COVID-19 exposes that all Americans are NOT created equal

Now, a new batch of heroes -- wearing scrubs, masks, gloves and other protective gear -- is reporting for duty at hospitals around the country. They show up for work every day, overcoming the fear of their own nightmare scenario where they contract COVID-19, take it home with them, and infect their spouses and children. Where do we find these people?

The baton has been passed. Whenever I see rows of police officers and

firefighters standing outside a hospital applauding doctors, nurses, and medical

staff as they enter the building, I bawl.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are making sacrifices that -- while inconvenient to our daily lives -- honestly pale by comparison.

They include Hollywood celebrities who -- holed up in their mansions and beachfront homes -- have taken to Twitter to complain about being locked up in prison, only to be chastised by those who have some real-world understanding of what it means to be locked up in prison.

Apparently, having millions of followers on social media is not the same as having social skills.

For his part, Timberlake is waiting out the pandemic at his gigantic Montana ranch with his beautiful wife, the actress Jessica Biel, and their 5-year-old son Silas.

Luckily for the pop star -- or perhaps unluckily given how things turned out -- the ranch has internet access. Recently, Timberlake did an interview, via Zoom, on SiriusXM radio. When asked how he and Biel were adjusting to the quarantine, Timberlake said: "We're doing good. We're mostly commiserating over the fact that we ... just, 24-hour parenting is not human."

Guess who isn't getting a Father's Day card this year. The entertainer was pilloried on Twitter, mostly by parents.

Who wants to be the one to tell Timberlake that, for millions of Americans

who live ordinary lives, parenting is always a 24-hour-a-day job. Pandemic or no pandemic. A comment that detached makes you wonder how many nannies, cooks, drivers and private tutors it normally takes to keep the Timberlake household running.

Sorry, Mr. Jefferson. We're not equal. It's not that some people are better than others. It's just that some are better people.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.