List of Fives Part Twenty-Five
Five Reasons Why the film "Avatar" is NOT Racist.
I saw this film late last year. Paid $11.50 (matinee price plus the 3D glasses). Sat down and emptied my mind. Let the film take me where it would. And I was amazed at it. Not only is it visually stunning, but the story is quite engaging. And yes, it is one we have heard before.
When I got home, I was looking up some things online and I came across not one, not two, but a plethora of articles questioning the film. Some critics stated it plainly: "Avatar" is another "white savior fantasy" in which the lead character becomes the leader of the native tribe to save them from the might of human military conquest. Listing other films such as "Dances With Wolves," "Pocahontas," and "The Last Samurai" as examples, the general consensus is that the Na'vi (the native inhabitants of the planet Pandora) are the "noble savages" and the lead character, Jake Sully, becomes seduced by their "primitive ways" to the point where, in the final conflict, the lead bad guy asks him how he could turn against his own race.
Okay, aren't we taking things a little too seriously here? I've been thinking about this since I saw the film and here's what I've come up with. I will use examples from the four films mentioned to argue my point.
1. Learning about/immersing oneself in another culture is the opposite of racism. Jake Sully learns about the Na'vi way of life. What he learns is that the Na'vi are so primordially connected to the environment of Pandora that cutting down a tree or killing a creature is painful to them. He recognizes that what the military want to do would wound not only the native inhabitants of the planet, but the planet itself. In "The Last Samurai," Nathan Algren does not understand the Bushido code. He thinks of the samurai as savages who "kill their enemies who have surrendered." As he learns more about the way of life; he learns that it is his ways, his culture that is savage.
2. Calling any of the lead characters "white savior" is racist in and of itself. Why does Lt. John Dunbar go west in "Dances with Wolves?" To save the Sioux? No. He wants to see the frontier before the encroaching civilization erases it forever. When he meets his Lakota neighbors, he is inquisitive, friendly. He does not try to save them. He wants to learn about them. How is that racist? How is he a "white savior?" Don't the Lakota warriors save him when he is captured by the U.S. army, thinking he is an Indian spy? Or, is the outrage in the fact that he prefers the quiet way of life of the Lakota over that of the European settlers? John Smith in "Pocahontas" does the same thing. (The Disney film is so far afield of the facts, it is barely worth mentioning but since it was mentioned, I will use it.) After meeting Pocahontas and learning from her, he realizes that her people and the settlers can live together. When Governor Ratcliffe refuses, convinced that the Native People are hiding gold--something they have no use for, John goes and warns Pocahontas and her people. He does not save them, they save themselves.
3. Living in harmony is not a racist message. The main message I got from "Avatar" is that the Na'vi live in harmony with their Mother, Pandora. Jake Sully mentions that the Earth is burned out; they cannot grow crops as they used to so the military is looking for new worlds to "inhabit." Why is this message racist? Doesn't Agent Smith say the same thing in "The Matrix?" He compares humans to a virus; we consume every natural resource until the region dies and then we move on to the next. That Jake Sully is seduced by the Na'vi way of life says more about the bankrupt culture he comes from than the culture he immerses himself into. And, he does not "save" the Na'vi. Pandora itself saves them. They save themselves. He's just along for the ride.
4. James Cameron is white; that does not make him a racist. I know people get all up in arms about this but just because Cameron chose a white male actor (cutie Sam Worthington) to play Jake Sully does not mean he is a racist. Conversely, just because he used Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, and Wes Studi to play Na'vi characters, does not mean they are to represent "noble savages." It's a story. Maybe he chose these actors because of their ability to convey strong emotions via voice, which would be the most significant part of their performance to remain after the CGI work was done. James Cameron is controversial (he has a reputation for being controlling) but look at his films: strong female characters are usually the leads. He did not have to put a multiracial Marine squad in "Aliens," but he did. Would people be complaining as much if Zoe Saldana played the human and Sam Worthington played the Na'vi? Probably not. But who cares?
5. Sometimes, a movie is just a movie. We all see things differently. I like "Pocahontas" a bit. (Haven't watched it in a long time.) I have story issues with "Dances with Wolves" that have nothing to do with the "noble savage" argument. But, I think it is an impressive film. I love "The Last Samurai." I think "Avatar" is an amazing film. We take from it what we take from it. If all you see is racist messages than that's what you see. I see a world filled with people who are, quite literally, connected to their environment and, because of that connection, they are respectful of it. They consider themselves guardians of it and will defend it to the last.
That's what I think the message of "Avatar" is. I think that is what the message of Genesis 1:26 is saying. We are not meant to "rule" over the planet, killing and destroying at will. We are meant to preserve it, protect it, and defend it. If we were as connected to Earth as the Na'vi are to Pandora, we would not be facing the environmental troubles we are.
