posted by Sam Richards
Admittedly I have not seen the film. The last time I visited a movie theater was in 2005. Before that it was sometime in the early 1990s. I just don’t get out much. And while Avatar does seem like the kind of film that ought to be experienced on the big screen, it’s highly unlikely that that is where I’ll see it given my track record.
Nonetheless, reading this op-ed by David Brooks makes me a bit curious about the movie. Not sure why, really, as it sounds a lot like just another film from a long list of other films that I was neither drawn to, nor do I feel somehow deprived as a result of not seeing. But Brooks makes some serious accusations about a film that is being widely and universally viewed that it does make me curious about this persistent theme that just won’t go away — about how it is up to white people to save people from disastrous fates that might befall them.
I supposed one could readily argue that Brooks is reading far too much into the film. But these conscious and subconscious themes that drive popular cultures have a way of landing in us and shape our minds and hearts and just because you didn’t draw his conclusions from the film does not mean that he’s not dead on. In fact, if you’ve grown up in this culture and you haven’t not critically restructured your thinking about gender and race and culture and imperialism, then it’s highly unlikely that you would come to his conclusions. It doesn’t make him “correct” or you “wrong”–but I’d give his ideas time to gestate.
Here’s what Brooks had to say: The Messiah Complex
I have to disagree with what Brooks has to say. I think he just read a review or the plot and didn't really see the movie. The white messiah that he was talking about was actually a crippled ex-marine who finds freedom with the natives of that planet. There was no white is superior complex in that movie in the protagonist. If anything, the white people in the movie were the antagonists and treated the natives badly. I have seen this movie and it was a work of art. I am not white myself, but I can tell you that the protagonist was the perfect actor for that cast and even though the movie could have worked with a black or brown guy, the white guy seemed to be able to play that part well.
I saw this movie two months ago and I remember coming out of it thinking that it was another version of the movie District 9. There are a ton of movies in Hollywood that display these "white guy that saves the day" films. But there are also a lot of other movies with black guys saving the day such as will smith (iRobot, Independence Day, a ton of other movies) and Denzel Washington (I think he holds the record for the number of times he saved the day). If you go to abroad to say India, you don't see a white guy as a protagonist in their movies. The movies reflect the population. Most of the population in America is white and, lets face it, it is only right to have more of the protagonists and the side characters to be white, since people can relate to their skin color more. There are many movies that cater towards the other races living in America, but all these industries have one goal in mind when they make movies. Money.
Race has a role in determining how much money they make since having a minority or a foreign actor as protagonists doesn't really pay the bills all the time. The od-ed columnist has a good view point, but tried to use terrible examples to make his point out of. He said that the aliens in the movie were a mix of all the "non-white" races on the earth. I do not know what he was thinking or whether he was thinking at all when he made his statement, but these people in the movie are 12ft tall blue (I repeat BLUE) freaks of nature. I do not know what race has 12ft people in it, or whichever race that has people with blue skin. He mentions stereotypes when he talks about the movie, but my belief is that stereotypes only exist when you mention them. Mr. Brooks, when you complain about the stereotypes, you accept that they exist in a way. These past few years, I feel that this has been a sensitive issue and people are actually shying away from these topics. They will go away if people do not mention them. How else would you know that all Asian drivers are terrible and white men cannot jump if you don't hear it mentioned from other people?
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Brooks’ “White Messiah” has shed new light on the Avatar movie, at least for me. When I saw the movie (which I loved by the way) my thoughts were geared more towards the type of people (meaning their characteristics, nobleness and perspective of the world) that were considered to be the “messiahs.” What I took away from the film was more about interpersonal challenges, making ethical decisions, making fantasy worlds into reality and being awarded second chances like the main character (a cripple who, in his avatar body could explore with all the normal functions plus some). One reason I think I did not notice this White Messiah concept is because all of the avatars were an unnatural color to us, blue. I’m not sure if that was done intentionally to downplay the differences between the characters, but I personally think it was a good move. The cultural differences between the natives and the avatars were extremely obvious, especially in the early stages of the plot. But even still, I viewed the main characters’ interest in the native lifestyle and passion to lead them as something to do with his personal perceptions of the ideal way to live. Not only did he believe it for himself, but enough to encourage others that the native way of life was more pleasant in all aspects. I would also like to mention another character, the head of the project involving the actual training of the avatar bodies (I believe her name was Grace). She shared a lot of the same qualities and eventually values that the main character developed in the love for the pureness of a culture and society. Having someone to compare the main guy to, the traits—down-to-earth, selfless, passionate, and so forth—allowed me to categorize those who connected with the natives as a certain kind of people. I was generally always more interested in the depth of a person rather than the physical appearance, which is most likely why I didn’t notice Brooks’ approach right away (since all the avatars were blue).
With all of that being said, Brooks has a great point and very sufficient evidence to prove it. It is all totally logical, especially after looking into his examples (some of my favorite childhood movies). My question now is, now that this issue has been brought up what does it change? Will other films be hesitant to use this approach in fear of being criticized for it? Even though I understand Brooks’ theory in its entirety, I still think Avatar was a great film. But I’m not so sure about how I will react to future films now that I’m so aware of these issues. It is of course easier to point things out after you know what you are looking for. And from Brooks’ analysis, everyone seems to either love this particular storyline, or doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
While some may say that he was reading too much into the movie, I think that he read it quite well. However, I do feel that there was more to it than just the “White Messiah.” I’m sure that some of the issues that were attempted to be brought to light were related to personal challenges and finding a place in society; or out of it for that matter.
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At this point in time, I am torn between agreeing with David Brook's observations of Avatar, and what it seems like everyone else in the world's opinion of Avatar is. Brooks suggests that there is a central theme of the "White Messiah" in not only Avatar, but in countless movies in recent history. He is of the opinion that this is just another one of those movies in which a white man is thrown into a mix of another culture and forced to see the injustices of his own kind. It is up to this "white messiah" to help this foreign group of people live their natural and pure live the way they intended it to be, before the evil that he and his culture brought with them. To me, this seem likes a overstretch. Yes, while many of the general plot lines are similar in Avatar and Pocohantas, they have their differences too. Is it possible that Brooks is over thinking things? Could it be that these similar plot lines just make for an enjoyable movie? He justifies his argument by using the example of the romantic plot line. In both Avatar and in Pocohantas, the good looking white hero figure falls in love with the hottest, most desirable female from the other culture. I do not think this is an example of the "white messiah" trying to save his new found culture. This seems like the classic theme of forbidden love. Just like in the ultimate example, Romeo and Juliet, the story revolves around two lovers that by anyone elses standards couldn't be more wrong for each other, but they continue to see each other anyway. Why? Because it makes the story more interesting, it makes it thrilling. It makes it something the reader, or the viewer in this case want to keep watching. It could be something they want to experience: a love so strong nothing could stop it. Brooks is digging a little deep to support his theory. Isn't it possible James Cameron just wanted to create a movie that people could enjoy? A movie they wouldn't have to spend hours upon hours contemplating the the white mans need to better himself by bettering others? Cameron himself has said himself that despite the enormous box office success and the multi billion dollars the film has grossed he does not think it will win at the Oscars for best picture. He wanted a story that was cool and fun, and most of all visually pleasing. The effects in the movie have being called stunning and beautiful. Brooks is making a movie that was not meant to be thought provoking and controversial, and adding an element of white supremacy and burden.
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When I had first heard of the movie Avatar, I did not have any desire what so ever to see it. After being dragged to see it, I fell in love with the movie. Its graphics were amazing and, although it did drag on, the story line of there being another civilization out in space was thrilling. The thought of it somehow making whites, or maybe Americans, feel superior to other cultures didn’t cross my mind until I read David Brook’s article. Now I am putting two and two together. I guess I would have to agree that I didn’t take any notice to the ‘White Messiah’ complex probably because I am white. I suppose I have seen the whites as the heroes in a lot of movies so it didn’t seem strange to me. Even most Disney films have the handsome white prince save the princess. So I do agree with Brooks that there was a ‘savior’ for the natives but I don’t think he planned it to be about race or American culture. It could have easily been a Black Messiah or an Italian Messiah. Changing who the marine was would not have changed the plot or how much I liked the movie.
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continued… Even if the director meant for it to be a white American, he was probably doing that to show how greedy and materialistic Americans are. The movie shows we do not care about knocking down trees and such to get what we want. It also shows were willing to upset a whole community to get the resources we ‘need’. Seems familiar to what we did to Native Americans long ago. This just happens to be another similarity of Avatar and Pocahontas. Brooks is acting like the only reason the movie is so popular is because of the White Messiah complex, but I went with my black friend and he loved it just as much, if not more, than I did. He is one to pick on anything that has to do with white people, so I am sure if the movie was that offensive to other cultures that I would have heard about it from him.
