Ultimately, while McNamara intelligently admits to certain mistakes (which we undoubtedly are more forgiving of, since he's admitted them), I think that we will find that his hands are most likely considered 'dirty,' that is unless you can wash your hands??? Is there forgiveness in immorality?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Fog of War, third time is a charm!
So, I have seen this movie twice before. Admittedly, there was little incentive to watch closely the first two times (in fact I believe I may have drifted off for a half an hour or so the first time I saw it). I am actually looking forward to being able to view the movie via my new ethical/moral goggles. It is easy to sympathize with McNamara when watching this movie like any other. However, after reviewing the site (and consider the previously mentioned post where someone's uncle even offered further insight), I feel more inclined to critically analyze McNamara and and the viewpoint that he wants us to see. So maybe, just maybe, I won't find this time as monotonous.
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After viewing our first portion of the movie, I think McNamara admitted in the last bit that his hands ARE dirty. However, it is less clear whether he thinks his decisions were wrong. He consistently evades directly implicating himself with MORAL guilt while acknowledging responsibility for the physical actions taken. He obviously FEELS guilty (or at least regretful) for the tragedies that occurred during his time in office, but I thought the part where he was asked whether he felt like he was an "agent" or an involuntary cog in a machine (gross paraphrase) was insightful. He did not highlight his free will or moral culpability. Instead, he spoke of duty. It was his DUTY, he said, to serve his President and the American people. Therefore, for McNamara (at least during his time as Secretary of Defense), duty rendered morality irrelevant. What was important was not what was MORAL, but rather what his responsibility to his boss and his people.
ReplyDeleteFrom all his tears and hesitance, I felt McNamara regretted a great deal--or at least was torn about WHAT to feel--but he never comes right out and says if what he did was right or wrong in moral terms. I wonder, though, what he feels in his heart of hearts. If only we could know.
I still wonder if dirty hands can be reversed by remorse. Once hands are dirty can they ever be clean again?
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