What is a "Catch 22" ?

[OldSchool]

Hoping you live longer than your dog?

 

[Supervisor42]

Hoping you live longer than your dog?

It dates back to a 1970 movie, Catch-22:
Nutshell:
The only way to get out of the military was to be declared insane... However:

Futilely appealing to Cathcart, Yossarian learns that even a mental breakdown is no release when Doc Daneeka explains the "Catch-22" the Army Air Force employs:.. ..An airman would have to be crazy to fly more missions, and if he were crazy, he would be unfit to fly. Yet, if an airman were to refuse to fly more missions, this would indicate that he is sane, which would mean that he would be fit to fly the missions. The airman is thus in an impossible "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

 

[OldSchool]

I thought it simply meant: No win situation.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

There was the book before the movie.
And like always, the book is much better than the movie.
I think I was in high school when I read it.

I graduated in 1966, so you’ll know how long ago that was.

 

[montanabill]

In the 70's we wandered on to the old movie set of catch 22 in mexico....most of the paving for the runway areas was about two inches thick.

The movie was a commentary on the times .... Leaving on a jet plane countered with 1, 2,3,4 what are we fighting for... kent stated versus john wayne. My enlistment ending up at Dachau prison camp assembling tactical nukes.....Crazy making times.

 

[Magus]

There was the book before the movie.
And like always, the book is much better than the movie.
I think I was in high school when I read it.

I graduated in 1966, so you’ll know how long ago that was.

58 years ago. you hit the ground when I was being born.

 

[Tommyice]

58 years ago. you hit the ground when I was being born.

Me too.

 

[DrHenley]

I was in college in 1970

 

[DrHenley]

I thought it simply meant: No win situation.

It does but it originated from the book by that name (and movie)