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I too have yet to see the film Avatar. I am not a big fan of animation but only hear very good reviews about the movie. I have not heard about “White Messiah” in this movie in particular but I am well aware that it exists. After reading Brooks’ article I began to see how the movie could be viewed that way. Just the same in many TV shows the black character is the best friend while the white character is the main protagonist, the one making things happen. A Los Angeles Times author found racist parts of the movie “Dumbo”, the black crows spoke with what was considered black dialect in the 1920’s -1940’s.
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continued…
I think David Brooks needed an article for the paper and twisted parts of the movie to be able to argue his idea. I will admit some of it seemed legit, but I think he tried too hard to make the movie look like an offensive film against other cultures. Although I could have the opinion because I am white, and I do not want to think there is anything wrong with a ‘White Messiah’. I mean who cares who saves a native culture as long as it is saved.
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When I saw the movie Avatar I was mostly fixed on the special effects and how advanced they were; I guess that’s what happens when you spend $300 million on a movie. But after the initial fascination subsided I began to pay attention to the story line. I did not find the story to be that original or wonderful, and at some point during the movie my mind wandered to thoughts of Pocahontas. The story was once again the generic story of man who is immersed in a spiritual culture with instructions to destroy it. He then meets a beautiful woman, falls in love with her, realizes technology is bad and comes to the rescue of the people who are being persecuted. This story is nothing new, but I feel that the real essence of this movie was not meant to be found in the plot; It was meant to be found in the effects, and that a wonderful job was done with that.
Having said that, I feel that what David Brooks said about the movie is valid. In American culture there is a certain fascination with the “white messiah”. Maybe this comes from the facts that in the past white people have wronged others and we want to somewhat make up for in film. This story almost seems as an effort to unsoiled their image. This story reminds me of how the white people took over the Indians land. In this story the “blue people” are those that are very in tune with nature and spirituality. They reject technology and have a special connection with the land and their world. This is like how the Indians were spiritual. Then we have the money hungry white man who wants to destroy everything good and pure in the world for profit. This is like how the white man took the Indians land. In order to make the white man have a good image they show him rejecting the evil way of life with technology and greed and embracing the purity and simplicity of life. In an effort to help protect the innocent victims who are not white, he goes against his people’s evils and in the end helps good to prevail.
The movie Avatar is a good film but its story line is one that is not new. Since this was a high-budget film and was made by great writers I do think that the white messiah concept was intentional. Had this been a low budget film, it may be easier to say that Brooks looked far too into the script. I think that this movie is a film that people should venture out to the movies to see. When you watch it if you are aware of this concept, you will look at the movie from a different point of view.
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I think Professor Richards’ video post made a few great points. Our culture is like the water, and we are the fish. We don’t even notice it or understand it until we find ourselves out of it. I was not thinking about this when I wrote my first post, but looking back I have a few adjustments to my original argument. I talked a lot about archetypes and used them to justify things in the movie, but I did not really question them. Just because they are a part of our culture does not mean they are correct or automatically acceptable.
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I honestly found myself laughing halfway through the article. Brooks took a multi million dollar budget movie that took years to create and has had record ticket sales and simplified it into a few sentences- I don't think James Cameron would appreciate his analysis. Although I see where Brooks is coming from, I don't necessarily agree with everything he said. Yes, it's an overly repeated plot line that stars a white American hero. I don't really see a problem with this though- it's a movie, we know it's fictional. People in the movie industry are in it for money- this plot sells. You can't blame Cameron for capitalizing on this movie opportunity. I think the only way this repeated story is harmful to audiences is if they become close minded and begin to believe that the white man is the one and only hero. But with today's various media channels and opinion sources, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
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I find this post to be extremely interesting to me. When the movie Avatar first came out, I was entirely outraged by it for being a 20th Century Fox film, but I never thought about any of the social implications. I do not disagree with what Brooks has stated, but instead I consider it to be mostly true. In looking at several films just like this, his theory of the “White Messiah” certainly resonates throughout them all. It is not difficult to see how this plays a role within Avatar as well.
However, I am a little concerned with how much we rely on these theories to explain away all of the findings within movies. I hardly believe that as James Cameron was making this film he sat down and said, “Now I want the white man to be the hero of this story and to save the people of color from the evil men”. Sometimes I feel that we’re reaching too deeply into why things are the way that they are and why movies such as Avatar were made. This movie was made for entertainment. It was made purely for entertainment and because it would make 20th Century Fox the most money. Also, the special effects drew a lot of viewers to buy tickets to see the movie.
All of this considered, the findings of Brooks still hold true. When dissecting the movie the way that he has, it is still evident that his claims are certainly justified. I have to wonder though if this “White Messiah” thing is done on purpose or simply subconsciously. Do white men and women come up with these ideas on their own, or are the ingrained into their heads before they’ve ever considered the possibilities? Do they really find themselves to be the “heroes” if they’re really looking at a history of their ancestors?
It seems to astonish me that things like this are even still happening in films because when we look at the track record of white people, we have been anything but the heroes. In coming to America, we wiped out an entire race of people that had actually been here before us. After wards, we captured slaves off of the coast of Africa because we had the weapons and the man power to do it. We forced them into slavery and then when it was finally all said and done we still gave them no rights. It took years just for black men to be given the opportunity to vote in this country. It took years just to allow women to vote in this country and the people in power throughout our nation’s history have always been white men. Why is this whole “White Messiah” thing possible then anyway? What white man has ever really been a hero?
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When I first started to see previews for Avatar, I did not really want to see it. I kept reading and hearing things about how much money was spent to make this movie and how great it was going to be, but it did not interest me. And when I found out the movie was almost three hours long, I definitely did not want to go to the movie theater to see it (not to mention movies are so expensive these days anyway). I figured it would just be a movie I would rent and watch on my own time at some point in the future. My friends and family have seen the movie and raved about it and talked about all the awards it is going to win and blah blah blah. I am not that intrigued by it. However, now after reading about the “White Man Burden” and how that is brought into the movie I am interested. I think it is really funny seeing the similarities of Pocahontas and Avatar, considering Pocahontas is a cartoon that probably cost as much to make as Avatar made in the first weekend it opened. It is very interesting to me that this storyline is still being used now. I never really thought about this “White Man Burden” and how it is portrayed in many movies that I have seen; I did not even think twice about the movie or think about why the hero of a movie is always white. Why can’t batman, spider-man, or wonder woman be black, Chinese or Puerto Rican? Now thinking about it, it is really crazy to think that in so many movies the white man is the hero. For example in Pocahontas, I never even thought about John Smith being white and Pocahontas being Native American and how he comes in to try to change her or whatever (it has been a while since I’ve seen this movie). I am very surprised by the amount of movies that have underlying messages or hidden meanings that have to do with race. I do not understand why it is necessary and why it happens so often. I also feel as though some people may read too far into a story or movie just to find something like this, having to do with race. Even if the movie never mentions anything about race, someone will always try to piece things together to make something seem like more than it is. Maybe there is an underlying message about the “White Man Burden” in Avatar, but also maybe the main actor that was cast just happened to be white and that this movie is just an action movie that someone is reading too far into. Who knows?
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Avatar was not on my list of movies to watch over winter break. I have noticed that of my friends only the non black ones from college where interested in seeing the moving. Now do not mistake me for saying black people were not interested in this movie its just that majority were not so anxious to see Avatar. So the question I imposed was what type of movie is this that it only catches the attention of from my knowledge the more wealthy, or should I say have a better standard of living than most.
After reading these blogs I have noticed that this movie Avatar was a global award winning movie. So than I asked myself who really are the viewers. What type of people are getting some type of satisfaction out of this movie. Well of course if the movie is showing American's being gunned down and killed so unfortunately people get a satisfaction and empowering feeling to see the Masiah of most countries being stopped i their tracks.
I never noticed the white Masiah plot in all the movies I have watch, only because I never looked for it. Now that it has been mentioned more than eighty percent of the heroic movies I have watched has had the white Mashiah plot behind it. This is a serious issue the way media throws things in our face. Entertainment itself can blindly effect how one would perceive the world through 'hidden plots. Ever since I was young I was always able to manage to succeed in my school work, but when I was every I was unsure about a situation there we only certain people in particular I turned to for help. And those were people that I thought always had the answer. These people I am referring to are white people. Why couldn't I look to people of color for help. Because engraved in my head was that the heros or the people who can actually save you from trouble where the white people, although of the many different races I could have looked to for help were one of the least physically equipped people to conquer a situation. But because I thought they were intellectual I falsely believed they could solve any situation, all because that was just the idea blindly engraved in my mind.
