Is the Movie, Avatar, Racist?
84© Copyright 2009 Patrice Walker All rights reserved
I’ve been hearing comments from a number of sources claiming that James Cameron’s Golden Globe award winning movie, Avatar, is racist.
If you haven’t seen the movie already, it’s about a moon called Pandora to which humans have come in order to exploit its valuable mineral resources. The Na’vi, Pandora’s pre-industrial, native population, live in complete harmony with each other and all life forms, and while not as technologically advanced as humans, are physically stronger, standing over 10 feet tall, and use deadly poisons in their weapons. And Pandora’s unbreathable atmosphere also gives the Na’vi a slight advantage.
Depends on Who You Ask
Since the movie opened on December 18th, I’ve heard some rumblings from various people who believe the movie is racist.
From some African-American sources, the complaint is that it’s just another movie where the white man comes in to save the poor natives, something the movie depicts them as incapable of doing for themselves.
From white quarters, I’ve heard complaints that white people are always portrayed as the evil-doers, bent on rape, murder and pillage.
Finally, I’ve heard this movie classified as the classic “white guilt” movie where a white character realizes how terrible his people have treated the natives, goes over to their side to help them, and ends up becoming their leader.
These differing opinions point to the reality that race is still very much an issue yet to be resolved in this country. I have to admit, when I saw the movie, I loved it. I’ve been a science fiction/fantasy fan for a long time, and I enjoy reading novels that explore current sociological issues within the context of an alien society.
So I could clearly see the parallels between what happened to Native Americans in this country and the plight of the Na’vi. And yes, we do have a white character who saves the day, something that many viewers say the Na’vi could probably have done for themselves, given their superior physical strength and numbers.
Do you think "Avatar" is racist?
See results without votingA Bridge Over Troubled Waters?
I have a somewhat different take on this movie. I see two races, the Na’vi and humans, who are, for the most part, diametrically opposed in their world views and beliefs. The humans think that all Na’vi are primitive savages, and the Na’vi think that all humans are evil monsters bent on destroying their world in order to profit from it.
James Cameron on Avatar
Granted, the Jake Sully character, a paraplegic, initially goes undercover to learn as much as he can about the Na’vi to give the humans the advantage and get his legs restored as a reward. But I see him becoming a bridge between these two worldviews.
On the one hand, as he becomes immersed in the Na’vi culture, he comes to understands why it’s so important to preserve it and risks his life to do so. On the other hand, he’s familiar with human society and can help the Na’vi understand its determination to take over their world and how best to fight it, thus bridging the cultural gap in service to the Na’vi.
At the end, the Na’vi, with Jake’s and a few humans’ help, take back their world and send the humans packing. And Jake is totally assimilated into the Na’vi race, his surface identity as a human gone forever.
Anthony Browder - Writer, Publisher and Cultural Historian - Analyzes Avatar.
Addiitional Videos by Anthony Browder Analyzing the Movie, Avatar
The Historical and Cultural Relevance of Avatar -
Browder discusses Avatar in the context of the "agitation propaganda" genre of film making, which goes back to the first "agiprop" film made, D. W..Griffith's Birth of a Nation.
Note: I added these A. Browder videos over a year after writing the article.
Redemption Song
This may very well be a depiction of the guilt some white people feel about what happened to Native Americans. At the very least, it’s an acknowledgement that what happened to them in this and other countries was wrong. And if movies like Avatar and Dances With Wolves help them do that, I don’t have a problem with it.
At some point in the not too distant future, I’d like to see movies in this genre from the “native” point of view. I’m sure they will give us a totally different perspective on the issue. My hope, however, is that the end result of such movies will be to help bring the two factions – white and native, white and black, technology and nature – together so that each benefits from the other, without one faction dominating the other. It’s the only way we’re going to survive as a race, and that’s the human race I’m talking about.
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Nice balanced assessment. I haven't seen the movie, only heard about it. Like you, I think it's probably a positive thing that Avatar gets into these kinds of issues, but I imagine that it is way oversimplified too.
