Avatar and the White Man’s Burden

Muller0317 says:

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.

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hikogoncu says:

When Avatar first came I out like most of the people I was curious about the movie so I went to the movies to see it. Unlike most people I didn’t really like the movie, I mean the special effects were great but the plot of the movie was pretty weak. I can’t really say that I saw it as the White Messiah fable but I’ve seen so many movies that had similar plots and some of the scenes in the movie were just annoying to me. When I read the article ‘The Messiah Complex’ by David Brooks I was pretty sure that what really bothered me was the scenes that the White Messiah portrait came out. I agree with most of the things that David Brooks says about these kinds of movies they all have very similar storylines and they are just aiming to make money in my opinion and like he said Avatar is so successful right now just because of its special effects. For example I know people that just went to the movies to see it because their friends said that the special effects were amazing. On the other hand something that bothered me was this sentence “The plotline gives global audiences a chance to see American troops get killed. Do people really think that people from different countries enjoy seeing American troops get killed?? I mean I can admit that I get bored watching a movie when the US Army is flattered a bit too much but that is only because I don’t share the patriotic feelings that Americans do about their own army . I mean I’m pretty sure if I make an American watch a Turkish movie or any movie that flatters the army of that nation they will feel the same way. About the Avatars my own observations were quite similar to David Brooks’, I thought that they had pieces from many different cultures but the main culture that kept coming in to my mind was the Native American culture and that is probably why I found the movie to be very much like Pocahontas, the only major difference was it was in the future. I know that maybe we’re looking too deep to find a meaning in the movie but there are a lot of movies out there with very similar plots that I cannot stop myself from wondering if they are really trying to create the White Messiah fable. I read some of the comments that others posted and someone mentions that what would happen if the hero was not a white man, what if he was a black man or an Asian, he/she says that the plot would have been the same and nothing would change, but I think what david brooks is trying to point out is that in all of the movies that have similar storylines have a hero that is white. I’m not trying to prove that movies like Avatar are racist or anything, I’m just merely pointing out that the choice of characters and storylines in movies like Avatar are interesting.

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aam5141 says:

First off I would like to say that I have seen Avatar and that I agree with David Brooks assessment of the film. I felt like they were saying white people are bad overall but there are a few that good, so focus on them please. Overall the script of this movie was an extremely basic one. The characters didn’t have very many layers, it was very predictable and nothing very out of the ordinary happened within the confines of the story. But if the main characters were Asian or African or another color or race people wouldn’t have liked the movie as much. We like to think that we don’t notice the color of people’s skin, but we do and it effects our thoughts about the what we are watching.

Think about it, if the guy who saved the Na’vi was black or native American or asian in the film people would take the message as something completely different. Everyone would be asking themselves what James Cameron was trying to say, instead of how cliché the script was. I can grantee that white people wouldn’t have liked the movie as much and it wouldn’t have made as much money as it did if the main character wasn’t white, and for that matter if the main character wasn’t a white male. They need that pat on the back, the assurance that even if the military is bad, or the scientists are corrupt that there is still such a thing as a good white man that can live among nature and not destroy it.

When we get right down to it this movie has been made a thousand times throughout the history of movies and it never changes. The person that has to be the one to save the “lesser race” has to be the race that is at the top of the chain right now in people’s minds. And so far that has not changed from white since forever. I don’t know how white people became the head race in people’s minds today, or why all the other races seem to play into this idea, but if a movie tried to challenge people’s everyday moral and expectations it wouldn’t be as big as James Cameron’s Avatar. Part of the reason people like Avatar is that it doesn’t challenge anything, you can simply sit back in your seat and enjoy the movie without getting pissed off at someone else’s interpretation of the world.

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fatboynsslim says:

I thought it was pretty funny reading the Pocahontas versus Avatar piece at the bottom of this article. As I read it, I could not help but to notice the similarities between the stories of Pocahontas and Avatar. They are extremely similar if you look at it so I can see where David Brooks gets his idea about white people needing to be able to save other people from a disastrous fate. A white guy in the film does save the Pandora tribe from total annihilation but that is not the moral or message that I received from watching this movie.

What I got from this movie was how corporations would do anything to protect their profits. They put these profits in front of all life if necessary. In the film, this corporation hires a mercenary army to protect itself from a native tribe and to take over the land that is very rich in the resource that brought the company to this world. They originally tried some diplomacy with the project they called Avatar, where they used lifeless bodies of the native tribe to help with certain negotiations. The native tribe did not take kindly to this so they resorted to violence, to rid them of the land so they could reap the profits from the valuable resources under the tribe’s land.

