The new CBS series SEAL Team has had its questionable moments, but the October 18 episode "Ghosts of Christmas Future" shared some important truths about the world. Main character and SEAL Team leader Jason (David Boreanaz) and his wife Alana (Michaela McManus) are at their son's school meeting with both his principal and counselor when the principal shares his P.C. education philosophy.
As the principal explains it, it turns out that he wants to prepare the kids for a world which doesn't exist, whereas Jason would prefer he prepare kids to live in reality.
Principal: As your son Michael may have told you, we like to view our, uh, disciplinary matters as just one more opportunity for learning.
Jason: Right. Teachable moments.
Principal: That's not language we use anymore, but that's essentially the idea. Look, who knows what the world has in store for our young people once they venture beyond our walls. We, uh, we can't anticipate every situation they're likely to face, so what we try to do is, uh, give them the tools to-to make the best decision no matter the-the circumstance.
Jason: And Michael didn't make the best decision given the circumstance.
Mr. Fazzano: Fighting's never the right decision.
Jason: I'm sorry, who are you? What do you do again?
Alana: Jason. Yeah. You remember Mr. Fazzano. Michael's guidance counselor.
Mr. Fazzano: Please, call me Keith.
Jason: I'm sorry, but you were telling us how it's not right to fight.
Mr. Fazzano: You disagree.
Jason: Well, it sounds to me like the world that you're preparing your students for is a world where, if you ask really nice, the bad guys will leave you alone. Is that what you see?
There is a world of difference between teaching kids that it's not ok to solve minor arguments between classmates with fighting and, as Mr. Fazzano suggested, "fighting's never the right decision." Just ask a Navy SEAL like Jason. He takes issue with this because, as a seasoned member of the military, he's been in numerous situations where fighting was completely necessary in order to save lives and protect innocent people. Like he says, there are bad guys int the world, and they will not respond to being asked nicely. They will only respond to force.
As a leader of an elite military unit, Jason has seen a lot of the world and knows that it isn't always the perfect place the school would have kids think it is. Problems can't always be solved the way they'd like, and they're giving kids unrealistic expectations of the world.
While Jason doesn't necessarily disagree with the school's philosophy applying to the school, he definitely has a problem with them saying it always applies in life.
In this day and age, it was a pretty refreshing surprise to hear that on network television.
