theblackbottom

‘Avatar’ is part of important discussion about race

From the Washington Post

If you thought James Cameron’s “Avatar” was just a 3-D fantasy flick about nice cat people vs. mechanized mad men, think again. There’s a fourth dimension, a shadowy back story about race that has the sci-fi blogosphere engaged in its own war of the worlds.

Annalee Newitz, writing last week on her science blog io9, criticized Avatar for depicting yet another white man as a hero in the liberation struggles of oppressed people of color.

As happens in such movies as “District 9,” “Dances With Wolves” and “The Last Samurai,” Newitz wrote, “a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.”

I came away from “Avatar” with a similar feeling, although not nearly as strong as I had after watching, say, “Mississippi Burning,” which portrayed the FBI as heroes of the civil rights movement.

And yet, I’d recommend seeing “Avatar,” not only for the sensational special effects but also to participate in an important discussion about race.

As a movie summary, suffice it to say that an ex-Marine named Jake Sully, uses futuristic means to transform himself from a human, or Sky Person, into a Na’vi cat person. Then he infiltrates the cat people to gather intelligence for a military invasion but ends up falling in love with a cat woman. A “race traitor” to his fellow humans, Sully leads the cat people in thwarting the military invasion.

“This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare,” Newitz wrote. “It’s not just a wish to be absolved of the crimes whites have committed against people of color; it’s not just a wish to join the side of moral justice in battle. It’s a wish to lead people of color from the inside rather than from the (oppressive, white) outside. Think of it this way. Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white, giving up the old human meatsack to join the blue people, but never losing white privilege.” READ MORE