This suggestion has been stated many times before, but maybe a solution to racial profiling may be to clear out some of the false stigmas found in the media, and using a more realistic approach to portray people of color and white people. This simple change may not change the attitudes if some adults but it will certainly change the views imposed on the young. Which in return will make the world less segrated based on ones negative display on people of our society.
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Brooks does bring up some interesting points in his essay, especially the notions of the native blue people being a compilation of cultures and the necessity of a “white leader,” however I am not sure that the aim of the movie is that sinister. The biggest achievement of this movie is the special effects, hands down. The script is pretty lacking. The story is overused. Obviously. James Cameron’s goal was to tell a story in an interesting, new way. Not necessarily to tell a new story. In truth, there are only a handful of stories out there. The “hero’s journey” is one of the oldest and most overused stories out there, but that didn’t stop everyone from loving the original Star Wars movie. In the same way, Cameron’s Avatar hopes to bring a new version of the “white messiah” story.
Are Avatar, Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, and similar movies racist? Inherently, yes. Are movies like Titanic, Scar Face, Cinderella, Gangs of New York and other movies depicting class struggle bias? Probably, yes. Are horror movies like Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween sexist because the first person to die is the promiscuous girl? You bet. They may be stereotypes, but they provide conflict, which you need in order to have a story. The reason moviemakers rely on these trite conflicts for their inspiration is because they’re familiar. For a person to get involved in a movie they are watching they need to be able to relate to the story. George Lucas modeled his battles in outer space from footage of aerial dogfights during WWII. This allowed everyone watching the movie to understand what was happening, despite the fact that they had never seen a real space battle. James Cameron introduces an alien race that has similarities to cultures that exist on Earth because he doesn’t have an entire movie to establish the customs and culture of an entire society. Exposition needs to be brief so that the audience can get back to the actual story.
Brooks does bring up an interesting point about the natives needing a “white leader” to bring them to victory. Admittedly, I had not even considered this before. Historically speaking, when two groups of people clash, the technologically superior tend to win out, so we are inclined to believe that the natives require outside help to prevail. Jake Sully provides this help. Yes, he is white. Does he NEED to be white? I don’t think so, as long as he comes from the culture of technology. The grand realization that occurs within Jake Sully is that the naturalistic way is more rewarding than the way of technology. But this is hardly a new idea. The Gothic style and its subsequent art movements are based on the notion that the “old way” was better than the “new way,” and stories like Avatar, Pocahontas, and Dances With Wolves provide unique circumstances where a protagonist must choose between the two extremes. I feel like the primary theme in Avatar is one of revering nature over technology, and our over familiarity with this theme immediately reminds us of other examples epitomized by race.
Yes, Brooks is correct in saying that the story of Avatar is “benevolent romanticism” that reinforces racial stereotypes, but does that mean it is a story NOT worth telling? Does it have no other redeeming morals or lessons for us? Furthermore, can the core story even be told without conjuring up these themes? Movies offend. Movies bring up emotions of anger, despair, hope, fear, love, animosity, etc. and that is why we are drawn to them. The emotions they evoke help us to realize the things about ourselves, others, and society that we aren’t content with. Even if Brooks is right about Avatar, its existence has stimulated a discussion we otherwise might not have had, so it can’t be all bad.
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I must admit, that when the highly anticipated release date of Avatar came out, I couldn’t give a crap. The previews for the movie left so many unanswered questions, the biggest one being what the movie was even about. However, while on vacation over winter break I was forced to see it in 3D with my family. Upon leaving the theater, I felt like my life was now complete. Not only were the graphics absolutely breathtaking, but I really did like the plot and overall moral of the film. Like the article mentions, I drew comparisons to three movies in particular, “Pocahontas,” “Dances With Wolves,” and “The Last Samurai.” In the case of Avatar and these look-alike films, the “Messiah Complex” is more than evident in the plots. In fact, it is so much so like it that I did not even have to watch the entire movie to know what was going to happen next. White people come and invade foreign lands thinking that they are the best; someone feels connected to the locals, stuff happens and the locals win the fight. This is almost exactly the same in so many movies, just slightly different details. But James Cameron took this complex to the next level. In setting the story fifty years in the future, he is putting out the idea that our views on “inferior” people will not change. And frankly, the way our society is being run, I could not agree with him more. If we think more about the idea behind the “Messiah Complex,” we can see from history that no civilization needs a white leader for survival. Before the pilgrims came to America and ended the way of life of Native Americans, they had been surviving for thousands of years on their own. So what that they’re technology was greatly inferior to ours and that their way of thinking was completely different, they still survived. Part of what made Avatar so interesting was the use of the complex. The natives in Avatar were bigger and better than the white people. I mean literally they are more than twice the size of humans, have lightning quick reflexes and brute strength, and they appeared to even be smarter than the humans. The only reason that they were tussling with the humans was because they did not have modern weapons. Instead, they relied on their plant to help them, and were literally “one with nature.” So while Avatar can be compared to “Pocahontas” and “Dances With Wolves” as all having a Messiah Complex, they are really in two different boats. But, all in all, Avatar is an excellent movie and I would recommend it to everyone, especially people who read this article and now know all about the Messiah Complex.
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I watched the movie and absolutely loved it, based on the special effects, and 3D aspect of it. However, I did find the plot all to similar, and predictable, yet despite my reservations I didn't consider the racial aspect of a white man, once again being the 'messiah'. For this reason, Brook's article was extremely interesting to me, it got me thinking about all the other movies with similar plot-lines to Avatar, and more often than not they followed the same pattern; A all conquering white hero, saving a primitive other. An interesting point raised by Brook is how the White hero miraculously becomes the best avatar of all, despite the lifetime of training of the locals. This, I believe is a common theme, and one that should be addressed. By doing this, Hollywood is effectively suggesting that, although the locals lifestyle is pure and spiritual, and the white's world is harmful and dangerous, if white poeple adapted to this primitive lifestyle they would be superior.
This is wrong on many levels, especially because it the hero were to be black I dont believe that the film would have been as successful. I would argue that writers, producers, and directors are tailoring the films to the majority white audiences need to relate to the hero of the film, based on him being like them. White. It is down to the film makers to remove this subtle form of imperialism. It is offensive to consistantly suggest that firstly, it is always a non-white race that needs saving, and that it is always the white people who are needed as saviors.
However, having said this, I do believe that the film portrays a good message about the damage we, the west, regardless of race, are causing our planet, and if, to give this message as much force as possible this type of film was needed, then it is possible that it served a purpose. And we should also consider that the avatars are supposed to be aliens, not any racial group that actually exists, and it is the much loved US military that are being attacked in this case, it is very possible that the reason that the hero is white, was actually because that one man was the best suited to play the role, based upon his acting ability.
Overall, I would say that something does need to change in the way that Hollywood chooses heroes and villains, and the those who are saviors and those who are being saved. All to often these roles are filled by racial stereotypes. For this reason, I would say that Brook's makes a very valid point, however, I don't believe this to be racism, more just mildly imperialistic.
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this is one of the many subjects with race that has no right or wrong answer to it in my opinion. The one way to look at it is to think that it is just a movie and how it was made was just one of the many ways he could have made it, but it has nothing to do with race just because the person who got the main role is white doesn't mean anything with white people trying to come in to save the day, its because he was the best actor for it. Also, on this point people are saying that the tribe resembles African tribes or a little Iraqi town. Well here is the thing, the movie is about a species that is on another planet and there BLUE. If James Cameron would have made them white and made them not tribal, then i dont think it would have been a very good movie, and organizations would have complained about there being no black or brown people in the movie. when you have movies like this with controversy, the person on this side of the story can never win, its a lose lose situation. Also, i do see the how people are pointing out the trend of white people having to come in and save the day. But my response to that is, i have watched plenty of movies when Denzel Washington or Will Smith come in and save all these wimpy white people from a sure death, and i don't see that so called black messiah being brought up. i understand that it looks bad because they are a tribe or whatever, but James Cameron starting writing this story when he was a little kid, do you really think he saw race when he was thinking of a story where all he saw was a hero saving the day? But i also completely agree with Sams video about white people cant see whats wrong if it has to do with the white. Maybe there is a correlation and i am just blind to it because im white, and that's scary to think. even if i am wrong, i still think that even if i am wrong, it is pretty stupid for people to get heated up over something like this, especially a movie. i personally just think it was a very well directed and acted movie. i just hope people can stop this always looking out for stuff that could be semi racist or look for the slightest controversy in something, and just appreciate a very good movie when they see one. but then again im white, so maybe i have no idea what im talking about.
