4/14/2026 at 12:29:49 PM
Can't watch the video at the moment, so here's a fun tidbit about everyone's favorite propaganda piece, Top Gun: 94,878 people enlisted in the Navy in fiscal year 1985/86 compared to 87,593 the previous year (~8.3%). Enlistment then fell 2.1% the next year[0]. The Navy's general advertising budget nearly doubled in this time, so it's hard to attribute it to the movie, but I can't help but think it had some effect. It certainly made me think flying fighter jets was the coolest thing ever when I was a kid.[0] https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/maverick-top-gun-stat-turns...
by zbikowski