Me as one of the Avatar "Blue Goons"
Yesterday I read about how the "blogosphere" is all fired up over allegations that Jimmy Cameron's Avatar is racist because of its depiction of the "white man's burden", which has something to do with white people convincing themselves that they're pretty good guys despite stealing everything from everyone. I think there's some legitimacy to this claim because in the movie this white wheelchair army man saves the blue African guys from the other white army guys, so it's like "we may take your minerals but we can also save you" sort of thing.
BUTTTTT
Because this movie is on its way to becoming the most $$$$$$$$ of all time, it has to be the ultimate expression of what the film-going public wants to see at this exact point in history, right? So I think Cameron included this racist stuff not because he feels bad about Christopher Columbus and Horace T. Slavedriver, but because the story elements he chose just happened to melt together that makes it seem racist.
Here are the elements that make Avatar the king of dollars for the humans right now:
1. Video Games and Computers - Everything about this movie screams "Good Graphics", and since computers and video games are undeniably more popular than even the Queen herself, it's no wonder Cameron thought to exploit them, both in his film making process and the look of the film itself. Also, don't forget that the aliens of the film ride horses and listen to trees only after downloading data through their ponytails, and what 13-year old can't relate to that?
2. The colour blue - The tall E.T.s of Avatar are blue. Blue is probably the world's most popular colour because it's the colour of our Lord's roof, the oceans which surfers love so much and because it's not really associated with any major holiday so it belongs to everyone.
3. The environment - Everyone loves the environment right now because concrete doesn't go well with paisley or something. In any case, Avatar exploits our renewed love of the natural world and preaches the dangers of destroying it.
4. Army Dudes - Cameron didn't forget about all the people in the world who hate nature and the people who live freely in it, so he made his main villain, the scar faced colonel man, one of the more likable characters in the film. He was funny, confident, cigar-chomping and if it were rated R I'm sure he would've said something funny about bikinis and their buxom inhabitants.
5. Love - Love gives hope to the hopeless and gives teens something to talk about other than their changing bodies.
6. Wheelchairs
So any racism found in the film is just a bi-product of the above, which Cameron needed to include to make it the best movie of all-time.
Case. Closed.
Okay, so that wasn't the most scholarly dissection of the argument, but I think you kind of see what I'm talking about, right? No? Who cares, I didn't even like Avatar that much. Terminator 2 is far more perfect and deserves our praises.
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2 comments:
I think only pathetic, self-hating white liberal wackos would rip a movie for its racist depiction of blue people.
Besides, I think Cameron makes it abundantly clear that he thinks the majority of Westerners (which apparently means white people to the film's detractors) are arroagant, a-holes
-GP
Yeah exactly! Just look at Aliens.
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