Setting the Scene
The most famous line from the 1992 film A Few Good Men, You can’t handle the truth,” is aimed at the average American who wants their country to be both secure and free but does not ever wonder about the inherent contradiction. In the climax, Colonel Nathan Jessup, played by a snarling Jack Nicholson, has been cornered in court over a cruel hazing practice that led to the death of a young marine. Defending this method of instilling discipline in marines, Jessup claims that the lawyer questioning him, played by Tom Cruise, cannot handle the reality that the young man’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives.”
Jessup alleges that, deep down, the average American knows that the price of their freedom is a functional military, whose undemocratic character become necessary to maintain power, but they are incapable of accepting this about themselves. Jessup is eventually jailed, leaving viewers with the impression that army leaders like him—who commit or defend such excesses—are a few bad eggs, set right by a few good men. This, as critics pointed out and human-rights organisations reported, is a blatant lie. Jessups are more the norm than the exception.
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av The Caravan.
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Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av The Caravan.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
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Adani's Millions in Mauritius
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BREATHING SPACE
STUDENTS PROTEST SAVE THE UNIVERSITY ΤΟ OF HYDERABAD'S LAND AND IDEALS
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Kunal Kamra: "I'm okay without solidarity"
How to make jokes in the face of state repression
KARNATAKA SOCIAL WELFARE MINISTRY REDEFINING WELFARE
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Karnataka's Model of Development
Inclusive Growth, Social Justice, and a Vision for the Future
The Adivasi Should Not Dance
Assam's grand displays of culture ignore the issues of indigenous communities /Communities
Out of Place
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