As for white dudes being the bad guys, well... we kind of have been for the past 500 years. It's not racist to point that out. I subscribe to the school of thought that says racism is prejudice plus power. White people have power in our society, so it is not racist to be prejudiced against them (although all prejudice is faulty thinking). And it is not racist to criticize the very real evil that Europeans have committed around the world.
Hey Mike R, thanks for your comment.
While the main "bad guy" characters were portrayed by white people, I rather saw the dichotomy, not in terms of race, but in terms of corporations/military (Eisenhower's military-industrial complex) and the scientists. There were scenes where the camera panned across the soldiers getting ready for battle - it was a multi-ethnic group. On the other hand, Sigourney Weaver and her staff were mostly white.
Movies like Avatar often tend to be larger than life - perhaps even "oversimplified" as you say - I think to get a point across. Thanks for taking the time to read the hub.
William R. --
While I appreciate your response, you need to: 1) see the movie, and, 2) understand that the scope of slavery today practiced by Arabs and Africans against Africans TODAY is orders of magnitude larger than the U.S. slave trade hundreds of years ago (you can Wikipedia that one). You've been brainwashed to feel badly about behaviors that you have no connection with and you don't have a complete understanding of how the rest of the world has behaved for the last few thousand years.
Question your professors, my friend.
Hi William, thanks for your insightful comments. I think if Avatar was a novel, it could have been more complex and multifaceted. The medium almost forces this kind of oversimplification.
The big message for me, though, was more about how we are currently despoiling the earth and the need to care for her. It's the indigenous people on the planet who have a better sense of our connection to "our mother" and the movie brought out beautifully.
And I agree that racism = prejudice + power/oppression, a fact many people simply don't understand when for example a black person is called racist for resenting white people. Clearly, these are issues we continue to grapple with.
there was like two racist guys on there...or one really. The one bad dude didn't really say anything racist and the other one was saying stupid things like "you betrayed your own kind" but the whole movie was not a racist thing.... I don't see any blue people in our world I mean come on its just a movie and people take things too far.
This is a great review and it makes me want to see the movie. (I initially though it was going to be about the animated series Avatar.)
I thought William R Wilson was black? I have yet to see the movie, by the same token, I have enjoyed your review and relevant question.
Heavensgate - I'm taking that as a compliment!
Hi Amanda, thanks for reading the hub and commenting. You're right, there are no blue earth people, but there were definitely similarities between them and what has happened to the indigenous people in this country and elsewhere. And yes, it's a movie, but a movie with a message. People will interpret that message depending on their background, upbringing, culture, etc. It's definitely food for thought.
Hey Aya, I loved the movie, plan to see it again. Definitely check it out. Thanks for commenting.
Heavensgate, William does sound like a brother, doesn't he? The movie is worth seeing, not only for the fabulous CGI effects but for the story too. I'd be interested in your opinion if you do. Thanks for commenting.
It seems to me that no matter what people do and say, the race card is always going to be played. This movie is not racist. Transformers 2 wasn't racist either, but it got hammered because of two jive speaking Autobots. People just need something to complain about. They can't look at the movie for what it is. Entertainment.
Your right PWalker281, But I don't know I did not get the feeling they made the movie to be racial. It seemed more like a movie about enjoying what you have and fight for what is right. And are you kidding me Dave?!?! People were saying Transformers 2 was racial?! Geeez!! Next thing you know it I well see hubs and blogs on Jennifer's body and Paranormal activity was racial.
Hey Dave, thanks for reading and commenting. People who have experienced or who have friends and relatives (e.g. parents, grandparents, etc.) who have experienced racism and discrimination in this country are going to perceive certain actions by those they perceive to be in power as racist while others who haven't may not.
Whether or not racism was intended doesn't matter. Racial oppression has a deep and long history in this country, and the resulting beliefs about white and people of color that have grown out of this oppression are still deeply ingrained in the American psyche and are often exhibited unconsciously.
