Past Is Prologue

Why Can’t I Watch ‘The Right Stuff’?

An analysis of astronauts, the French revolution, and the future of space exploration

As part of the near-constant onslaught of new things releasing everywhere all the time, Disney+ recently released a new adaptation of The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe’s seminal 1979 saga about the Mercury Seven and the sociopolitical context that buoyed them to greatness. The Right Stuff was originally adapted into a three-hour film epic in 1983 that remains widely regarded as one of the best Space Race-era movies ever made. The folks at Disney+ seem to have felt that, once again, it’s time to revisit an unquestionable American triumph — the beginning of victory in the Space Race. The Right Stuff, and the events it portrays, contains all the values widely touted as quintessentially American; it’s the perfect mix of exceptional individualism and awe-inspiring teamwork brought together by necessity, drive, and an almost predetermined greatness.

And I can’t bring myself to watch it.

Honestly, this is just the latest in a long line of decisions I’ve made to not watch widely appealing television shows, including Stranger Things (too spooky), The Office (too mean-spirited), Breaking Bad (too cynical), and How I Met Your Mother (I would punch Ted in the face if I could). But unlike all those decisions, which were relatively easy to make, I feel immensely guilty for not wanting to watch The Right Stuff.