I have even heard some people talk about this movie about how it sets a bad image of the United States’ army. This I just think is absolutely absurd because the soldiers in this movie are hired hands or mercenaries that get paid large amounts of money to fight for the company’s goal. This has no affiliation with a countries’ army let alone the United States’ army. It just goes with my opinion that it is the company taking any necessary action to increase their profits so they can continue to fill their wallets with more and more money.

I do not think this is the way to go. Corporations should be less inclined to get more profit and focus more on advancing the world as a whole than just the few higher ups in the world. Now I do not think they should just become a non-profit organization because that does not promote people to be competitive. Just enough profit should be made to satisfy everyone, but that does not seem very likely in my lifetime or anyone else’s. People are greedy and if given the chance to better increase their revenue they will surely take the chance. This is much like the company in Avatar. Avatar I think is a hit towards capitalism, not the white man saving the less fortunate. The reason the main hero is white is probably entirely on the fact that he was the best in an audition. The actor just had better skill.

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omb103 says:

I saw Avatar when it first came out and I had very high hopes for the movie. Maybe because it was talked up a lot, maybe because of the high budget, or maybe even because of the director. Either way I was not very happy with the film. I did not expect there to be such an underlying message as there was. After seeing the movie I felt that there was a very strong political message hidden in the plot. I took it more as the US invading other countries, and not so much as a Pocahontas story (though I guess they are close to the same thing). I also understand where the whole white messiah message comes from, however I do not really think he was making a point about races. I feel that the message in the movie was mostly political not so much racial. I do not think it was about white vs minority really at all. Though if you look at his previous film, Titanic, that sort of had a poor vs rich message, more specifically where the rich looked like the bad guys. And in this movie, Avatar, the white people look like the bad guys as well. More than a racial thing I would just have to say that he is a pretty big liberal. I think that Brooks is definitely reading too far into the movie. If, for instance the main character in Avatar would have been a different race, whether black, Asian, Hispanic- the plot would still have been the same. Though the “white man” would no longer be the hero, the story would not have changed whatsoever. I don’t really think the main character was a white messiah either because to the people of Pandora he looked just like them, not like a white man. Also I do not think the white man in this movie is the messiah at all, the white man is not the savior, they are the destroyers. The killers that come into another man’s land and try to take it over. That was the message I got from the movie. Not that I agree with that message, which is why I was not so thrilled about the movie in the first place. I think that the only reason the movie is doing so well is because people think they have to like it because all the buzz about it. If there were not so many expectations, such a large budget, then who knows if the movie would have made so much in the box office. Everyone has their own opinion but I found the movie really kind of corny. I did enjoy the graphics, and it was entertaining- but I found myself trying to like it.

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jdh5097 says:

This guy is clearly reading way too much into this movie. The movie is more about the generic theme of a foreign culture moving in on another's land in order to take what they want. The closest analogy would be the "blood diamond" problem that is occurring in Africa. Many different kinds of people are murdering and conquering because they want to control the lucrative diamond business. It actually pisses me off that some guy would look this far into this movie and think that James Cameron is suggesting that "white people" can do it better than the natives. I only saw this movie, but not once did I think, "Holy shit! James Cameron is suggesting he's better at what these natives are doing because he's white!" That's dumb as hell. The movie is a fictional; if the movie was realistic, then of course the marine's character wouldn't be able to master the skills that these people have been practicing and teaching their kid's for apparently decades. It really pisses me off when people read too much into movies like this. It is a very simple plot line (overly simple depending on your point of view) that tries to get the audience to sympathize and commiserate with the Navi. And I'm going to stop right here. And mention how dumb the name "unobtanium" is. Seriously James Cameron? Moving on. The movie is vastly overrated. The message is ok: don't allow foreign people to take over your land because their reasons are impure. I get it. But I don't understand why James Cameron would make the foreigners human and the natives alien. Would it have been that hard to switch it around? I have a hard time cheering when humans are getting killed by the Navi. They are still human. Here's what I would have done. Make a movie where the aliens come to Earth because we have something of value (something abundant that we aren't aware of how valuable it would be, like sand or something.) So they come to Earth, and they start to kill humans because they want our sand. This is fucking dumb, but you get the point. It wouldn't have been that hard to switch the script. I think the bottom line is that people are over-sensitive to these kinds of issues. Just watch the movie and take it for what it is: an entertaining film that is meant to wow us with its visual prowess and out-of-this-world (LOL) plot line. People these days are oversensitive to everything and it's really annoying. Unless James Cameron came out and said, "Well yes, I was suggesting that whites are inherently better at everything than other people", then everyone should stop looking into his films like this. He wrote Titanic and Terminator. He is clearly not a guy that gets into deeper themes, so nobody should look at his movies and dig deeper into them. That's like someone looking at a crossword puzzle and thinking that secret government agents are trying to contact them. A crossword is there for one thing: entertainment. And anyone that is looking into it for something deeper is just dumb.