This is why it's often difficult for some white people to understand why some black people perceive movies like Avatar as racist (i.e., the white hero coming in to save the natives who can't do it for themselves). Background, experience, and enculturation serve as filters through which we perceive reality.
Hey Amanda. I don't think Cameron's intent was to make a "racist" or "racial" movie. I do believe he had a clear message about respecting, caring for, honoring, and being in communion with the earth which indigenous people like the Na'vi (and Native Americans) have.
As for Transformers, I don't think "jive speaking" autobots connotes racism which includes the element of oppression of one race by another. I think that's a case of the movie makers' trying to appeal to a diverse audience. People often use the term, racist, without understanding what it means.
Again, depending on your background and experience, you are going to perceive reality through a filter. We all do it. And as long as our filters include this country's history of racism and oppression as well as living individuals who have experienced it either directly or indirectly, we're going to get differing views on movies like Avatar and Transformers, depending on what those experiences have been.
I don't think it is racist nor do I feel that is a message he is portraying. he does have clear messages in the movie, but not one of racism. That would imply the Na'vi are humans, a race but they are not, they are a different species, aliens. To be honest, while watching the movie, that thought never crossed my mind. I didn't read any critics before I saw it. It is an amazing experience just to watch this movie, you feel like you're in their world! I give it *****. Nice write up here, well written. :D
I just saw Avatar today and I didn't come out of the movie thinking that it was rascist, although my husband did mention afterward that it reminded him of the Native American thing where white men take their land. I thought that it was a brilliant movie that will no doubt make James Cameron the king of the world again but I didn't really see anything rascist about it. My husband on the other hand sees more into things I guess because he is Russian and he hates it that a lot of movies out show a Russian wanting to blow something up. But no one feels bad about that I guess.
I didn't see racism at all.
On one hand, as one person pointed out earlier up the threadline, one saw specifically the United States Marine Corps....not the Army...
This is specific.
The Marines have been used throughout the world, but in a very focused way in Central and South America to support corporate conquest of newly liberated Spanish colonies, and expanding further into areas Spain never entered...
This is a theme round the world...and the Marine Corps, America's 911 Force, is the model...the elite archetype. That commanding officer reminded me of my last first-sergeant.
With that said, in the indigenous peoples I saw a melding of diverse cultural themes from around the world. I point to the global reach of today's corporate/military hierarchy...I think the purpose of this film was to reach to a diverse audience....even if for a few moments for each..
To point to a Marine...a Force Recon Marine, the best of the best, and to show him as an overall innocent guy, just doing his job how he's been taught, being corrupted, or betrayed by the higher chain of command is an increasingly common theme in popular media. The destruction that pursuit of power or wealth causes in the real-est way that technology can enable....so that people could think for just a second...... The Call of Duty games, especially the latest release, use this in the most dramatic of ways....
To show a Marine turn against his fellow Marines, and to build a film in today's environment that makes the audience feel good about the destruction of Americans in uniform is a very interesting theme.....
Just before I was discharged they were showing "Black Hawk Down" on a special screening at the Base theater. We were ordered to go and watch it.
Just prior to that "We Were Soldiers" had come out...and there were several that followed with the "patriotism/duty to cause" concepts....in fact, I think "The Patriot" actually came out around that time as well...
With this said, regarding the film shown on base, will Avatar be shown so openly? Will Company First Sergeants like the one I had still order his Marines to go see the film?
What about their families?
To start throwing around race regarding this film is to try to use the smokescreen caused by a million uninformed/uncaring flapping lips to keep the unifying message from proceeding clearly...
That is just my take..
I love Avatar! I didn't read any of the reviews before I watched it and when I read them, I was surprised when the racist angle came up. I honestly didn't see it that way and I'd like to point out that, in the end, it wasn't really the 'white man' who saved Na'vi, it was Mother Nature. But hey, the white man may just be a 'casting choice', they could have easily put in Will Smith there or another actor who is not white (will the critics still cry racism if this happened, I wonder). Thanks for this hub PWalker.
Thanks rebekahELLE, ladyjane, mike, and emievil for your thoughtful comments.