I saw this film late last year. Paid $11.50 (matinee price plus the 3D glasses). Sat down and emptied my mind. Let the film take me where it would. And I was amazed at it. Not only is it visually stunning, but the story is quite engaging. And yes, it is one we have heard before.
When I got home, I was looking up some things online and I came across not one, not two, but a plethora of articles questioning the film. Some critics stated it plainly: "Avatar" is another "white savior fantasy" in which the lead character becomes the leader of the native tribe to save them from the might of human military conquest. Listing other films such as "Dances With Wolves," "Pocahontas," and "The Last Samurai" as examples, the general consensus is that the Na'vi (the native inhabitants of the planet Pandora) are the "noble savages" and the lead character, Jake Sully, becomes seduced by their "primitive ways" to the point where, in the final conflict, the lead bad guy asks him how he could turn against his own race.
Okay, aren't we taking things a little too seriously here? I've been thinking about this since I saw the film and here's what I've come up with. I will use examples from the four films mentioned to argue my point.
1. Learning about/immersing oneself in another culture is the opposite of racism. Jake Sully learns about the Na'vi way of life. What he learns is that the Na'vi are so primordially connected to the environment of Pandora that cutting down a tree or killing a creature is painful to them. He recognizes that what the military want to do would wound not only the native inhabitants of the planet, but the planet itself. In "The Last Samurai," Nathan Algren does not understand the Bushido code. He thinks of the samurai as savages who "kill their enemies who have surrendered." As he learns more about the way of life; he learns that it is his ways, his culture that is savage.
2. Calling any of the lead characters "white savior" is racist in and of itself. Why does Lt. John Dunbar go west in "Dances with Wolves?" To save the Sioux? No. He wants to see the frontier before the encroaching civilization erases it forever. When he meets his Lakota neighbors, he is inquisitive, friendly. He does not try to save them. He wants to learn about them. How is that racist? How is he a "white savior?" Don't the Lakota warriors save him when he is captured by the U.S. army, thinking he is an Indian spy? Or, is the outrage in the fact that he prefers the quiet way of life of the Lakota over that of the European settlers? John Smith in "Pocahontas" does the same thing. (The Disney film is so far afield of the facts, it is barely worth mentioning but since it was mentioned, I will use it.) After meeting Pocahontas and learning from her, he realizes that her people and the settlers can live together. When Governor Ratcliffe refuses, convinced that the Native People are hiding gold--something they have no use for, John goes and warns Pocahontas and her people. He does not save them, they save themselves.
3. Living in harmony is not a racist message. The main message I got from "Avatar" is that the Na'vi live in harmony with their Mother, Pandora. Jake Sully mentions that the Earth is burned out; they cannot grow crops as they used to so the military is looking for new worlds to "inhabit." Why is this message racist? Doesn't Agent Smith say the same thing in "The Matrix?" He compares humans to a virus; we consume every natural resource until the region dies and then we move on to the next. That Jake Sully is seduced by the Na'vi way of life says more about the bankrupt culture he comes from than the culture he immerses himself into. And, he does not "save" the Na'vi. Pandora itself saves them. They save themselves. He's just along for the ride.
4. James Cameron is white; that does not make him a racist. I know people get all up in arms about this but just because Cameron chose a white male actor (cutie Sam Worthington) to play Jake Sully does not mean he is a racist. Conversely, just because he used Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, and Wes Studi to play Na'vi characters, does not mean they are to represent "noble savages." It's a story. Maybe he chose these actors because of their ability to convey strong emotions via voice, which would be the most significant part of their performance to remain after the CGI work was done. James Cameron is controversial (he has a reputation for being controlling) but look at his films: strong female characters are usually the leads. He did not have to put a multiracial Marine squad in "Aliens," but he did. Would people be complaining as much if Zoe Saldana played the human and Sam Worthington played the Na'vi? Probably not. But who cares?
5. Sometimes, a movie is just a movie. We all see things differently. I like "Pocahontas" a bit. (Haven't watched it in a long time.) I have story issues with "Dances with Wolves" that have nothing to do with the "noble savage" argument. But, I think it is an impressive film. I love "The Last Samurai." I think "Avatar" is an amazing film. We take from it what we take from it. If all you see is racist messages than that's what you see. I see a world filled with people who are, quite literally, connected to their environment and, because of that connection, they are respectful of it. They consider themselves guardians of it and will defend it to the last.
That's what I think the message of "Avatar" is. I think that is what the message of Genesis 1:26 is saying. We are not meant to "rule" over the planet, killing and destroying at will. We are meant to preserve it, protect it, and defend it. If we were as connected to Earth as the Na'vi are to Pandora, we would not be facing the environmental troubles we are.
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