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Though Mr. Brooks does take a very interesting and out there view of what the film Avatar is trying to portray, I cannot help but feel as if many of his thoughts are very justifiable. For those who have seen the movie Avatar, it is clear that the white man believes that he is correct in his destruction of the Avatar world. The white man does not recognize that rights and abilities of the Navi, rather believing that the culture and feelings of the white man are the only one that matters. This is a very controversial view of the film, however it is thought provoking.
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After watching James Cameron’s Avatar, it is easy to see where David Brooks is coming from. The plot is very clearly an ersatz of the plots of many movies such as Disney’s Pocahontas. There are a series of movies where a lone (white) savior to the indigenous peoples stops the oppressive white man, and all of them support Brooks’ theory about the “Messiah Complex.” It comes from the general idea that is drilled into the skulls of children all throughout the United States of America that our country was founded off of barren land. We are taught that all of the brave explorers came to America and established our great nation out of nothing. The brutal reality of the matter, however, is that those explorers took all of the land from the Native Americans.
The greatest genocide in the history of mankind took place right here in the Americas. Almost 90% of all the Native Americans that were here were killed. The true story is not that the almighty white man came and set up shop right in the Americas, it is that the explorers conquered and captured the land and took it away from the Native Americans. Now the American people think their forefathers are all saviors, and heroes. This is where the Messiah Complex comes into play. The movie is sure to be a success, due to the success of all the other movies with the exact same storyline. The only reason James Cameron’s Avatar stands out so much is because of the visual effects and 3D animation.
The reality of the matter is that not all indigenous people will need the saving of the white man. The main plot has a gigantic flaw as it is; the savior is saving the people from the white man, when he himself is white. All the plot shows is the white man causing a problem, then resolving it at the end. That does not make the man a savior, he is simply correcting his own mistake. The success of movies like James Cameron’s Avatar is a clear sign of the ignorance of the typical American citizen.
One minor annoyance that comes out of situations like this are the people who see the movie and feel like it is enlightening. They claim that it is a great story about how our tragic hero saves the day, and that it is touching. These are the typical American citizens that come across as ignorant and unknowledgeable. The movie, and these attitudes, perpetuates the stereotype that the white man is so much more enlightened, and that the natives are in need of enlightenment. This is obviously not true, but movies like this make it easy for ignorant people to convince themselves that it is.
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After reading this article, i became very happy to find that David Brooks had similar beliefs to mine. I had seen all the previews and trailers for Avatar and was quite excited about going to see it. I anticipated that the movie was going to be something spectacular or at least something like i had never seen before. I went to see it on a sunday night with a group of my friends, and after leaving the theatre, i was not impressed at all with the plot line in Avatar. Yes the special effects were amazing and several ocurrences in the movie were very eye opening. However, it was just like Brooks said. After watching the movie for about a half hour, I could tell where the movie was going. It was going to be a classic battle of good vs evil, and obviously the good guys would inevitably prevail and win the war. That was the main reason why I did not enjoy Avatar nearly as much as i thought going in. I know many people who think Avatar was the greatest movie ever, and I think that's complete garbage because there are so many other movies out there that are much better. I think most people just follow the crowd, and everyone is just agreeing that Avatar is great and forming their own opinions at all. The media tells the public that Avatar is great, and the public believes it. I agree with Brooks in many ways. There are many movies out there that contain the white messiah story. Whether or not this implies something about the real world, I'm not quite sure. There does seem to be some type of correlation that can be made between white people seeing Jesus as "white" and also with the recurring theme of a white messiah as the hero who saves the lives of many. Either way, the messiah is a very popular theme in entertainment today. It makes sense becuase people seem to enjoy these movies, and will keep opening up their wallets and filling up the theatres. However i do not believe that most people even consider the white messiah to have any deeper meaning than besides what is said in the movie. It never came to my mind when watching Avatar or Dances with Wolves that it could mean something that the hero is always white. I never heard it talked about amongst friends or anything so I'm assuming that people do not tend to think about that kind of thing. However, film makers do take their work very seriously as it is their job, so it would not surprise me to learn that there are many deeper meanings behind movies. I don't think i would want to be a person to decide if the movie has hidden meanings. I really think the only person who can give credible commentary on the movie would be the writers and directors. It doesnt mean as much to me when i hear people's thoughts on movies meanings when it's not the writers saying it.
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I have not seen Avatar, but I just wanted to say that after reading this article I think that the public tends to look into these cultural similarities and deep dark undertones in these motion pictures that come out with media hype. I don’t know if its necessarily a good or bad thing, but I think many are quick to judge and say for example this Avatar movie is trying to make a comment about white people. I think the public loses sight of that movies are for entertainment and when you dig deeper into the movie you won’t ever really know what the director or writers were thinking.
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As many others have pointed out, the Messiah Complex column certainly made me stop and think. The oft-used plot device has been around for a very, very long time, and I can’t say that I nor other people haven’t noticed it – I think we have noticed it, but immediately forgot it, as it’s so familiar to us and apparently deeply ingrained in our culture of storytelling.
Looking back, using the white guy as a messiah to a different culture seems silly and absurd to me, but I get it. Yeah, we white people are trying to validate and legitimatize our rampant colonialism (which goes on even today: worldwide McDonald’s, anyone?) by saying, “Hey, we mean well! Some of us are bad, especially the big scary corporations and hired military, but good will come out of it! We promise!” However, in addition to self-aggrandizing, I think one of the reasons we use that basic plot so much is because it seems like it could happen. How many legends or prophecies speak of saviors who will come from afar and look and act differently from the people, or something similar? I may be wrong – that might simply be a device used in stories and movies to legitimatize the white messiah plot.
To use a Disney-esque movie as an example, The Road to El Dorado uses a plot similar to that. The two main characters (plus a horse) find themselves worshipped in ~the new world~ by natives, as their faces (as well as the horse’s, oddly enough) bear a striking resemblance to those of the deities (and their horse) of said natives, as inscribed on a big huge rock. These two take advantage of this, get found out, etc etc, and these two white guys (and their horse) wind up saving the city that they’ve grown to love from the famous Cortez. I could go on and on and on with examples crazy similar to this, but the point is to further show that this complex, issue, whatever you want to call it, is more prevalent than I, and probably many others, thought, especially in movies, and that it’s utilized in more ways than just “dude defects from his culture to join and save another that is being threatened by his own”.
Do I think it’s an issue that needs to be rectified? Not really, but that could just be because it’s the water I’ve been living in. I think the bigger message in Avatar (and Pocahontas, etc etc) is that it, along with many other movies, present big corporations as greedy jerk-offs who will exploit and kill and destroy in order to turn a profit. While this may be true in some cases, the movies really only present the story from one side: the side of the exploited, killed, and destroyed, and I can’t honestly believe that it’s as black and white as that.
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I havent really seen the movie yet, but i know this movie brought out a revolution in new technology for film making which is going to be followed for many years to come. watching a movie in 3d is whole new experience. i think the movie was meant more to bring out the story with the use of cutting edge technology rather than to bring on a racial debate. I think that any movie made has an ambition to earn money, as 'avatar' was made in the USA and directed towards an american audience, they would prefer the protagonist to be white as the people would be able to relate to the movie in a personal way.
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I actually saw Avatar in theaters when it first came out. I have to say the movie was amazing. The special effects and the storyline made this one of the more interesting movies I have ever seen in my life. How James Cameron came up with this storyline was behind me. It took him over 4 years to make this movie and watching it, you can see why. I have to say that I have to disagree with the fact that this shows anything towards Native Americans. I do not think this is meant to be looked at like when people first came to America and stole the Native Americans land. I for one think people look too far into things and this movie is a prime example. I also do not believe that there was a way to show a white man as a hero. If you ask James Cameron, this movie had no intent to do any of those things. People just find a way to look deeper into things and complain about everything these days. I think this movie was more to show how people of earth take for granted everything and will do anything they can to make themselves better off. In the movie, the whole point of them being on their planet is to get this rear diamond which sells for millions. I really believe it was a shot at corporate America and how they do whatever they can, however they can just to make more money. All in all, this movie was just made for pure enjoyment and someone like Brooks just wants to make a name for himself by trying to point out things that really aren’t anything at all. This movie wasn’t about a white man standing up to be a hero; it was about a person standing up for the rights of other people. Someone who saw what was going on was wrong and decided to take action against all of it. If you watched the movie, one of the humans who helped the avatars was actually a Mexican female, so you really can’t argue that it was about white people trying to be heroes. I think Brooks’ argument is completely taking things out of context and I think he is just trying to make a buzz about something because he knows people will listen to him. After all, this is one of the biggest grossing movies ever, so why not try to make a name for yourself by making up something to get yourself some attention. I will not give this a second thought because I feel like his argument is completely made up. If he hadn’t done this nobody would know who he was. So, I do not agree with him at all.
