I
used to believe that there were two types of people in the world,
dog lovers and jerks.
(Ok.
That’s a joke. But you likely get the basic idea…)
I
do believe that if you want an honest judge of character, there
are two sources available for a quality perception and opinion.
Dogs and children. Done. That completes the list.
But
the reality is, the world doesn’t work on such simple terms. While
using whether or not a person likes puppies is a great way to
evaluate character, there are others ways of doing it. For example:
How do they feel about red pandas? Giraffes? Gorillas?
All
kidding and seriousness aside, this brings me to Jurassic
World.
The
movie came out in 2015, and quickly became one of the highest
grossing releases of all time. Almost two billion dollars. And
as you probably know, it’s a movie about a theme park that showcases
live dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs.
Velociraptors.
Tyrannosaurus Rex. Lots of others. Modern day and long lines and
dinosaurs are alive. Isn’t science wonderful?
I
hate to spoil it for you, but the movie is not a documentary.
There aren’t hundreds of celebrated scientists and experts paraded
in to discuss these living wonders and their return to the planet.
This isn’t authentic, unaltered footage.
It’s
a movie. A movie about a theme park with living dinosaurs. A popcorn
and cheering and soda and screaming and candy and fun movie.
And
are you ready for the critiques thrown at it?
There’s
a scene where two of the main characters, who happen to be children,
are on the run. They stumble across an old garage, get a vehicle
running, and off they go. Critics (I’m not quoting, but the intentions
are out there in plenty of places if you care to go looking):
(1) No way the battery would have worked after being on a shelf
for twenty years. (2) That gas would have been unusable. (3) Tire
rot.
It
goes on, but I think with tire rot we can wrap up the critic examples.
What I want you to pause and think about is this: There are people
that want the folks that took a story about a dinosaur theme park
to the big screen to stop pretending a battery tossed onto a shelf
for two decades could have started an engine. Because… you know…
they want realistic details all around.
These
are not casual comments and critiques. Not a few noting how the
scene was supposed to be a nod to the original film, so, fine,
nostalgia while suggesting an option or two for something else.
Alternatives offered up like some type of maintenance shed or
garage for the current park solution, where by just swapping a
few vehicles and parts you get an acceptable way for fresh can
of gas and a new battery to be on the shelf to start the old park
vehicle. And, in such instances as this, I am great with having
conversations.
Nope.
Dig and look and you will see the truth. These are people extremely
upset about old gas working in a movie about dinosaurs attacking
a theme park. And… and… ok…
There
are always people occupying middle ground. When I started this
essay off, I told you that there were two types of people in the
world. That’s wrong. The this-or-that, us-or-them, and alternative
mentalities are completely misguided. We need more this-AND-that,
us-AND-them, in our approaches. (The deeper sides of such observations
are for another time. Back to dinosaurs and escape vehicles…)
Such
a two-types claim may have led you to believe I was trying to
say that there are only two camps available for this Jurassic
World debate. And that’s not entirely true. In just about
any scenario, there are three ways to classify a belief. As a
really brief presentation of it: those that love it, those that
hate it, and those that are just in the middle.
Generally
speaking, the love and hate groups take up about 10-15% of any
overall scenario. These would be the extreme believers. Motivated
believers.
Sitting
in the middle are the vast and amazing true majority. 70-80% that
just sort of go with the flow on the subject. They don’t necessarily
believe it’s good or bad. It simply is, and that’s fine.
You’ve
heard the expression about the squeaky wheel? Well, big-time motivators,
consultants and so on, they will take such a breakdown and say
that they key is always figuring out how to keep the 10-15% of
the haters away from the 70-80% in the middle. More to the point,
don’t let the opposition make up the mind of the undecided.
(It’s
a great concept to explore. But we’re still talking dinosaurs
here. So, serious stuff aside and we’re going to apply it to stale
gas and dead batteries.)
In
researching this debate, I found several people that offered some
fairly simple solutions. They also still enjoyed the movie (or
at least understood the popcorn and fun approach).
My
issue is with those that want to tear apart the whole movie as
unrealistic because it doesn’t adhere to facts. My issue is with
those complaining about such a scenario while never acknowledging
the primary story. My issue…
If
you’re emotionally shaken by whether or not a DeLorean has enough
room to get to the proper speed…
If
you’re emotionally shaken because the zombie can climb a wall…
It
you’re emotionally shaken by the car starting with a twenty-year-old
battery in the velociraptors-on-the-loose film…
…there’s
something else that might need to be checked out first.
And
not because your thoughts are wrong. Not because it isn’t a valid
conversation for friends to kick around.
There
are folks around us that miss the moment… the experience… as a
result of distractions. The details should enhance the big picture.
Correct them when you can, but recognize the real journey you’re
on as you do.
When
you are focused on the details and completely miss the big picture,
that’s a problem.