I'm laughing so hard! LOL!!!)))) Its a freaking movie!
Now, when Spike lee admits he is a justifiable racist and he openly calls Italians, " Wops. Guinnies. Daggos, ect..".
He said the Italians he grew up around were unintelligent, foul mouthed, and ignorant. yet, he's called fair mkinded by many.
I lived in Europe and the hatred towards blacks in France, Great Britain, and Germany is worse than back in the states. The tables have flipped in recent years. France demands Muslims NOT to wear thier traditional clothing such as berkas. Race riots in France is common today, and this is a so calle dopen minded liberal society. Unfortunately, humans are NOT color blind.
I haven't seen the movie, so I can't make a judgement based on its content. But I will say that we focus far too much on race in this country, and perhaps in the world. Racism will never die unless we let it. If we keep on bringing it up over and over again, and continue to point to this thing or that thing to prove it exists, it probably will forever. Individually we make the world what we want to make it. The sum is the part that matters in the end.
Thanks for your comment, Springboard. I do believe that what we focus on expands and that we attract what we keep our attention on. It's hard for some, including myself, to let go of the notion that racism continues to exist in this country. And perhaps believing that is what gives it energy and strength to persist.
PWalker281 thank you for a nice synopsis on what has the makings of a real hit movie. Racism is (as those whom have read my hubs know) a subject I find distasteful. I strongly believe that as long as people need racism to sell their personal agendas and promote them further out of anonymity, they will use it to position themselves into the forefront. It seams that if a situation can be misconstrued to highlight a cause or issue (or sell a movie) , a way will be found to use it for prevocational and personal needs. I find myself now even hesitant to ask for black tea, white chocolate or red potatoes, or use any identifier that might possibly be deemed as some type of racial slur. The author of this movie plot I believe wrote this as a slam against governments involving themselves conflicts and allowing them to accelerate into war, for the benefit of materialistic gains.
Yet we as Americans sit back on our laurels, and complain against the men and women of the armed forces that give us the ability to look on at them and the government with distain. I have heard rumors that this movie also had implicational digs against our presence in Iraq, and now Afghanistan. How many other countries do we know of that a citizen can make complaints and accusations against the government or slam individuals on the proverbial public billboards? How nice it would be to sit back and enjoy a movie based on its own intrinsic and artistic value rather than seeing into it for unwritten idioms embedded in the plot. In the history of this country as in many others, we have atrocities that have stained our name with the blood of innocents right a long with combatants. When will we rise above the pettiness and establish ourselves as a free country that has climbed out of the ignorance’s of disdainful classifiers and racial segregation.
Hi must65gt. I'm glad that we can discuss these issues in an open forum without fear of censure, no matter what our opinions. We've come a long way on the issue of race in this country but still have a ways to go before it's a non-issue. I think discussions like these help us to get there. Thanks for your comments and welcome to Hub pages!
I guess the most important thing is not so much whether you believe racism exists, but rather whether you believe you cannot overcome it through intelligence, perseverence, and hard work. It only affects people when they allow it to serve as a rationale for their own personal failure.
I don't know where 'racist' came from in this movie. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best films I've ever seen. One has to be digging pretty deep to come up with a racist bone in this show's body. I don't see it. It's what people WANT to see that causes friction.
Okay William R. Wilson, it wouldn't be anything else but a compliment. LOL...
PWalker281, I saw the movie with a relative last Sunday and I loved it. I love long movies if they're good ones and this one was just that. I agree with the White Jesus complex, and he was crippled and helped the natives win their war with the evil humans. They could'nt have done that by themselves, knowing nature and being in complete harmony with nature? But, that character was a central love interest as well. I have to note that there were plenty of African American Extras as the humans and other people of color. Those in control were white though. Great movie overall, familiar story-line, exceptionally creative visual effects!!! Different, pioneering perhaps.
Is this not being absurdly introspective to assess whether a movie like Avatar is racist or not? After all is it not just a 'fairy tale'?
