming through the drive-thru, or other workers who don’t wear their masks properly. She has been very choosy about who she interacts with, and wears a mask in public whenever she might come close to other people.

Many of the people I have seen working at restaurants and grocery stores recently are of the younger generation. I was surprised that my oldest was able to get her job back so easily, but I’ve recently come to realize that the youth are the ones most willing to work at the moment. Many who lost their jobs in the restaurant sector have not returned because of the generous unemployment wages, and the seasonal youth worker has stepped in. Coming into contact with a long line of unmasked customers on a daily basis places a teen at a much higher chance of contagion than seeing one or two friends once a week.

I told my oldest she didn’t have to work this summer, that I understood if she didn’t want to put herself at risk. She chose to work to fight summer boredom and earn money for next year’s unpaid internship. She swallows her worry and stands outside for hours so customers sitting in their cars can have a quick, quality meal. I want our leaders and media to give the youth working in the service sector the respect they deserve and to stop labeling them as irresponsible. KATRINA KING North Little Rock