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When I heard about Avatar I figured it would be another Hollywood film. However after hearing the hype about it and actually watching it in 3-D I found the entire cinematic experience quite thrilling. The movie was created by James Cameron to push the boundaries of movie making technology and I thought he did a wonderful job. As for the story it was a typical story of a hero saving people from the villain. However this movie would have failed if the story was sub-par. James Cameron would have failed in his ambition to push the limits of movie making if he chose a story that did not show some creativity or appeal. The story is very similar to that of Pocahontas and many other films but its set in the future. Many people would say this theme has been over played ever since the movie industry began. Such a person is David Brooks and he believes that this theme which he considers to be the white messiah story is depicted in many movies. He makes note that the white messiah fable is somewhat offensive and I tend to agree and disagree somewhat. The story itself is something that everyone can appeal to, when the white man invades sees the destruction and changes sides and saves the indigenous people. He considers this offensive because it stereotypes that the natives need a white man to be their leader. I never got this message whenever I watched Avatar or Pocahontas but maybe he did and his prejudices may be coming out by trying to convince us that the story is racist in some way. Now I think it may seem racist to some people whereas I see it as James Cameron not trying to force himself to be diverse in casting which many TV shows and movies tend to do now adays to be politically correct. There is always a woman or black or Asian person in the cast that plays a prominent role. Now I’m not saying that they are bad actors just that there is this trend to try to forcibly diversify our world. I say just let things take their own course and everything will sort itself out. Now the whole racist messiah fable is ridiculous because how can it be racist when the story depicts the white man as being oppressive and aggressive and militaristic. How are these flattering traits to put on white people? Brooks argues its racists because of the negative feelings that this messiah fable puts on the native people who tend to be non-white. Why is being spiritual and athletic poor traits to put on a set of people? Remember its all fantasy so who really cares? I just sit back and enjoy the movie and if I want to hear something political I turn on the news.
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I have seen the movie and found the theme to be more anti imperialism in the vain of early American history. when we stole land from the Aboriginal Tribes that were on the continent before the European settlers even knew this Continent existed. I found the movie to be about the dangers of allowing personal and national entitlement to put down the rights of people who are either technologically or intellectually inferior. this is a theme I think we can all look to as an example of our thirst for oil the countries where oil is rich are adapted to a lower national income and companies exploit this in order topad thier portfolios, despite the environmental and cultural impact it will cost. that is how I saw the movie. on a personal note I found it an enjoyable example of artistic tech and story telling.
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I’m glad that Brooks wrote this article because the familiar “white hero” tale has been really irking me for quite some time. While I have not seen Avatar, I have seen Pocahontas so apparently I have the storyline down. However, most of the “white hero” cinema that has bothered me over the years is Disney movies. I loved watching Disney princess movies as a child and, much to my poor Mother’s delight, would watch the same one repeatedly. Whether it was Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, or The Little Mermaid, I would dream about growing up to be just like the beautiful and brave princesses that I saw on the TV screen. I always wondered what it must have been like to grow up with these incredibly popular movies and be black or brown. I still can’t understand for the life of me why Disney continually produced movies with white heroes and heroines. Honestly, even as a child, I thought this was pretty messed up and not necessarily because I really understood the meaning of it, but because I had black hair and I thought Snow White was ugly, so it was hard for me to pretend to be the other girls because they had different hair colors than me. However, it made me think that looking completely different from the girl who was always the most brave and the most beautiful must be really hard. It took until the 1990s to get to Aladdin, which featured Arabs (at least I’m assuming based off the song Arabian nights), but one nonwhite cast out of dozens of Disney movies isn’t enough. I remember the first time I saw an advertisement for the most recent Disney film The Princess and the Frog. I was momentarily happy. “Alright,” I thought, “they’re finally doing a film about a black girl that all little girls can look up to.” About 20 seconds later, I realized that they turn her into a frog about five minutes into the movie, but don’t worry not everyone turns into a frog. Her white friend remains human and stays with her throughout the film. You have got to be kidding me. Actually, I’m still pretty mad about it. I’m sure little girls will still idolize the princess from the film, but really Disney? You finally give us a black girl and she’s on the screen for less than a quarter of the movie? I think its time for the people in the movie industry to make things a bit more equal when it comes to casting. I’m absolutely sick of seeing the “white hero” over and over again especially when it comes to films for children. So, now that I’m fairly angry over the issue of inequality in the film industry, I think I won’t be going to see Avatar after all.
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I would like to state that I haven't seen Avatar, so my thoughts on the movie may be skewed. However, after reading Brooks' article on this relationship between the film and the "white messiah complex," I got better understanding of how this underlying "formula" (as Brooks calls it) is used in the movie industry. As Brooks' stated, Avatar is not the first movie where a director has applied this white messiah molding to. To be honest, I have seen some of the movies that follow a similar storyline and at that time, I didn't really give much time to think about something so obvious. Though after some thinking, I'm really not that surprised that this storyline is followed for many reasons in addition to just race.
First, one of the primary reasons that movies are even produced is to make money. In order to do this, a superior cast of actors, a great deal of advertising, and probably the most important, a story that will really capture the audience is needed. In the case with Avatar's director spending nearly a half a billion dollars to make, I don't really blame the director or producers for simply using the "white messiah" mold especially since it's storyline has led to many academy awards on many accounts – the goal for many movie makers. So ask yourself, if you were a movie producer and contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to a movie, would you really want the writer making the risk of choosing someone not fitting the attributes of the typical main character? While many people may not understand why the "messiah" can't just be someone "non-white", take some time to really think: would the movie really be that great of a deal or seen as something special by MOST people if the movie's "messiah" was "black" or another race? Most likely not, plus it is an extreme risk that the cast and staff would be taking in terms of money.
I believe the main point of choosing a "white" person as the savior is because he is viewed as the complete opposite of any "culture" in comparison to "non-white" people. If a "black" person were the "messiah", I think white people would just think, "oh look, it's just another minority helping another minority…nothing spectacular." Seeing as how most movie producers are white, why would they invest their money on something that may not attract the audience?
Now my statements don't mean I like or agree with the whole "white messiah" storyline, I just understand why it's done and why it's continued.
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I have not seen the film avatar, but I can see what they are saying how it’s always a white person that’s a hero. I think that we look too far into race and people over think it. I don’t think that they choose a white person just because they think greater of white people I think that racism has made it really far. We have a black president so what does that tell you, I don’t think that people really care today anymore what race you are. We have people in interracial relationships which are something you wouldn’t see long ago and I think we came really far. I don’t think that we have come to a complete conclusion; we are working on equality I feel as time goes on.
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Even for gender as well we have come really far in history. I think that we have a lot to learn about cultures also. One country may do something really unique, but it doesn’t make that wrong for their culture. Everyone is different and just because something someone does you may thing is weird, well they probably think you are weird too. When we talk about class, it’s always the upper class and rich people who are viewed as great, whereas the poor are the ones who are working to get by with their best efforts that just always get looked down upon.
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I don’t think you should be defined in a class as rich or poor. Everyone is equal, although we still are not treated that way. I think that everyone should always be treated with respect. I think that we need to stop judging people in the world we are all created equal. We haven’t come to an end on racism yet, but hopefully soon we will realize that we are just humans all trying to do the same thing. Maybe one day people will realize that they could have a black person to play a major role in a movie like avatar. What does it mean to be black or white? I never have to think about it. I just see everyone as the same and equal. It doesn’t matter to me who they are weather white or black to play a role in a movie as a main character. If you’re a good actor it doesn’t matter what your race is and I don’t think anyone cares what your race is. If everyone was treated equally we wouldn’t have issues over who plays what role in a movie. And weather we are going to make an argument about roles that are played in movies and who plays what role I think that we all should stop over thinking about what race you are and if that determines what role you play.
