A Man's Gotta Know His Own Limitations

As I’ve been observing the actions and justifications of men like Jerome Powell, Anthony Fauci, Andrew Cuomo, Joe Biden and Donald Trump during this self-inflicted global depression, I can’t help but channel the iconic American actor Clint Eastwood and his most famous role – Dirty Harry, when assessing whether they have an understanding of their limitations. If a man doesn’t know his limitations, he can ruin his own life.

When men in positions of immense power don’t know their limitations, they can ruin the world, destroying the lives of millions and propelling the world towards a catastrophic financial collapse and likely global conflict. Our benevolent leaders act as if they know what is best for mankind, when they are actually flailing about blindly, corrupted by their own power and wealth, leading us on a path to destruction, because their immense egos won’t allow them to humbly admit their dreadful mistakes and take corrective actions.

The second Dirty Harry movie, Magnum Force, came out in 1974, with Harry taking on vigilante cops in San Francisco. His lieutenant, played by Hal Holbrook, tries to keep Harry off the case of bad guys being executed by the lieutenant’s squad of dirty cops, using the logic that Harry posed a risk to society by not following proper police and justice procedures.

It’s funny how people in positions of power accuse others of doing what they in fact are doing themselves. In a condescending tone, the lieutenant boasts that he has never had to take his gun out of his holster as he has risen to a rank above Harry’s. The sarcastic response from Harry shows his contempt for those not willing to do the dirty work, keeping the streets safe from criminals:

“You’re a good man lieutenant. A good man always knows his limitations.”

At the end of the movie, after Harry has killed all the vigilante cops, the lieutenant pulls a gun on Harry and smugly tells him he will frame him for the murder of the cops. He then gets into the car Harry had been driving, not knowing Harry had activated a mailbox bomb and tossed it into the back seat. As he slowly drives away, the bomb goes off, killing the lieutenant. Another Dirty Harry happy ending. The movie ends with Harry saying:

“A man’s gotta know his limitations.”

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