Blue Angels
There are ALL kinds of Blue Angels. The world is full of Blue Angels. There are many different kinds of Blue Angels. In America though, it seems like there is only one kind of Blue Angel. If you ask most Americans, there is only one kind of Blue Angel and they fly for the United States Navy.
There are some exceptions of course, for many American children, Disney has defined Blue Angels for them. The angelic Elsa with her wide wings and beautiful blue dress surely is an image of a Blue Angel. There is nothing wrong with this representation of a Blue Angel. It is, what it is. She is an idealized image of youthful female beauty and innocence. For some Americans, this is who they visualize as a “Blue Angel”.
For some American movie buffs, there may be some other images in their minds when asked about “Blue Angels”. For some, the sultry screen portrayal of the Blue Angel by Marlene Dietrich will be forever burned within their brains. If you have seen the movie, well, Marlene is pretty HOT! For those of a certain generation, it might be a different screen vixen who comes to mind, May Britt. She is certainly angelic to my eye, but what do I, a pagan, know of angels?
There is still another group of Americans who have a very specific image when asked about ‘Blue Angels”. For this small group of Americans an image which is not of fighter jets comes to mind. These Americans are saltwater aquarium enthusiasts. Also, divers along the Gulf Coast know a finny “Blue Angel”.
Here in the Gulf of Mexico, the “Blue Angel” swims among the reefs. It is a beautiful fish. It is truly a “Blue Angel”. Admittedly, these other examples of “Blue Angels” may be how a minority of Americans respond when asked to envision a ‘Blue Angel”. However, these Americans are indeed in the minority, though.
For the majority of Americans there is an immediate image of blue and yellow fighter jets streaking across the sky, when asked about “Blue Angels”. It really is no wonder why this is either. This image is being PUSHED quite hard right now. All across the nation, there are fighter jet displays. They have been going on for a while and they continue now. These fighter jet “Blue Angels” are “paying tribute” to the front line health workers.
I am completely baffled. We don’t seem to understand fighter jets cannot vanquish viruses. My fellow Americans are still hypnotized by the power of the war machines. It is the citizens of the United States, not our enemies, which have come under the thrall of the shock and awe of America’s military might. Americans have a powerful mythology about war. It blinds them to what this pandemic really requires.
Goodness! We are burning a hell of a lot of jet fuel in these “tributes”. Tributes where the war machines do acrobatics and play war games in the sky. This seems quite wasteful of resources in a country which is shutdown. In a country short on PPE. Could not the money and resources being burned in these airshows be put to good use helping the REAL BLUE ANGELS?
Wake up Americans! War machines are meant to kill and destroy. It IS their purpose. Right now we need our resources to be put into the nation’s healthcare systems not playing at war in the skies over our cities. These ostentatious displays of air power don’t make sense at all, especially when you think about the logistical ground support each show requires on top of the resources just to fly them. We have had more Covid-19 deaths than any other nation, but yet we think the way to support health workers is to fly jet planes overhead!
America has a fundamental misconception about ”Blue Angels”. Does America understand the military cannot defeat a virus? Does America understand some problems require civilian “heroes”? Does America understand how to support the Real Blue Angels? I am really wondering right now.