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Before seeing Avatar, I had no idea of what the movie was about and what it entailed. But, after watching the movie I understand each of the characters portrayals and objective of the movie overall. After reading Brooks article and watching Dr. Richards commentary on Brooks article, the thought of race never entered my mind as a cartoon or a fictional character. I never really put two and two together to think that the main character or hero in most animated movies were white. And that there were very few other ethnic races that acted in a major role in a film. I think this is a theme that is highly coincidental. I don’t think that producers and animated creators actually sit at meetings and judge what race their main character is going to be portrayed as. I mean, if they actually do that- that would be utterly crazy and surprising! That would also be extremely sad considering that fact. So, I think that Brooks’s opinions about the white race being the dominant hero is misconstrued.
However, the society that we do live in goes over many points that Brooks talk about in his article. We talked in class about how race has nothing to do with income and power. Apparently as he sees the world, white people are the ones with most success and gain more power moving up. I love how he talks about in the article that most Native American, Asian, and Vietnamese (or as the peace loving natives) as the aliens are slender and beautiful looking and that’s how they are categorized in society today. This is so false and such a stereotype.
I understand the fact the white people think they need to fix the whole race issue and the trials and tribulations that go along with this problem. I understand it, does not mean I totally agree with it. I think this idea of one race thinking there is room to change the rest of people’s minds with race is absurd. I think we as people need to let us live our life by not judge whether someone is white, or brown. I think this Brooks guy is on a philosophical step way before us, and his personality of race really needs to change. After reading his in depth article, I totally disagree with many of the things he says. I just don’t understand why he just can’t watch the movie, enjoy the experience and move along. Most movie critics rate the movie specifically; he just brings up issues that aren’t even issues. They are only issues when they are picked out in this way, and that they specify certain targeted objectives that are totally unnecessary. Why is it necessary to pick out the most absurd qualities like race, and judge the worst aspect of this category.
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I saw “Avatar” as soon as it came out into theaters and I thought it was a fantastic movie about a man who ended up with no place among his own people and found a home among another people. I think that too many critics and other people have read too far into the movie, however the argument Brooks makes does make sense. The “White Messiah Complex” is a legitimate theory which has evidence to support it. I mean what he says about the movie he list is true. They’re all share a common plot just in different contexts. I’m only familiar with “Avatar”, “Dances With Wolves”, and “The Last Samurai”, and in my opinion they’re all very good movies with intriguing stories.
When I saw “Avatar” and the other movies, I took them only at face value, enjoying them for what they were, but they can certainly be read into further. I don’t think that the movies are meant to portray white people as superior just because of the fact that protagonists are white. In fact I think it is the opposite, because as a whole it is the white culture that becomes the antagonists. I think that the films are more about the ridiculous level of corruption brought about by power. In each of these films it is the whites who are trying to take things away from native people that they have no right to by trying to steamroll and essentially wipeout the native populations. It’s pretty hard to sympathize with people who murder of material things.
The “White Messiahs” who are taken in to these various cultures whether they are yellow, red or blue people, bring part of their culture along with them and always seem to benefit the cultures they’re taken into. All of these stories have different outcomes when the native people ultimately face off against the impending white military threat. In “Avatar” the Na’vi, the large blue natives, vanquish the threat and regain what was their’s to begin with. In “The Last Samurai” the native, old school samurai warriors are wiped out when facing off against the Japanese military, who are provided by the United States with superior technology. So, in that case I don’t really think the “White Messiah Complex” is really all that relevant.
Either way what Brooks said does have some relevance to all of these movies, and I agree with Dr. Richards that it’s very difficult to share the viewpoints of others without stepping outside your own culture and experiencing that of other people. I have grown up in the same culture my entire life so I don’t have a reconstructed way of thinking about my culture, but it is certainly different than others around the world, especially smaller groups of people native to their lands who don’t have the level of exposure to outside influences.
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When Avatar came out I was so excited to see it. Ever since the first commercial I saw for it I was anxiously awaiting the day for its release. I saw it the night it came out in i-Max 3D and I enjoyed it a lot. However, I can honestly say that not once during the movie did I draw the same conclusion that David Brooks did about the "White Messiah." I personally try not to think that in depth while watching a movie. I feel like the point of a movie is to sit and watch and enjoy the ride. Now movies with complex plots and such do require you to think, but I feel like drawing a conclusion like David Brooks did is just too in depth. I honestly do not think James Cameron had the "White Messiah" figure in his mind when he created the movie. I do agree that directors and producers sometimes have hidden messages and such in their movies, but I feel like this assumption by Brooks is just too bold. It seems that this plot is a common plot in Hollywood and I believe that James Cameron took that into consideration when he decided to make this movie. I believed he realized that movies with plots about a person saving a whole community are popular to the audiences and that is why he decided to make this movie. I honestly do not believe that he created this movie with the thought in his mind that a white person is saving a whole civilization of black and brown people. The people of Pandora in the movie are like alien creatures, they are not real humans who are of a different race and ethnicity. So I feel like it is a stretch for David Brooks to say that the "White Messiah" is saving black and brown people because they people in the movie are no where close to black or brown. Overall, in my opinion the plot of Avatar is a common plot in Hollywood because it appeals to the audiences very well and the movies are often box office hits. I do not think the directors of these movies created them to depict how powerful the white race is and how the other races need the white people to save them.
Even though I disagreed with Brooks' idea of the "White Messiah" and its role in Avatar, I do see where he is coming from. I feel like America and white people have this belief that they are the superior race and all the other races are going to need us for salvation. I also agree that this plot is used quite frequently in Hollywood and directed by white directors.
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I saw the movie 3 times and I like how the James Cameron chose to use aliens instead of people to show how f**ked up human beings as a species can be. It was very objective in the fact that as a human race we need to change, because our society is mostly driven off of money and power. As an Black person I was not offended by the film. I liked how it incorporated a lot of different races that have been oppressed. Some of the Navi showed similarites to Native American's and African Americans. The movie had people from all different nationalities as supporting characters in the movie. I felt like everyone could take something away from the movie, and if you thought it was just another spin on pocahantas you totally missed the underlying message of the film, that we as a whole need to change.
If anything it demonized white people, showing them as heartless and doing anything to get money or gain land. Even if that meant the genocide of the entire Navi race, or in the past the since we are talking about Pocahantas the largest genocide in history of Native Americans.
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I do a lot of work in the Lesbian & Gay, & African American community and honestly if we are going to make any changes we do have to get White people to get on the bandwagon and realize what they have in their "Invisible Knapsacks" as Peggy Macintosh would say. White people are at the top of the pyramid of priviledge and if we want change yes it's going to start with ourselves pushing for the change, but lets be realistic a large percentage of the United States government is White, so we got to think about our audience. So as far as the white man saving us oppressed people that is partly true and I am not ashamed to admit, I'm saddened but that is the way it is. I wish it was different but it is the truth. Money = power plan and simple.
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Like many people that I speak to or whose reviews I read, I saw Avatar and loved it. Avatar is a movie where I felt like I really got my moneys-worth because of how truly entertained I was. While the plot may not of been among the most original I’ve seen, the way that the movie was animated was unlike any movie ever made before. I will even go as far as to confidently say that I think Avatar will do for animation what Titanic did for special effects, set the bar a little higher. I think that Brooks makes very good points, which to be quite honest, I didn’t think of myself until reading what he wrote. However, I don’t necessarily agree that the issue of a “white messiah” was a prevalent theme in the movie. I understand where Brooks’ ideas have a foundation, as the “white messiah” is a “fable” that is relevant in many movies, such as “Dances with Wolves” and “Pocahontas.” Not only is this a formula for a good movie, but the “white messiah” idea can be seen in our own society, for example in the cases of Hurricane Katrina, or the more recent earthquake in Haiti. A disaster occurs and all eyes turn and wait for the white man to step in and save the day. On that note, however, times are definitely changing and proving this fable to be heading into the obsolete. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the world waited to see what George Bush’s next move would be and how he would help the poor African-American families affected in New Orleans. Now, just a few years later, all eyes turned to our nation’s African-American president to lead the way in aid and relief efforts for Haiti.
