(Untitled)

[felis_ultharus]

So I became the last person on earth to see Avatar this week. Probably the last person on earth. The indigenous Dongria Kondh people of India are using the film to draw attention to their plight. Poor Chinese folk are using the theme song to protest the demolition of their homes. So it seems to have made it out of the bubble of well-to-do West

Comments

[zeecoldwater]

The indigenous Dongria Kondh people of India are using the film to draw attention to their plight. Poor Chinese folk are using the theme song to protest the demolition of their homes. It seems to have made it out of the bubble of well-to-do West.

Even if I have my own issues with the film (simplistic treatment of stone age cultures, Mighty Whitey, thoughtless appropriation of various real cultures' aesthetics and dress, etc.) this alone makes the whole thing worthwhile. If the film brings attention to the plight of real oppressed peoples, it will have been worth it.

On a less grounded note, Avatar may well be a case study for the power of fiction -- I can't think of any other film that made people go found communes in Florida. Not in such numbers, at least.

[felis_ultharus]

I agree. There's one serious difference between Avatar and Dances With Wolves is that Dances With Wolves treated these issues as long-past, and native cultural survival as futile.

Avatar can actually be of use to indigenous people, because it opens the issue up as current, and resistance as not futile.

If it can help one group with its land claims, maybe it can redeem itself? I wonder if more Canadians have warmed up to First Nations' concerns now that they've seen the movie?

It sounds silly stated like that, I guess, but that's how fiction works - that's its value. Looking through someone else's eyes builds compassion for their position.

[urbangeo]

I'd be shocked if my MP were to vote against it (I live in Outremont riding).

[felis_ultharus]

True - probably the only safer one is Burnaby-Douglas :)

But the real fear isn't that the MPs will show up and vote against the bill, but that those who aren't transphobic won't show up at all.

[uncommon_crow]

*looks a bit sheepish* I think I might well be that last person on earth who hasn't seen Avatar.

[felis_ultharus]

I think you'd like it. It's a beautiful.

And also, there are six-legged horses in it, with a biological USB port for telepathy.

Best to see it in a good mood, though. Otherwise coming back to the world can be too depressing.

[em_fish]

I hope it's okay if I share a few of my own thoughts.

"It's the most beautiful evocation of my spiritual life on either the big or small screen, and scenes of it made me cry."

It was so beautiful, wasn't it? Watching those scenes was a powerful experience for me because it evoked feelings I hadn't had since I stopped practicing.

"We can't imagine the problem, so it slips from our minds and memories between every new report."

This is why I continue my crazy-old-man-esque crusade to make it about food sustainability. Anyone with high school knowledge of biology can understand that life can only be perpetuated by other life. If we strip the Earth of its ability to sustain life for plants, animals, insects and birds, that translates to an overall reduction in its ability to sustain life for humans. Framing it this way makes the problem of ecological destruction directly relevant to anyone who enjoys not starving to death.

[felis_ultharus]

I've done that, too. And it's been a common tactic of environmental organizations like David Suzuki to connect things to direct self-interest. But it still has problems sticking to the mind when I phrase it like that.

The problem is that we think in stories, not in facts - not even in facts related to our self-interest. Jung was right. I've always been amazed how fast you can make someone really understand with a well-told story.

I sometimes forget that, and then something like Avatar comes along to remind me. It humbles me.

[boywhocantsayno]

I haven't seen Avatar yet, so don't worry about being the last. (The last movie I saw was Star Trek last year.)

And my MP is Dr. Carolyn Bennett - I'm fairly confident she's a supporter.

[felis_ultharus]

Indeed. And luckily it got through second reading without incident.

As for Avatar, it's worth it. As a science-fiction connoisseur, you'll know all these plots and tropes. But some things revel in originality, others in taking something old and polishing it, and Avatar's genius is mostly the second. That and it's sheer visual beauty.