Is Avatar racist?

**DBowden** · 01-11-2010, 05:54 PM

http://news.aol.com/article/some-see...venture/849328

Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar'
By JESSE WASHINGTON

AP
posted: 7 HOURS 4 MINUTES AGO

Near the end of the hit film "Avatar," the villain snarls at the hero, "How does it feel to betray your own race?" Both men are white — although the hero is inhabiting a blue-skinned, 9-foot-tall, long-tailed alien.

Strange as it may seem for a film that pits greedy, immoral humans against noble denizens of a faraway moon, "Avatar" is being criticized by a small but vocal group of people who allege it contains racist themes — the white hero once again saving the primitive natives.

Since the film opened to widespread critical acclaim three weeks ago, hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have said things such as the film is "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it reinforces "the white Messiah fable."

The film's writer and director, James Cameron, says the real theme is about respecting others' differences.

In the film (read no further if you don't want the plot spoiled for you) a white, paralyzed Marine, Jake Sully, is mentally linked to an alien's body and set loose on the planet Pandora. His mission: persuade the mystic, nature-loving Na'vi to make way for humans to mine their land for unobtanium, worth $20 million per kilo back home.

Like Kevin Costner in "Dances with Wolves" and Tom Cruise in "The Last Samurai" or as far back as Jimmy Stewart in the 1950 Western "Broken Arrow," Sully soon switches sides. He falls in love with the Na'vi princess and leads the bird-riding, bow-and-arrow-shooting aliens to victory over the white men's spaceships and mega-robots.

Adding to the racial dynamic is that the main Na'vi characters are played by actors of color, led by a Dominican, Zoe Saldana, as the princess. The film also is an obvious metaphor for how European settlers in America wiped out the Indians.

Robinne Lee, an actress in such recent films as "Seven Pounds" and "Hotel for Dogs," said that "Avatar" was "beautiful" and that she understood the economic logic of casting a white lead if most of the audience is white.
But she said the film, which so far has the second-highest worldwide box-office gross ever, still reminded her of Hollywood's "Pocahontas" story — "the Indian woman leads the white man into the wilderness, and he learns the way of the people and becomes the savior."

"It's really upsetting in many ways," said Lee, who is black with Jamaican and Chinese ancestry. "It would be nice if we could save ourselves."

Annalee Newitz, editor-in-chief of the sci-fi Web site io9.com, likened "Avatar" to the recent film "District 9," in which a white man accidentally becomes an alien and then helps save them, and 1984's "Dune," in which a white man becomes an alien Messiah.

"Main white characters realize that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA people of color ... (then) go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed," she wrote.
"When will whites stop making these movies and start thinking about race in a new way?" wrote Newitz, who is white.

Black film professor and author Donald Bogle said he can understand why people would be troubled by "Avatar," although he praised it as a "stunning" work.

"A segment of the audience is carrying in the back of its head some sense of movie history," said Bogle, author of "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films."

Bogle stopped short, however, of calling the movie racist.

"It's a film with still a certain kind of distortion," he said. "It's a movie that hasn't yet freed itself of old Hollywood traditions, old formulas."
Writer/director Cameron, who is white, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that his film "asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message."

"Maybe there is something he does want to say and put across" about race, Bogle said. "Maybe if he had a black hero in there, that point would have been even stronger."
__________________

**theCaptn'** · 01-11-2010, 06:24 PM

lol, white folk save the day . . again!

**Silver_Back** · 01-11-2010, 06:27 PM

It's not racist.

But if you look hard enough, you can find racism in a glass of Milk

**DOMS** · 01-11-2010, 06:35 PM

Ten bucks says the "small but vocal group of people" are black.

**maniclion** · 01-11-2010, 07:12 PM

It's speciesist, or xenophobic....but come on how can you condemn a movie thats an obvious mishmash of pop genre action flicks and sci-fi with no attempt at focusing on writing involved.....

**GeorgeForemanRules** · 01-11-2010, 08:25 PM

All I know is white people are the best.

**juggernaut** · 01-11-2010, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Ten bucks says the "small but vocal group of people" are black.

Ten bucks says the author is a black dude. I hate assholes like that...

"That's wacist." Shut up already!

**DOMS** · 01-11-2010, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick Bateman

All I know is white people are the best.

And this is why I love you so.

**DOMS** · 01-11-2010, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

Ten bucks says the author is a black dude. I hate assholes like that...

"That's wacist." Shut up already!

No one tries harder to keep racism alive like blacks. Do you remember that whole white doll, black doll thing?

**juggernaut** · 01-11-2010, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

No one tries harder to keep racism alive like blacks. Do you remember that whole white doll, black doll thing?

kind of sort of...refresh my memory

**DOMS** · 01-11-2010, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

kind of sort of...refresh my memory

Some black kid rehashed an old test showing that even black kids are indoctrinated to hate blacks.

Black kids were given both a black and a white doll to play with. The kids chose the white doll. So they claimed racism. Never mind that all kids will choose a bright toy over a dark one simply because it's visually more catching. Yet another sign of racism...

