Listen to Tom Cruise’s recently posted Mission Impossible 7 Covid rant, and then proceed.

I’ve been tongue-lashed by superiors. It’s not pleasant but neither is getting caught outdoors in a rainstorm. You grim up and get through it. Yes, of course — we’d all naturally prefer a quieter, less belligerent form of correction or admonishment.

But what if the superior is yelling about a rational or sensible point of view (i.e., “people who don’t respect Covid safety rules are endangering our movie shoot, and if I see this kind of reckless behavior again the offenders are going to be fired“)? If so I would listen and nod. I sure as shit wouldn’t go all fluttery and Millennial and say “waahhh, yelling!”

Yelling is unfortunate, of course, but as long as it’s not part of a habitual pattern it’s not that big of a thing. It’s just volume and impatience and pent-up anger. And it evaporates like that.

I’m presuming that rules and warnings were clearly conveyed by Mission Impossible 7 producers and senior staff all along, and that Cruise blew his cork when he saw a couple of people ignoring the basics. Not that big of a deal. Decibel levels, stare at the floor, acknowledge message, back to work.

Millennials and Zoomers who’ve said that “this kind of workplace yelling is unacceptable” are focusing on the manner of expression rather than what’s being said. Bosses get angry and they yell from time to time…big deal. Welcome to the rough and tumble.

And you know what? If more people who’ve ignored Covid safety protocol for months on end…maybe if they’d been read the riot act by a Cruise-like figure once or twice, maybe the pandemic wouldn’t be surging as we speak. Or at least not as badly.