Avatar, some thoughts

[omnifarious]

I watched Avatar recently with a friend. And we came away with some very similar opinions and some very different ones. Predictably, it was the difference of opinions that stuck and we had a rather strident discussion about it.

I do not wish to be worried about spoilers, so I'm just putting this whole thing behind a cut and not worrying about

Comments

[gamerchick]

I didn't care for Avatar at all for a bunch of reasons unrelated to what you talked about here (though I agree with you that the use of CG was stunning and that the film was absolutely a technological leap forward), but I wanted to say that I think you're right in the particular debate discussed here. I viewed the environmental elements of the film in the same way.

[vastatuuli]

I kept thinking that that's what the world has been like, that's how the peoples live who still live "in tune" with the nature, and we're pushing them deeper into the jungles and mountains. The movie was like a glimpse to the past where we can never go again.

On the other hand - like your friend, I had a hope that the film would touch people and remind them that things are completely connected in this world too. Avatar had it all very clearly on display, the connections were tangible and material, whereas in our world many things are invisibly connected. We see the connections when it's too late. I guess the people who interpret the movie the way I did already know the connections are there.

[cresal]

I kept thinking that that's what the world has been like, that's how the peoples live who still live "in tune" with the nature, and we're pushing them deeper into the jungles and mountains.actually, no. those people who "live in tune with nature" often don't. they often cause less disturbance (by FAR) than the much larger industrial societies, but hunter-gatherer societies still did and do drastically alter their landscape, hunt species to extinction, and wage war on each other. a human is a human is a human

[vastatuuli]

I see "I'm hungry" as a part of living in tune with nature :) Of course, it's detrimental to biological diversity if one species hunts other species to extinction and controls the planet like we do now (...or do we? you could ask). I guess Avatar is indeed another version of the noble savage myth, and you may be right that there was never such advanced harmony here, but there are peoples who live much closer to nature than we do. They know how to read the signs sent by the rest of nature, like with the 2004 Tsunami.

Your story somehow reminded me of the history of Easter Island. I don't remember it in enough detail to recite here, but it's another story where humans destroy an environment with their ignorance and desire to reach a certain goal. I'm hoping we'll know more about the world one day to make informed choices, and that's what technology should help us with (referring to a comment by someone else below).

[omnifarious]

... controls the planet like we do now (...or do we? you could ask).

We are strong enough to be dangerous to others and to ourselves, but don't know enough to use that strength in ways that are beneficial to ourselves. We really don't have any control because control requires understanding and we don't have much of that. We're just as likely to do something that severely hurts us as anything else.

At least, that's what I think. :-)

[omnifarious]

*chuckle* Hey, the word 'unobtanium' has been used in serious engineering research papers. :-)

[eonen]

Oh, c'mon...the Na'vi aren't all good; they had their typical snarky, dick-sizing, next-in-line-for-the-throne, don't-touch-my-girlfriend character in there, for example.

[omnifarious]

That's true. And you can sort of tell that that character is just bowing down to the Turok Mokto because politically he has no other choice. And Jake Sully throws him some political bones and makes it clear that he's not there to usurp his leadership of the clan, so he goes along with it figuring it can only enhance his own prestige.

So, yes, they aren't all good. But they certainly don't seem to have any of our really big problems.

[eonen]

Other than being fodder for furry conventions, no, I suppose not.

I have to admit, the thing I liked least about Avatar was that, yet again, it can boil down to "nature-good-technology-bad", and I really HATE that crap.

[oniaka]

What would YOU do to ensure you had your computer, cell phone, and your video games? If it came down to destroying the habitat of the hermit crab to ensure you kept your computers, cell phone, and video games, would you destroy their habitat, thereby destroying them?

Or would you give up your tech for the sake of those simple lives?

Bare in mind that using the Hermit crab is simply an example.

[bansheewail]

I too rolled my eyes a bit at "And you may choose a woman. We have many fine women."

Horseshit. You make them seem like some ideal society in every other way, and the men and women share all responsibilities and opportunities equally, except for the part where the men come of age or whatever and are suddenly capable of choosing their life mate, who just has to go along with it? That's fucked.

[cresal]

i actually got the impression that the woman had to choose the guy in return, that she could reject him if she wanted to. although they also had the arranged marriages thing going on, in which neither person usually has a choice.
i could be mistaken tho, i don't remember the exact details of that conversation.

[omnifarious]

The phrase he used was "I've already chosen. But, this woman must also choose me.". That strongly implies that's not the normal state of affairs.