**theCaptn'** · 01-11-2010, 09:39 PM

Well, white people have put out their version of Avatar, lets see what black folks can do . . . . bwahahahaha!

**Curt James** · 01-11-2010, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by Sanesloot

It's not racist.

But if you look hard enough, you can find racism in a glass of Milk

Dude, you don't have to look hard at all. It's WHITE!

And do you notice they provide all the white milk with its own really huge and well-stocked section?

Meanwhile, the eggnog gets relegated to a measly out of the way cooler and is only available on certain occasions.

And "chocolate" milk is underrepresented for the various sizes. Just TRY to find a gallon container of chocolate milk!

But WHITE? It's... e v e r y w h e r e.

Pretty obvious, if you ask me.

**bio-chem** · 01-11-2010, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by j-pet

Well, white people have put out their version of Avatar, lets see what black folks can do . . . . bwahahahaha!

thats what we need. a spike lee version of the Na'vi. and when it tanks because it is a fucking horrible movie like all of spike lee's shit, he is going to claim racism.

**Curt James** · 01-11-2010, 09:58 PM

Anyone remember the hubbub over Jar Jar Binks?

**theCaptn'** · 01-11-2010, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Curt James

Anyone remember the hubbub over Jar Jar Binks?

oh! you saying the Bink's were the negros of the Empire? Makes a little sense

**Curt James** · 01-11-2010, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by bio-chem

thats what we need. a spike lee version of the Na'vi. and when it tanks because it is a fucking horrible movie like all of spike lee's shit, he is going to claim racism.

I'm a Spike fan. And he finally did a mainstream flick which was pretty well received, "Inside Man"?

Inside Man (2006)

Plus so far as black director's go, John Singleton has done some decent work, imo.

John Singleton (I)

Four Brothers is one of his most recent films.

**Curt James** · 01-11-2010, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by j-pet

oh! you saying the Bink's were

I'm not sayin nuthin.

But Binks was the butt of a lot of jokes as well as accusations of racism when that movie came out.

**bio-chem** · 01-11-2010, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by Curt James

I'm a Spike fan. And he finally did a mainstream flick which was pretty well received, "Inside Man"?

Inside Man (2006)

Plus so far as black director's go, John Singleton has done some decent work, imo.

John Singleton (I)

Four Brothers is one of his most recent films.

let me be perfectly clear here. i don't give a damn what color the director/actor/person is. Spike Lee is a terrible director who always claims racism and happens to be black. fuck spike. my favorite spike lee moment was when reggie miller taunted him.

I liked 4 brothers

**brk_nemesis** · 01-11-2010, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by j-pet

Well, white people have put out their version of Avatar, lets see what black folks can do . . . . bwahahahaha!

... I am legend.
...Book of Eli.
...I Robot.

etc, etc, etc..... If one with a white man saving the "world" is automatically racist, then so is the one with the black man.

I guess that means Star Wars was racist to,.. I mean,... they were all white and saved the galaxy.

**bio-chem** · 01-11-2010, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by brk_nemesis

... I am legend.
...Book of Eli.
...I Robot.

etc, etc, etc..... If one with a white man saving the "world" is automatically racist, then so is the one with the black man.

I guess that means Star Wars was racist to,.. I mean,... they were all white and saved the galaxy.

and deep down the black man (vadar) wants to be white. LOL

**brk_nemesis** · 01-11-2010, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by bio-chem

and deep down the black man (vadar) wants to be white.

You mean "the blackest brotha in the galaxy?"

**theCaptn'** · 01-11-2010, 11:12 PM

yeah but the storm troopers were white, and getting ordered around by a black. Racism!

**Silver_Back** · 01-12-2010, 04:41 AM

I think it's so funny that Darth Vader is all dressed in black when he trys to take over and rule the galaxy...

What's even funnier is that when he decides to do the right thing and save his sons life, he takes off his helmet and u get to see that he's whiter than a ghost.... :-)

**min0 lee** · 01-12-2010, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by j-pet

yeah but the storm troopers were white, and getting ordered around by a black. Racism!

No that's Obamism!

**GearsMcGilf** · 01-12-2010, 05:50 AM

Even in the case of Darth Vader there was a white guy in control calling the shots.

**min0 lee** · 01-12-2010, 06:09 AM

What is the difference between Batman and a black man?
Batman can go out at night without robin.

**GearsMcGilf** · 01-12-2010, 06:43 AM

What about pool? One white ball is knocking all the coloured balls into the holes.

**brk_nemesis** · 01-12-2010, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by j-pet

yeah but the storm troopers were white, and getting ordered around by a black. Racism!

then that would make vader an uncle tom.....

**bio-chem** · 01-12-2010, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by brk_nemesis

You mean "the blackest brotha in the galaxy?"

damn straight. "nubian god"

View Poll Results: Is Avatar racist?

Thread: Is Avatar racist?

Thread Tools

Display

Is Avatar racist?

It's an outrage, I tell you!

Similar Threads

Avatar

Avatar Fun

why can i use an avatar everyone else can

Avatar help

avatar

Posting Permissions