I read today that a rather vocal minority is calling the movie "Avatar" racist. I did see this film, I did read the article, I did come to a conclusion. The film can be viewed as racist, but with mitigating circumstances. Aren't there always mitigating circumstances to racism?I'll warn you now that there may be spoilers from this point on so don't read if you don't want to know them.
Basically, the article accusing the film of racism says the story is old. The general story is a white man comes and saves the natives. This is an old story and it has been told before. If Avatar stopped there, I would agree the movie is racist but it goes further.
In the film, a white Marine who is paralyzed, is linked to an alien body...an alien body that just happens to be about 9 feet tall, blue with a tail and rather cute. He meets a female alien who is rather disgusted with his ignorance about the planet, nature, and life in general. Humans in the film are there to mine a rather expensive ore and they are willing to plow over any blue aliens to do so.
I just read that the Vatican is also slamming this film for it's "worship" of nature. Well, that's another issue...in the film, the aliens find life force in everything and can physically link to that force. We may talk to trees but in Avatar, the trees can talk back. Everything living on the planet Pandora has visible life force and can physically link to each other. Maybe if trees on Earth could fight back, we wouldn't be so quick to chop them all down...but I digress...
The racism is clear, humans are there to rape the land and are willing to kill. The aliens, very reminiscent of American Indians, have bows and arrows to fight against bullets. The main character first is set on following orders by winning the aliens' trust (which he does) then betraying them by giving the Marines the best way to destroy their home, a huge tree sitting on top of ore they want, (he does that too). But during the course of the film, he changes, falls in love, learns to respect life and switches sides. Of course, the aliens now see him as a traitor and he has to win back their trust. This is where people say the film is racist...once again a white man has to save the unwashed aliens. People are also annoyed that aliens were played by actors of minority races and the Marines were played by whites. I guess critics forgot about Latina Michelle Rodriguez...anyway...
On the surface that appears racist. Why does a white man have to save natives? In one way it is done to boost the image of white superiority in this country. Some whites do feel superior to brown people and need things to remind them of this from time to time.
Another reason is because many times whites will refuse to go see a film with lead characters who are not white. That is a more subtle form of racism. The story of the film "Couples Retreat" and it's racism was not widely reported, probably because the movie did not make a billion dollars. With Couples Retreat, several couples take a retreat (surprise), but one of the couples is black. Advertisements in America showed all the couples, however in Europe, the black couple was magically removed. Check out the posters here. The explanation was because international markets are racists...how interesting that they ignore the racism right here in America.
Some whites would never accept a black, Latino, Asian or anyone who is not white as the lead in Avatar. What is truly sad is Zoe Saldana, who is arguably black/Latina, refuses to identify as black (another story entirely), but has played black women in films before. However, in Star Trek she played Uhura but was made up to look more Latina than black. In Avatar, she is blue...why is it that our country has a hard time seeing a black woman with a white man? Ultimately, I think the message that a man of a minority race could not have played the lead role AND this movie still make a billion dollars is the most racist thing about the movie, along with the fact that America doesn't want to see a black woman in a positive, non-ghetto, intelligent and yes, BEAUTIFUL role as an attractive woman.
While the story of a white man saving natives is old and a bit annoying, an older truth that blacks and other minorities aren't as interesting or believable in positive roles (at least to some white people) is a sadder more racist truth. This movie is brilliant to watch. The story is absorbing and the film making is magnificent. I was amazed that this film was made by the same man who made that festering pile of diarehea called "Titanic," also a billion dollar movie that never would have made that much money if Leonardo were anything but white.
The bottom line is films are made to make money and hopefully entertain too. If you want to see an experimental film, I suggest you scope out the art houses. I think Avatar does well with its limitations imposed by a racist society. This movie had to make money and to ensure that, it had to have a white lead. That is a sad, ugly truth to American society. BTW, I loved the movie despite the obvious.
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