a guy I’ve followed on FB for a very long time. He’s a deep thinker and committed patriot. I really enjoyed his review of the movie “Top Gun: Maverick”

Saw the movie this weekend (gawd it was expensive but we justified the cost because friends were visiting) and thought his review captured what the movie is about. Here’s what he had to say.

 

 

Debbie and I went to see Top Gun: Maverick on Sunday – with full on IMAX and body penetrating, tympanic membrane damaging theater surround sound.
If you are looking for cerebral entertainment, this ain’t for you – but if you ARE looking for something to soothe your spirit, stimulate your senses and awaken a sense of nostalgia of an America that can actually accomplish the mission, this movie is definitely for you.
We enjoyed it. In particular, I enjoyed it.
I mean ALL CAPS ENJOYED it, to the point of tears.
I wondered why.
I’m not usually that emotionally involved in a movie, especially in an action flick.
Maybe it is superhero fatigue from the 500 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe it was the themes of redemption, recognizing where you are supposed to be, finding your own safe landing zone, knowing when pushing boundaries is necessary, growing into maturity without losing the exuberance and rashness of youth – or maybe it was all of them – I don’t know.
Maybe I wanted to believe a human being could lead and inspire others to greatness while teaching them to ignore all the established parameters and rules so they could go on to accomplish an impossible task.
I do know when we walked out of the theater, I was loaded for bear and sad that the movie was over. Seeing it was like falling in love for the first time – complete with the desperate longing, the burning passion, and almost more excitement than you can handle. No time is like the first, it’s new and so all-consuming that you completely lose yourself in it.
It didn’t just touch the mind, body, and spirit, it walked up to them with a swagger and punched all three of them right in the face.
I’m sure that the state of our union had something to do with it, but I felt like I had just left a pre-game speech before the big game.
My brain masticated on it overnight and this morning, I settled in on three primary things that drag us down and a positive, uplifting movie like Top Gun gives us some temporary relief. Three “morals”, those being:
– Moral hazard
– Moral fatigue
– Moral panic
Moral hazard occurs when a situation is created where a party will have a tendency to take particular risks or actions because they will never feel the true impact of, or be held accountable for, the resulting costs or conditions created. Think of what we have been witnessing since the Russia “collusion” investigation began – no matter what the situation has been, every one of the bad actors has operated in an environment where they had zero fear of being punished. The absolutely unbelievable things they did (and likely continue to do) would never have been done if there was any possibility of consequences.
The Oxford Reference defines “moral panic” as: “A mass movement based on the false or exaggerated perception that some cultural behavior or group of people is dangerously deviant and poses a threat to society’s values and interests. Moral panics are generally fueled by media coverage of social issues.”
I would say that Biden’s constant yammering about “white supremacy” and “systemic racism” fits that bill. One must also consider the persistent characterization of President Trump and the GOP as enemies of democracy and civilization as the chaser for the shot of “white supremacy”.
As to moral fatigue, that is a condition that exists when decision must be made in a time when there are no right answers. This mental confusion often takes the form of a lack of certainty because the ground has shifted to the point it is no longer clear that what you are deciding or doing is unambiguously good. Moral fatigue is most prominent in situations where the foundational rules have been thrown out the window, making it increasingly difficult to know if you are doing the right thing or where your attempts to do good might also result in destroying a good. You can’t depend on the old rules and at this point, no new rules have been written.
You just get ground down to the point you don’t want to think about it – but whatever “it” is, it won’t go away.
In a marvelously cinematic way, Top Gun: Maverick responds to all those issues with an assertive confidence in Maverick’s own knowledge and morals as well as complete trust that his fellow warriors will get the job done.
Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still the same unconventional warrior he was back in 1986 and that unconventionality has cost him progression in rank – back at North Island (Miramar), his new commanding officer, Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson (Jon Hamm) tells him he should be at least a Rear Admiral by now, and yet, he is still a Captain.
Maverick’s reply?
“I’m right where I’m supposed to be, sir.”
That’s the message that encouraged and reassured me.
We have a total crapstorm swirling around us and we have been tasked with a mission with a limited chance of success and a short time to prepare.
But we know what we need to do. We are secure in our knowledge of the enemy. Our morals are pure. Our decisions are solid.
We are right where we are supposed to be.