Avatar’s plot was based around a white ex-Marine, who was serving more or less as a mercenary who was to exploit the environment of a peace-loving society on another planet. Our hero ends up becoming one of the Avatars and helps them to protect themselves and their environment from destruction by his own corporate world. I think this theme was a typical “unexpected-hero-saves-the-day,” rather than a “white messiah.” I don’t think it was relevant to the movie that the hero happened to be a white guy, and in this case I think that Brooks almost looks a little too deep when analyzing this movie. I kind of think maybe he is just being cynical and looking for a reason to pick apart a movie that has grossed more money than any other ever produced. As other bloggers posted below, if the hero had been a black man, would the plot have changed? I say no. It was irrelevant whether the hero was black, white, asian, etc.
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I really don't think that this movie had anything to do with race. I'm from India and have lived in London for a few years, I know that if this sort of film were to be made in India, the protagonist would have been an Indian or any brown man for that matter. For example the movies under the brand '007 James Bond' are British movies therefore always have a British actor as the protagonist. The main purpose of this movie is to show the use of technology to bring out the story of the movie, which is supposed to be amazing. therefore I don't think that race has anything to do with the movie having a white protagonist as the movie is an American one.
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After I read David Brook's op-ed I immediately thought to call my father due to it relating to a previous debate my father and I had. The debate was over the repetitive pattern of the white, typically male character being the hero or at least surviving the whole movie. The other side of it was the notice of Hollywood purposely using a more diverse cast now so more than ever.
My father and I thought similar to Mr. Brooks idea that the movie sadly fit the typical pattern of white dominance over society. The idea that a white man can go into any environment and believe they are superior or have power over a something. I am not saying this is a true in reality but it is a common theme in film. How often have you seen a movie where a Hispanic character or any minority character go into a society and save everyone, where its not a ghetto or a prison, or a poverty-stricken school, or a comedy film. Never, especially if the populace they save is a majority white population. I mean there could be many reasons for choosing his particular cast. I love the main actor especially in Terminator and Sajorney Weive r(mispelled, i know), but there is definately a purposeful image Cameron is portraying. This image is a dominant image over society.
One thing that always bothered me was the fact that alot of times when there is a minority character that could be as potentially strong as the white main character, they are almost always killed off. I loved seeing a strong, beautiful, latina female kickass in the movie, but of course she dies and is treated like she meant nothing in the movie. Without her character the main character wouldn't have survived, but she is sacrificed.
It could mean nothing, but still another example of a common pattern in Hollywood.
At first when I read the op-ed I thought, he's reading too much into it, but as I thought about it more, and I am a huge movie buff, it is a common theme I see in movies. You see the white character swoop in and save the day most of the time in blockbuster movies. Nowadays though there are more movies coming out with black main characters. For example, the remake of the Karate Kid with Will Smith's son. Something like this is obviously saying something since the past karate kid was a teenage white male. Diversity is growing in Hollywood. Which is good but my hope is that it is not being done on purpose to fulfill a quota or to make Hollywood look good. I hope to see more Hispanic actor and actress, or any minority be the next one being fought over when casting for the next action star that's in all the movies. I think avatar would be a completely image and the response would have been different if it were a more diverse cast on the human side. I am not trying to say, minority actors would be better than white actors but it would certainly mix things up.
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I think Brook's brings up a good point about the movie Avatar. I never really paid much attention to who were the heros and the vitims in many great American movies, but they do all hold the same plot. However, in clear that not too many people are offended by many of these great movies. People obviously love these types of plots and pay money to go see them over and over again. I don't think James Cameron meant any harm by his geat billion dollar film idea, he was just giving people what they want. However, it is a shame that people have internalized the race factor of whites being hero's and people of color being the ones needing to be saved all the time. It just goes to show that our countries history has created many unfair social facts in our society.
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In terms of underlying themes and messages there really is a lot going on throughout the entire film. David Brooks definitely presents a very valid argument that I honestly did not see. I mean, of course, the “white messiah” concept resonates on at least some level throughout the film. It is supported in one way or another in many films these days. Either way, I think, as some have already pointed out, Avatar is about much more than the plot and the “white messiah.” Yes, the plot was ridiculously similar to previous films, Disney’s Pocahontas especially, but so what, it worked and there is really a lot more to the movie. Maybe it is cliché, but it serves a purpose and has an intended effect. James Cameron really does a great job in terms of making people react the way they did to this film. It is by no surprise that, upon leaving the movie theater, you are encouraged to step back in an attempt to reevaluate yourself and your priorities.
Personally, I loved James Cameron’s Avatar. Yes, it is in some respects strikingly similar to its predecessors, but so what. The fact that James Cameron has effectively created an entirely new and unique world, a place definitely worth visiting cannot be overlooked. At no point during the actual movie did I consciously recognize any racial or white supremacist undertones. That said, I wasn’t really looking for them because more times than not, my intention in going to the theaters merely is to enjoy the movie. Even now, after acknowledging that there is something else going on, that the “white messiah” idea does in some respects exist, it doesn’t matter. Well worth seeing, definitely.
Oh, and while we, or some, are criticizing Avatar, I have heard of some ridiculous argument that the destruction and eventual collapse of Hometree, the habitat of the Na’vi, is offensive to those affected by 9/11. That is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think. Another I have come across claims Avatar is a “bad movie” because it champions pantheism, which is most simply, the worship or reverence of nature. I don’t know if I necessarily believe in the argument, but it does seem to go hand in hand with the white messiah argument, as pantheism is seen as primitive, while perhaps, Christianity, which is a monotheistic (believing in one god) religion, is somehow and in some way superior. I think Avatar promotes the respect, rather than the worship, of nature more than anything. The fact that the Na’vi can literally link and more accurately, harmonize themselves with nature really drives that point home. Further, I feel as though it is a metaphor for how human beings should approach life – with a concern and appreciation for nature.
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I think that there are many not so subtle messages in Avatar, but they are not necessarily as race related as one might think. Obviously, the film is very derivative. If you took Dances with Wolves and Pocohontas (and Aliens. The drop-ship pilot is the same character), their children in the year 3000 would be this movie. I think that the more accurate message portrayed is not that the white man has to come and save everyone, but more that the more advanced civilization can’t be defeated without a member from that civilization helping them. Now I agree that the way most movies portray this (Last Samurai, Pocohontas, etc) is with a white man being the hero. However, I thought one of the big things that Avatar went for wasn’t a racial difference but a difference in species. Race, interestingly enough, doesn’t really translate into the movie for me because the main character really ceases to be human as he embraces his role as a hero. It does still, however, imply that the other civilization is still inferior without the help of him and his human friends. So with the backdrop of a superior civilization in those times, most of these stories take place in colonial era. While the social aspects of these civilizations can be debated, I don’t think that anyone really argues the countries in Europe, who were mostly white, were the most powerful in a pure military sense. They were also very aggressive in their conquests, and this is very easy to label as wrong or presumptuous. So if I were to choose a bad guy to portray taking away things from less superior cultures from a military standpoint, I would absolutely choose the white guy FROM EUROPE taking from a native person in another world, and I don’t really feel bad about that. Again, I think that the thing we need to deal with is the issue that only the person from the “superior” culture can save the native peoples from destruction. It is basically implying that all their spiritualism/pride as a nation is all for naught unless they can convince someone from the other side to see their way. There are so many stories about an inferior culture or people defeating a near invincible foe against the odds. The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae or the Russians during WWII. The movies made about those also catch flack for depicting the villain in a certain way (yea, maybe Persians had a case for 300.). The point is that the story structure is such that the superior army is always evil, and it is sheer coincidence that it happens to cross racial boundaries. On an end note, Ferngully is a sweet movie, and there should be more movies based off of it.
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I think its very hard to rationally discuss “The White Man’s Burden” as a white person, I always in a way want to plead the fifth. I’m white. I did nothing wrong. I don’t consider myself a racist. But it’s the history of white people—the role they play in the lives of every other race—that certainly is still a dominant issue—an issue still prevalent in our every day culture, especially in pop culture. Just because I did nothing wrong as white person does not mean that my race is completely innocent of the prejudices against other races. The “white man” as a savior has been a persistent theme throughout movies, tv shows, and other forms of mass media . I have yet to see the movie Avatar but from the description in the article I think it does—even if unintentionally—recycle the idea of the “white savior.” I think its interesting to note how even in most Disney movies the villains are always darker than the heroines. The natives are always perceived as people that need saving, when maybe—just maybe, they didn’t need saving at all. This idea is instilled in us from a very young age and we don’t even realize it. I think you could look at almost any modern age movie or tv show and if you’re looking for it—find elements of racism—the unintentional , institutionalized racism that tends to hide under the radar in our everyday lives. I think the heroine in Avatar may have been unintentionally white but throughout time if a certain idea is consistently drilled into your head you’re going to sub-consciously believe it and it’s going to show up in your work and in your ideology without you even knowing its there. I think this is what may have happened to the director of the film. Also, I think you could look at the white man as the invader in the situation which is weird because as much as white people are never the natives of a certain land I (since I am a white person) kind of always think of them that way—especially in a movie type setting. To criticize the movie as a racist movie would be wrong. I think it—just as our entire culture seems to do at times—ignores the possible racist tendencies underlying certain themes. I think it would be easy to assume the author of the article is reading way too much into this but I think he is onto something. Avatar is NOT the only movie this idea is consistent in. I think we all need to take a step back and look around and wonder why certain presumably racist themes are constantly reoccurring in pop culture?