PWalker - I just saw the movie and I agree completely with what you have written here. It's a great movie which delivers an important message very powerfully. I hope that it will spark more conversations about race.
Cheers!
Heavensgate - yes, you are right, that was a stupid way for me to say what I meant. Thank you for the high compliment and for understanding my meaning!
I'm not sure I got the racial overtones from the movie, but I did see a strong connection between how the Na'vi were forced from their home and how the Native Americans were treated. That was central to the movie, and it was a little reminiscent of Dances With Wolves.
District 9 was another good movie showing segregation in an alien context, and I thought was well done in that regard and a powerful portrayal of the the damage it causes. I thought it fitting it was set in South Africa.
Good hub here, PWalker!
Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I haven't acknowledged all of your comments, but I do want to thank you all, including Springboard, donotfear, William R. Wilson, Jeffrey Neal, and Heavensgate (sorry if I left anyone out), for taking the time to add your thoughts to this discussion. I can't help but reiterate that, depending on your background, culture, education, and life experience, you're going to view everything, including movies like Avatar, through the lens that your background and environment create. of course, that doesn't mean you can't adjust that lens when you feel it no longer serves you.
@ Jeffrey Neal, I'm glad you brought up District 9. I absolutely loved it. Can't help it, I'm a die-hard sci/fi fan and love to read novels and see movies like it that make you think.
Great article, but Avatar was a racist movie. I am still stuck on the "Blue Monkeys" comment. Could the white actor had referred to them as "Blue Lizards"? Why were they referred to as monkeys. Clearly the avatars were not Indians. They looked and act like a native tribe from the contienent of Africa.
I love receiving comments from readers, but for the first time, I've decided not to approve the comment made by Delaney Boling, something I regret having to do. I was ready to approve it until I got to the last sentence which I found to be offensive toward a certain group of people. I do believe in freedom of speech, but I also reserve the right to screen comments and not post those I believe are "over the top." Delaney, if you'd like to repost your comment without the last sentence, I'd be more than happy to post it
Hi Attorneymom, thanks for stopping by and commenting. Clearly, there were several characters in the movie who made racist comments about the Na'vi. That doesn't necessarily make the movie maker a racist. The whole issue of "raping the earth" for its mineral resources and killing off indigenous people when they get in the way (and whom the aggressors consider to be less evolved than they are) is a historical fact in this and other countries which I think the movie did a good job of portraying.
I also saw some "African" elements among the Na'vi, but I didn't consider this to be racist either, more like Cameron's attempt to show how far reaching this kind of aggression against indigenous peoples has been.
Furthermore, just because a people are "pre-industrial" doesn't mean they are less intelligent or less "anything" than their oppressors, another fact I think came across well in the movie. I saw the Na'vi as far superior than the humans who just didn't understand the fact that what they do to the planet they do to themselves, a lesson they could have learned after destroying their own planet.
Finally, the Na'vi certainly didn't see themselves as inferior to the humans despite their technological disadvantage and regardless of what the humans thought of them. I think that's food for thought for those of us whose ancestors suffered similar treatment in this country.
""". And yes, we do have a white character who saves the day, something that many viewers say the Na’vi could probably have done for themselves, given their superior physical strength and numbers."""
First of all am not black nor white So ..
I think the main Idea is he knows how his own ppl. thinks
thats why the white guy appears that he is the one who saved the day , he know what is the coming action so he choose the right reaction before the action itself , and in this day Neytiri Saved The guy from death and she also killed the Colonel before taking jack soul. and on the other hand a white guy also ruined the day that colonel with his coffe mug destroying everthing .
The main reason make the native ppl. is black in this movie is that we cant Imagin native white ppl. right ??
thier is native latins , native indians and native africans in the real life , which make it more realistic than making them white .
Finally .. do u think that making a white guy saving a black guys is sort of racism ? or humalate the black race ?I think Making a white guy responsable of destroying a big part of Pandora is a humalation for the whites on the other hand of scale to make things equal .
