Does 'Avatar' perpetuate stereotypes?

[()smoke()]

thanks to everyone so far for keeping this civil

...i'm going to retreat back into 'read and comprehend' mode for a while , and i look forward to hearing the thoughts of others who might have different takes on the topic...

 

[jmattbassplaya]

It`s a movie that`s played worldwide. Obviously not everyone`s views will match up and some people will look way too into it for stuff that simply isn`t there just to try and be PC and to stir up trouble... People really need to get over themselves :scowl:

Also, in the movie by race I think the guy meant the human race... not white people. Again, people just look way too far into stuff for things that simply aren`t there.

 

[mike_v_s]

Exactly. Ask someone from the South how often they roll their eyes at some of the portrayals and badly attempted accents.

We can't roll our eyes at those portrayals. We're so inbred they're permanantly crossed.

Mike

 

[electracoyote]

Yeah, the only "stereotype" I've heard associated with Avatar is that the U S of A and our military is aggressive, reckless, and irresponsible in our relationships with other countries and the environment.

 

[SharkUSMC]

Soo... is this the sequel to Titanic or something? /rolleyes

 

[need4mospd]

As with any movie with evil/good forces, the bad guy has to be "rip your head off and pee down your neck" kind of bad, or no one would want him dead. Those calling it racist and stereotypical have obviously not seen any other fantasy/fiction movie ever made, ever.

 

[need4mospd]

We can't roll our eyes at those portrayals. We're so inbred they're permanantly crossed.

Mike

First I lol'd.
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then I serious'd.

 

[Ziltoid]

It's a modern version of pocahontas kinda, no?

 

[john_martin_sai]

I heard it's based on Halliburton's dealings in Iraq.

"Jake inevitably goes native, embraces the eco-faith of Pandora's Na'Vi inhabitants and their tree goddess, the "all mother," and rallies the Pandoran aborigines against the evil forces of a thinly veiled 22nd-century combine of Blackwater and Halliburton." - Jonah Goldberg

 

[mike_v_s]

I heard it's based on Haliburton's dealings in Iraq.

No. You're thinking of Sesame Street On Ice.

Mike

 

[MJ5150]

I thought the movie was great, but I didn't psycho-analyze it like some people.

I sat down with my $9 popcorn and watched it for fun.

-Mike

 

[jomahu]

yes.

but so do most commercial movies. oh well.

 

[Jared Lash]

I thought the movie was great, but I didn't psycho-analyze it like some people.

I sat down with my $9 popcorn and watched it for fun.

-Mike

That's your problem. By not being vigilant you've likely missed out on countless opportunities to possibly, if taken in the correct light and interpreted in a certain fashion maybe be slightly offended.

Life is full of stereotypes and Hollywood is a dumber, more glorified reflection of our culture so you don't really have to look hard if you want to find ignorance in it's output.

 

[mike_v_s]

yes.

but so do most commercial movies. oh well.

Welcome back! I haven't see ya around in a while. Oooooorrrrrrr maybe I'm not paying enough attention.

Mike

 

[MJ5150]

Life is full of stereotypes........

Yup. I stereotype people every day, they stereotype me. Sometimes intentionally, other times not. We can't get away from it as Homo sapiens, so no sense in beating myself up about it.

-Mike

 

[CBRStingray]

I get sick of people who spend their time trying to find things to take offence with.

 

[Dale D Dilly]

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."

I think this is fair enough. The film is not actively racist, but it certainly relies on a pattern that has its roots in "civilized" superiority of the white, western world.

I don't personally have a problem with Avatar over that; not every film maker can be radical enough to try to reinvent cultural myths and motifs. 99.99% earn their livlihood off of invoking those myths.

I also don't see it as a race issue. It's more about what you consider civilized or developed. Yes the film celebrates the alien lifestyle over the earth one, but I agree with its critics that it does so in a patronizing way. Again, I wouldn't expect the average film maker to move beyond this and so it doesn't really upset me.

 

[Brad Johnson]

When other races complain of slights, perceived or otherwise, "Get over it" is a common admonition. Seems no less appropriate here.

 

[WalterBush]

I saw a whole string of stereotypes paraded throughout the film, some racial, some not. I think Hollywood relies on such stereotypes so that they can tell a story without actually inventing anything new, or wasting precious special-effects time by developing characters.

I also plunked down my money, slapped on the 3D glasses for extra dorkdom, and enjoyed the view. I wasn't looking for the second coming of Citizen Kane. Shoot, I wasn't even looking for Star Wars Episode 2.

 

[bassrique]

I'm going to view "Men Who Stare at Goats" this evening and I'll be disappointed if I'm not offended.