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First off it is a movie. OK? I know there are a lot of hidden things but the truth is these are not hidden. Do not just think to yourself “Hm I never thought of it that way.” Because you did know. And when it comes to Sam stating the obvious, if you have not seen the writing on the wall before this, than you do not belong in college. For the majority, white people control everything in America, do not act surprised. Of course movies are going to have a white guy as the good guy. Have you ever seen a black James Bond? NO. It is not because Hollywood is racist but since a white guy originally made Bond, James Bond will remain white. I’m not saying I am all knowing or anything but people need to stop tip toeing around this stuff and just face reality. And you can call me a pessimist but I am not, I am a realist. We talk about affirmative action and “how is there still racism now?” Well we may have grown up in a different time, but our parents (the generation that is running the world right now) grew up in a racist time. Do not act like racism is not around and do not act shocked when racism pops out in a situation. Is this writer being crucified for stating the obvious or making an observation about reality? If you really took Avatar to heart than you are a moron. I love going to the movies but I do not base my life around them. Like that kid who tried to blow up mail boxes after seeing Fight Club. Give me a break. It was an intense movie and a bunch of stupid kids who never were in a fight before got into fights. Have you ever been in a real fight? Getting punched in the face hurts, really bad. Those people influenced my Fight Club needed a punch in the head. I know I am ranting but it annoys the crap out of me when people turn a molehill into a mountain. I know Sam is trying to make us open our eyes but none of us are blind. And to go back to Sam’s comment about fully understanding white people through a black person and what not. I think that’s what makes movies like Slumdog Millionaire so good. White people see a movie where they cannot picture themselves as the main character and that puts a whole different twist on the movie itself. I do not know if anything I just said made any sense but I hope we start getting into the serious stuff so we do not need to talk about BS article like this one.
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David Brooks has A LOT of growing up to do. He describes the "Navi" in his essay as, "The peace-loving natives — compiled from a mélange of Native American, African, Vietnamese, Iraqi and other cultural fragments — are like the peace-loving natives you’ve seen in a hundred other movies." Since when were aliens from another planet all of a sudden compiled from a combination of Native American, African, Vietnamese, and Iraqi people? That's not only a huge assumption to make but I'm also curious to know since when Native Americans, Africans, Vietnamese and Iraqi people had extremely long blue tails? Maybe I'm being to literal, but if it's okay for David Brooks to be figuritive to the extreme, then I'm entitled to being a nice balance of COMMON SENSE. Avatar was in the making for twelve years; I think James Cameron had more important things to worry about, like mastering the first truly seamless hybridized CGI for his movie.
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I do consider David Brook's theory in other movies, quite possibly, if I watch them from the point of view of the "victims" in the movies. For example, in "Last of the Mohicans," I can see why Native Americans would watch the film and take offense, as this white man has to plunge his way into their culture in order to save them. Sure, I get that. However, the upcoming movie "The Book of Eli" starring Denzel Washington is a post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone black man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind, according to IMBD, the internet movie database. Ironic that this movie is directed by Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes, who are both black; And I mean black in the general sense that we categorize people since I can't necessarily ask them personally where their ancestors are from. So this movie stars a black actor saving the world, and it isn't even questioned or criticized, yet Avatar, which was in the making for twelve years since it's a movie based on visual effects, is condemned by this "theory" of a White Messiah.
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MOVIES ARE MOVIES. I don't think the directors and the writers sit in the back of their studios as they bite their nails and twittle their thumbs, creating some elaborate racial background for their movie. And if you think its already in everyone's heads sort of, this idea of race and therefore the "White Messiah Complex" didn't have to be though out necessarily, that its unpreventable, then the writers and directors simply can't provide an amazing movie without speculation. It's that simple I guess. Even movies are going spark racial controversy for no reason at all.
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I rarely see movies at home or in theatres. I would say I average seeing three movies a year in theatres. I happened to make the trip with my friends to see Avatar in 3d. I personally loved the movie even though the plot was very predictable. But there are lots of other reason that critics can pick on this movie for. I am not a very good person to analyze movies because of the reason that I just told you. I am not so sure that I think the white messiah coming to the rescue in films like Avatar is a bad thing. But David Brooks does put the question in my mind why are there no movies about aliens helping save the planet (that I know of) or a movie where black or brown people save the white people. To tell you the truth I don’t think I would be as interested in a movie with that plot, I’m not so sure why. This probably doesn’t occur because it is always white people exploring into black or brown peoples land and not vise versa. A movie where I actually picked up on the white person being the savior on my own was the movie Mel Gibson’s move Apacalypto. For someone that is not familiar with the movie, there is a terrible drought in the Mayan kingdom that is destroying all the crops. The Mayan kingdom sacrifices people that they capture to sacrifice to the gods to end the drought. The last scene of the movie shows three European ships coming to shore with ministers bearing crosses. I interpreted it as Christianity and Europeans coming to save a savage society. I dislike the white man’s role much more in Apacalypto that in Avatar. Brooks talks a lot about how in the movie the white man is necessary to save the day in Avatar. The main character does lead them into battle, but I think what he adds most to the winning side is giving them information of how to fight them. Such as fighting up in the floating mountains rather than on the ground so that the enemy Radar cannot pick up their movement. One thing that I didn’t understand about the movie was when the main character’s body is relocated from the base camp to somewhere in the woods. When the enemy is looking for them I don’t think it would have been very difficult for them to find his defenseless body with their future technology. Also I thought that they let the main character and the female character have a relationship too easily when they claim to have such a rich Avatar culture and deep rooted traditions. There are definitely places to be critiqued in Avatar but overall I liked the movie.
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I have not seen this movie, and even if I did I am certainly sure that I would not have thought about the issues Brooks is talking about. I do however agree with him for the most part. I do not think it is a coincidence that white people are almost always the heroes and saving people of different races. I think this is probably the natural position of races that movie writers think about as well as the type of movie white Americans want to see. Just as white people follow a Jesus who looks like them, they also want to see heroes who look like them.
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Before Avatar came to theaters, I can remember seeing the previews and admittedly showing my lack of desire to see the film. However, after the film came to theaters and was a blockbuster success, my intrigue was piqued and I continually made plans to see the movie with friends, but conveniently each time the plans fell through. After about a month of this, I stopped making weak attempts to see the film, figuring I would just rent it whenever it came out on DVD.
Upon reading the article "The Messiah Complex" that Mr. Brooks wrote, I feel as though he makes a good, valid point; however, I disagree with what he has to say and believe that he brought to light a point of view that isn't intentionally degrading or whatever you want to call it. He points out that many movies such as "Pocahontas" and "Dances With Wolves" have the same white superiority savior mentality. What about movies such as "Blade," "I, Robot," and "I Am Legend"? Every one of these movies have black protagonists that are attempting to save the world, or at least their own race against vampires or robots. And even "Men in Black" (Will Smith seems to have recurring roles in these types of movies) has a duo of a white and black person fighting together against aliens.
Further, I believe Brooks's statement "It rests on the stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades," is offensive. I do not believe that these "native victims" would deny help from anyone, but that conveniently the so-called "heroes" happen to be white. How can anyone prove that this is an intentional jab at any race beside Caucasians? You can't. And although the White Messiah complex seems to be a recurring theme, I find it hard to believe that all the directors in Hollywood sit around their casting room thinking 'I'm going to make the protagonist in my movie white because white people always save the day.'
Finally, I think that many people are much too quick to play the white messiah complex card. What happened to comic books, movies, music, and video games just solely being a form of entertainment? I'm astounded at some of the responses stating that teacher's strive to find sexual undertones in McDonald's commercials or violence in new music and movies. If anyone is at fault, I think it is the people that dissect these movies and find this White Messiah complex to be true. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't completely lost all my faith in humanity just yet.
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