I think we think about racist stuff because it was their , I also hate movie tries to But the white beside the black beside the latin beside the chinese -and thier is no arabi beside anyone- to make it not racist .
You make some excellent points, Mohamed! I agree that Jack Sully's knowledge of the humans helped the Na'vi and that this doesn't necessarily make him superior or the movie racist. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I saw it completely different. I saw the aliens as the good wholesome group and the white people made out to be evil. From memory, they showed 1 black guy in the army along with the latina helicopter pilot. The pilot, of course, was a hero that died protecting the aliens from the evil whites. The white aliens were there to trick the aliens and did. The whites never told the aliens until it was too late, but of course, once the aliens showed the moronic white people how they should be living the whites learned and joined them.
My feeling after the movie was that if white people tried to understand and be more like others the world would be a better place. I felt the movie portrayed white people in a bad light.
I also think that is very ignorant and extremely racist for people to think that since white people are the most powerful that it is ok to speak badly about them. Do you realize that most of us whites are not rich either or have any power and you throw us all in the same category? Get a clue, because generalizing it exactly what a racist does.
I saw it completely different. I saw the aliens as the good wholesome group and the white people made out to be evil. From memory, they showed 1 black guy in the army along with the latina helicopter pilot. The pilot, of course, was a hero that died protecting the aliens from the evil whites. The white aliens were there to trick the aliens and did. The whites never told the aliens until it was too late, but of course, once the aliens showed the moronic white people how they should be living the whites learned and joined them.
My feeling after the movie was that if white people tried to understand and be more like others the world would be a better place. I felt the movie portrayed white people in a bad light.
I also think that is very ignorant and extremely racist for people to think that since white people are the most powerful that it is ok to speak badly about them. Do you realize that most of us whites are not rich either or have any power and you throw us all in the same category? Get a clue, because generalizing it exactly what a racist does.
I honestly don't think its "racist" because Human beings are one race and no one seems to know that. However, as a black woman I can see teh white messiah thing in this movie. Its kind of irritating, when will there be a movie when a person of color saves their own race? Its ridiculous.
Another pointing out all the actors playing the avatars are people of color, the chief is native american, neytiri is played by Zoe Saladana who is black-dominican, the mother who is african and the man neytiri was supposed to end up with is also african.
the language and customs are very much linked to african and native american traditions as well.
but in all I really enjoyed this movie and i recommend it for anyone to see. Its a really great movie, but it does have the white messiah theme.
If anyone at all thinks this movie is based as haveing a hiden racist messege then ive lost faith in humanity.
its just a movie don't bother about it..........all good
Try researching HG Wells "War of the Worlds." It is based on Europeans' treatment of the blacks in Tasmania.
i see how the movie could be traslated to that but i think there were bigger messages in avatar. however i like to see other peoples interpretations on things its makes me wiser and sympathetic towards those who feel affected in these ways.
You've opened a Pandoras Box there. But let us not lose sight of the underlying fact, Avatar is despite it's billion dollar budget, a film about blue pixies with NO story. Not even a group of Latinos and Inuits thrown together by some Titanic Cameron script blunder, could rescue it from winning the Oscar for too much hype. Maybe Obama has Avatar on Blueray on Air Force One? Wonder what he thinks? Why not text him on his Blackberry?
Francine ( Anglo + Saxon + Viking )
Not for a millisecond did I consider Avatar racist. Great movie. Thanks for the hub.
I'm sort of confused here since I saw the movie and never would have thought a white male once again saves "the day" the alien and their planet...I mean is that what people actually think and/or are saying? Wow.
Michelle Rodriguez was a part of Sigourney Weaver Team. I'm hispanic and never once thought the white man was being glorified hailed hero for... I don't think the movie was racist - at all. Just my opinion.
Great Hub.
I continue to be amazed by the response to this hub, both in terms of the number of people who have read it and the people who took the time to comment. Sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of them, but I do appreciate them. And I agree with fashion_sideways that it's always good to hear a variety of views on a subject. It does make one wiser and hopefully a little more empathetic.
