The good: the art
The bad: the message
The are you serious? The gendered and racist depiction of natives vs. colonizers
Avatar is a beautiful work of art in which unique creatures are brought to life in a natural world where everything is, generally, living in harmony. Everything about Pandora was absolutely spectacular, and the special effects made the piece that much more captivating. But while I try to praise the skill and effort put into making the movie, I am unable to separate cinematographic wonder from the actual story and the messages.
It is difficult to avoid associating the Na’vi people with indigenous peoples as the story unfolds. White men go out unto the world and try to colonize the land and wipe out the people in order to obtain some rare precious metal or resource. It happened with the silver in Bolivia, the lumber in Fern Gully, and it continues today all over the world: oil in Alberta, copper in Mali, gold in Papua New Guinea, and do I even attempt to name them all? Not to mention that the tactics used by the humans to try to manipulate or “deal with” the Na’vi are any different from those used by extractive industries to “deal with” indigenous peoples.
The humans had unwarranted claim over and entitlement to everything, which reminds me a little of colonization—both past and present. The corporate humans’ behaviour was laughable because of their explicit willingness to exploit the land and kill the native population for unobtanium, a substance whose actual utility was never really explained. In that sense James Cameron did one thing exceptionally well: he made the corporatists look absolutely ridiculous in their desire for something incredibly useless.
While it is great to expose the unjust and unethical discussions that undoubtedly occur behind close doors, this was done at the expense of exotifying people who are still being colonized.
Cameron played on several stereotypes such as the population’s connection with nature, and their adorning beads and feathers. While these stereotypes are not necessarily negative, he then gave the Na’vi tails. Seriously…tails? Was this necessary? Must indigenous communities always seem primitive in the movies? I understand that Avatar has imagery that is far from reality, but the main premise of extracting resources at the expense of others’ lives is painfully real. And then there was the lack of clothing. Not sure if this was meant to add to the “primitive” nature of the indigenous, to sexualize the creatures, or to emphasize the hot climate of Pandora.
So as I move from the racist-aspect of the movie, I begin to think of the gendered facet. Now, I do not have anything against white, macho, war-veterans, but I do have a problem with them always being the hero. A strong, female leader of the Na’vi taught this ex-marine everything he knew; yet in the end, the white man still saved the day. Cameron immediately put the ex-marine in a position of power when he sends the spiritual, female leader of the Na’vi to plead for his help as if he were the only one who could possibly save them. The Na’vi were clearly only capable of succeeding in fighting off exploitation due to sheer numbers and white leadership.
With all that being said, Cameron told a story that is very relevant—as long as people know that it is not just a fictional and futuristic story of what society will be facing after we destroy our own world. People and land are being exploited. People’s lives are at risk and only few are benefitting. He portrayed this all in a 3-D blockbuster that captivated audiences for 2 hours in 40 minutes. In this time he developed a plot line in which the colonizers looked like fools and the indigenous female look like a powerful, respected community leader. But then he sexualized the aliens and crowned the white man who saved the day because he had a cool dragon.
So I repeat:
The good: The art
The bad: the message
The are you serious? Are you serious?
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RYSE is the youth branch of RAN, Rainforest Action Network, which works to protect the Earth and support human rights through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action.
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And yet the right wingers are still decrying the film as a leftist eco-terrorist recruiting tool … shows just how insane they are.
unobtanium: a room temperature superconductor used in the maglev monorail trains that connect all parts of the earth in Cameron’s future.
The tails are actually necessary because the Na’vi are 9′ tall and they are used for balance. Aesthetically, they help with the feline appearance of the beings.
Did you notice any creatures with feathers in the movie? I didn’t, but as you mention, the Na’vi use feathers in their dress. I was wondering where they got the fletching for their arrows.
Yes, the trope of the white man “going native” and becoming the integral ingredient to fighting oppression is common in film (The Last Samarai, Dances with Wolves). I assume that this because ultimately this films are still written and produced for privileged, mainstream white males, where in order for the empathy and morality tale to work, the protagonist must represent the viewer. While this narrative strategy makes sense, it doesn’t make sense to use it when your average viewer is not a straight, white, American male. This is just another example of how Hollywood is not democratic or equal opportunity. It was a fun film to watch, however.