Commentary
Conservative media is hailing the box office performance of “Top Gun: Maverick” as proof that the public is tired of woke movies. They report it may mark a return to movies we saw in the 1980s when “woke” pertained only to sleep and it was OK to be proud to be an American. But the celebration is unwarranted and likely to be short-lived.
In truth, “Maverick” is about as woke as you can get for a movie about U.S. Navy pilots. In the film, Tom Cruise’s Maverick character must choose the absolute best F/A-18 pilots in the Navy after a series of drills to lead a critical, world-saving mission. The cast all just happen to fit nicely into key diversity categories: a woman, a Hispanic man, and two Black men….