It's not racist....it's just not all that GOOD
I have seen the movie and when I first saw your Title I laughed and though what rubbish but the more I read your hub the more interested I became.
In a lot of ways it actually can be seen as racist and indeed similar to the red indians being moved out for their land or indeed other similar cultures.
A great hub that makes the reader think, brilliantly thought out hub, well done !
Definitly racist against blue people all over the galaxy. They are portrayed almost like hippies but hippies that fight. Haven't seen the movie, but so thrilled people are actually managing to make race an issue. Thanks for your balanced opinion though.
This hub has taken on a life of its own where comments are concerned. I still don't think the movie is racist although it does deal with race (humans v. the Na'vi) and does so in a manner that makes us here in the U.S. think about our own issues with race.
I also don't think discussing race is making race an issue if that means we shouldn't talk about it. Discussion is always good, especially when it's done thoughtfully. Thanks jellydonut25, TattooGuy, and Wayne as well as all the others who have commented.
And I'll say one thing TattooGuy, I didn't do any keyword research, but that title sure has gotten this hub a lot of views.
That is because if you type yer Title into Google you will see it's been searched over 4 and a half million times and your hub my friend is on the top of the 3rd page and probably rising, an exceptional feat, well done !
Yes, this hub is so successful that's amazing. As for the movie, it's enjoying tremendous success.
Different strokes for different folks, Mr. Click. I didn't set out to use racism to promote my hub. It is a sensitive and serious subject as my responses to some of the comments I've received demonstrate. I saw the movie, loved it, then started seeing comments about it being racist. Hence the hub.
@ TattooGuy and hubpagewriter - yes I saw the Google ranking. I feel like I have to justify the ranking based on Mr. Click's comments. This hub was written off the cuff after I saw the movie and started hearing and seeing comments online that it was racist. So I simply asked the question which became the title of the hub. I'm sure as the buzz about the movie dies down, so will my page views and ranking.
I finally got to visit your hub PWalker. I see what you mean about the varied opinions and allowing it to be expressed. I saw the movie and racism didn't cross my mind nor did I think about messiahs or bad guys and good guys. I guess I was drawn more to the concepts of energy and mother nature and finding balance and healing and all. I also saw a person trying to find meaning in life and found it and I celebrated that. I had to laugh when I realized this..gosh I felt suddenly odd and very different. Hahahahha Thanks for this hub and for making us think about stuff and where we are in relation to it.
Hi Ripplemaker! I liked the whole "Mother Nature/Gaia" aspect of the movie, too. People will see different things depending on who they are. Thanks for stopping by!
I dont think this film is racsit at at all...if anythings its been used by over sesnsitive people to promote the "race card" witch people seem all to willing to use these days...I mean come on what does a freakisly large blue alien have anything to do with...racial hate? =/ (Sorry about my english but its not my mother tongue =D )
Here are at least three possible themes that I interpreted from the movie Avatar.
#1.) The blue aliens (or Na'vi) in Avatar and the human
colonists bent on the destruction of their people and
habitat could be symbolic of the invasion of European
colonists and their early encounters with indigenous
Native-American/African tribes. This is the only
obvious "racial" theme in the movie.
#2.) It also comes across as having this message about
environmentalism and the issues of mankind's
destruction of the earth out of greed and
carelessness.
#3.) Or on a more offbeat note it redefines the term
"alien" really means. Kinda makes you think that if
extraterrestrial civilizations do exist elsewhere in
the universe, we humans could actually be seen as the
"alien invaders" to them lol.
Anyway, that's just my two cents worth. Overall this film was enjoyable in my opinion.
