The good guys

My 9-year-old and I were snuggling and watching TV last night.  We were switching back and forth between a few things, one of which was Pearl Harbor.  He had questions about the actual event, so we had talked a bit about why Japan attacked and how the United States came to enter World War II.

Now understand, I am not a big fan of this movie.  Stylistically I find it a ham-fisted ripoff of Titanic.  It’s masturbatorily long and numbingly overbearing, with all the depth of a Dixie cup.

Nevertheless, I think a few parts of it are well done.  I particularly enjoy the scenes of the Japanese force on the carriers en route.  The various ceremonies and procedures are well acted and produced, expertly conveying the patriotism and pride those young men must have felt as they prepared to undertake this endeavor.

Nathan carefully took in one such scene with me, looked up from my chest, and said “Dad, I guess everyone pretty much thinks they’re the good guys, don’t they?”

Wow.  Son, let’s talk—for a couple of days.  It was quite a moment for me.  Can you even believe what kids say sometimes?  Do we adequately appreciate the clarity and innocence that a new and sharp mind brings to a situation?  What tremendous conversations are there to have!  Shall we consider the many ways in which a person’s morality is informed?  Shall we talk about how a person gathers knowledge?  Shall we discuss how a person evaluates bias—consciously and unconsciously—and incorporates it into his/her world view?

At this tender age, I decided it was best to stop with “Nathan, yes, people almost always think they’re the good guys.”  He replied “I bet Adolf Hitler didn’t think that.”  I said “no, I think even Hitler thought he was the good guy.”

Part of me feels gratified to be in this position with our children.  Another part of me feels two clicks from crushed with the responsibility.

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1 thought on “The good guys”

  1. I got schooled by my 9 year old in “Family Business” and Boo had no false pretenses as to his bad guy role. Mob family games are cool.

    Wasn’t Kate Beckinsale in “Pearl Harbor”? Reason to like it a lot more. I got the 4 disk set with all the History channel features pretty cheap I think. It was bloated but the attack sequence was cool. It would be nice on Blu with all these bonus features.

    Nice line by Nate. Tora! Tora! Tora!

    Reply

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