So I finally broke down after down right refusal and went to see Avatar. It was extremely difficult for me to bring myself to walk into the theatre and buy the tickets. As a matter of fact when I was at the ticket booth, the words "two for Avatar" took just a bit longer to roll off my tongue. I have been talking about the underlying messages of this movie for some time now, but figured I better see it so I can justify my reasoning. I was told going into the movie that I was coming into the experience (movie watching) with a predetermined mindset. With this I agree. However, every white person going to see this movie is going into it with a predetermined mindset as well. One carved out with such media events as Pocahontas, The Lone Ranger, and Indian in the Cupboard. The completely false and damaging movie Disney put out in 1995 depicted a love affair between Pocahontas and John Smith. The movie shows a beautiful, tanned woman (who seemed to look very Mediterranean) and the tall fit John Smith. The entire movie focused around the love between the two, leading up to the white guy (Smith) becoming somewhat of a savior to the "savage natives". No mention of the fact that Matoaka (Pocahontas' real name) was only 11 at the time and was indeed captured, raped, etc. The Lone Ranger was friend and protector of the "savage native". They can not protect themselves so a white hero (ironically wearing a white hat, after all, white is good and black is evil) has to do the job, because his mastery of their skills is so much better. As Pocahontas helped seal the false story, so too did the Lone Ranger seal the countless people I have met over the years who put their hand in the air and say "HOW". Which leaves the Indian in the Cupboard, a children's movie based on the book of the same name. This books takes things one step further in the whole natives can not take care of themselves mindset, by creating a scenario whereas a very young white child becomes more than a protector to the native, but in a sense a deity. He, after all, provides Little Bear (a name that sounds of inferiority) with all of his needs for survival. If you are familiar with Maslow's hierarchy, you can follow the pyramid from the bottom to the top throughout the movie, without missing a step.
So that is how white folks too are going into this movie with a predetermined mindset. Back to Avatar. As everyone knows, this movie reeks of colonialism. In particular, the colonialism that has been felt on the shore of North America for over 400 years. Some of the script in the movie used "savage natives" "we have given them education, drugs, what more do the want" "this place is covered in trees, they can move to another one". I found as I got deeper into Avatar, I got more and more angry. Not so much because of the colonialism and forcible taking of the land from an indigenous people (that is all too familiar and ingrained in my mind already) but from the deity role once again given to a white guy over the people. Amazingly, he was able to master all the skills of Na'vi in just three months, pulling on the strings of white superiority. Not only did he master these skills with ease, but he went one step further and excelled to the point of mastery that only 5 Na'vi have ever achieved in the collective history of the people (once again, an even harder pull on the white superiority strings) In the end the movie turns out dramatically different that the colonialism faced here in North America, the one positive note to the movie. However, as the Na'vi homeland is being destroyed for the ever precious unobtanium (how corny is that??), the natives/Na'vi quickly realize they are unable to defeat the colonizers with out the help of their new white deity. Ironically this is after a speech where he declares himself "one of them" and refers to the place as his homeland.
So after losing so much sleep last night due to the thoughts running around my head, here I am. Angry? yes. Saddened? yes. Surprised? no. Did I go into this movie with a predetermined mindset? Absolutely. Has it changed? Drastically. This entire movie is a package. It has all the beautiful adornments one might expect from a package, beautiful wrapping paper and bows in the form of a lush beautiful scenery with glowing flowers, scantly clad slim native women, wonderful 3-d animations, and amazing special effects. But like any package, it is what's inside that matters. And if you unwrap this package to its core, it is all about white supremacy and the dependence of all others cultures/races on them.
I'd like to think the message is that a group of 'white' people saw what their race was doing and did not approve. They did not 'come to the rescue' but stood up and disapproved of the actions of their own race and chose to stand with the Navi and do the right thing. I know it's a stretch, but that they came to love and respect the Navi and by being adopted by the Navi chose to make that their culture instead of trying to conver the Navi to theirs
ReplyDeleteWhy does standing with that group of people have to be seen as them coming to the rescue. Shouldn't we stand by and fight with those who are being victimized?