Hey Mystique! Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree that all of those themes come across in the movie. And like you, I loved the film, plan to get the DVD.
when i first watched this movie, i was offended by it putting the blue people ( who are clearly AFRICANs ) with tails. I mean COME ON!!!!!!! and also as thinking with their hair and not their brain. and why does the white man always has to save everyone???!!! we hardly ever save anyone!! only destroy and them pretend we save it so we will look like the heroes!!!! in this movie example,,,, we whites destroy then we save the natives!!!! that is so stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must admit that the evil people were more white people and i think that symbolizes the fact THAT WHITE PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHT OF THEMSELVES AS THE MOST SUPERIOR RACE AND HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE AFRICANS AND THE NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE PAST.COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! THE HUMAN race IS THE ONLY RACE IN THIS WORLD BESIDES ANIMALS!!!!!!! NOT AFRICANS, WHITES, LATINOS, MEXICANS, SPANISH, ASIAN OR ANY MIXED PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! WE ARE ONE RACE AND PEOPLE NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT.
Thanks for your input, nicoleSIMONE!
I have not seen the movie avatar.
I'm curious why you, and SO many other people refer to whites as 'whites' or 'white people' while blacks or any other race gets a fancy name like 'African-American', and natives are always referred to as 'Native American' but seldom called indians or browns.
Are whites an inferior race in your mind? I naturally say whites, white people, blacks, black people, etc.
Hey Bob, thanks for stopping by and commenting. Actual neither black people nor American Indians gave themselves the names African-American or Native American. These terms came into popular usage I believe via the media.
A lot of black people I know prefer to be referred to as black people instead of African American (sometimes capitalizing the B in black), and the same goes for American Indians. I use the terms, black people and African American, interchangeably and sometimes use the term, European American denote white people. It has nothing to do with any perceived superiority or inferiority of any of these races.
You'll notice that the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington DC is NOT called the National Museum of the Native American because American Indians don't typically refer to themselves as Native American.
I highly recommend the movie so I hope you get a chance to see it.
I think it's an awesome movie...I didn't notice anything that has to do with racism!
Hey vox vocis, I didn't know what I was getting into when I wrote this hub :-). I don't think it was racist either. While there are distinct racial groups depicted in the movie that many people recognized, I don't believe Cameron set out to portray them in a stereotypically derogatory fashion.
I loved the movie's message about the importance of connecting with and honoring ALL life forms, which is what indigenous people tend to do.
Do you guys not have lives?
We have full and wonderful lives, Mr. N, that allow us to discuss from time to time the movies we enjoyed seeing.
And I believe an open and respectful discussion of issues like race that continue to impact us in this country will result in a day when we view ourselves, as nicoleSIMONE said, as members of the human race.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I for one do not think this movie was supposed to be about race or demographics. I think it was designed to challenge the mindset of the current age of this world. We are bearing witness of how rapant consumerism damages the environment and oppresses other societies. It would be prudent for us to start finding ways to advance technology in a way that gives back instead of takes away. Human exploitation is the driving force for conflict and war.
Hey jbosh1972, I find it fascinating that after over 3 years, this hub is still getting comments. Clearly the movie had something very important to say. You are absolutely right about the movie challenging the current "buy, buy, buy" mindset. A "loving" technology is definitely needed. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Pwalker,
Keep in mind what drives consumerism. And that is mind controlling propaganda. The first world is overly saturated with advertisement. I think it is sad when you pick up your mail one day and everything goes in the trash. I try to recycle some of it but I have more paper than I am willing and able to handle.
And all these affordable import electronics manufactured by oppressed impoverished workers in sweatshops. I can't help feeling forced to ruining humanity. It is time for a revolution of the heart.
I hear you, JB. I've stopped listening to the radio (and I'm a big music lover) and rarely watch commercial tv because I can't stand the commercials. I think the change you speak of is coming, perhaps not as quickly as we would like, but people are starting to wake up.
Mike R 2 years ago
Whoa, that was the Whitest, Meanest Army Ever! With no "bad" women and very few (if any) bad Latinos or African-Americans.
As a white man, I was offended by the "White Christ" theme in "Dances With Wolves" as well as in this movie, and in this movie I am also seriously offended by the formulaic depiction of bad white men (many of them apparently overweight in the final scenes) willing to do just about anything to get at that oil under Iraq . . . oops, I mean that really valuable mineral under the HomeTree.
Hey, I don't like that war either, but give me a freakin' break.