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GreekForHire says:

I remember when I first heard about Avatar I got really excited. I mean, space age action with what could be the best special effects ever? How the hell could I not be excited? Course it has the plot of Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves, but who cares. On that note, I think some people really overestimate the undertones of the movies, things like white guilt, environmental destruction and such certainly seem present, but it’s so heavy handed that it ultimately becomes inconsequential.

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teenzy212 says:

I definitely agree with most of what you said about critics trying to find something controversial in everything. It's ashame that people make such stretches as they criticize movies for being much more complex than what they really are. Avatar was simply a movie; no racial controversy intended. James Cameron spent twelve years of his life creating this visual masterpeice so he could "change hollywood," not so he could insult hollywood by portraying some sort of elaborate "White Messiah" theme and spark questions. It's just ridiculous. Sure I beleive that in other movies perhaps this "White Messiah Complex" is reoccuring, but Avatar is about Aliens, not Africans and Iraqis.

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awkwardturtle says:

Avatar certainly had a lot of hype coming to theaters, being that it was the most expensive movie ever made. Very rarely do I think that James Cameron's movies have major substance to them, but now after seeing Brook's article, it is kind of interesting thinking about how plenty of movies depict a white hero who comes in and saves the world and makes everything ok again. I guess I never really noticed it, or for that matter, ever really thought about it. The obvious answer to why I never thought about it is, not because I'm a racist or because I am insensitive to these issues, but because I am white and it just seemed normal to have a white hero. However, just because I never noticed the whole "white hero" situation, doesn't mean that I ever really notice if there's a non-white hero. I mean sure, I obviously *see* the difference, but it is not like it makes me feel any less involved in the story or anything like that. Nor do I feel less attached or I want to see a movie less just because the hero is not white.

I don't think Brooks is taking this argument too far or making any outrageous point. He is pointing out something that is very interesting and for the most part, a running trend in many movies. Why do movies usually cast the white male who will save world? Why don't movies cast someone of a different race/'ethnicity or even a different body type as well, instead of the same old sculpted white male? However, I do agree with a previous post by kap5271 in which they say that there are many instances when people see the same color person just because it is easier to relate to. For example, Jesus was not white, but I know that in my area, all the Catholic churches depict Jesus being white, just because it is easier for us to relate to. In many Southern Baptist churches, Jesus is depicted as a black man. It's obvious that Jesus was neither white nor black, but appears middle-eastern.

Regardless your race or ethnicity, I believe you can enjoy a good movie without personally being invested on the fact that the main hero is a white or non-white lead actor. In my own personal opinion, I really do not care if the actor is black or white or whatever because I am not really paying attention to that detail. A action movie is going to be good on it's own merit, regardless of the race of the lead hero. Personally, I've seen Avatar twice and it is fantastic and both times I never really thought about how race played a factor that the hero was white and saving the race of natives. I've also seen other movies in which the lead hero was black, like Will Smith in I Am Legend, and again, I never felt that race played a factor. I see Brooks' point that he is trying make; however, I just think that especially with a younger generation than his, we don't see race as much as his generation does and my generation exposed and open to a more diverse and accepting world. Plus, did he even really watch Avatar, or was he just making racial observations in it? The movie was awesome, plain and simple, no racial-ties needed.

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serendipity26 Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 1:53 am

I agree with you in that our generation definitely doesn’t notice race anywhere near as much as past generations. We are more accustomed to diversity and (speaking for the group) honestly don’t care whether someone is white or black or hispanic etc. I feel like Avatar would be an incredible movie even with a main character of a different race. Race of the main character has no relevance to the film or story itself. I haven’t seen Avatar but am positive I wouldn’t leave the theater thinking James Cameron’s intentions were to implant ideas of white supremacy or anything of that nature.

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NicoleFoley says:

If we are going to look at this movie through Brooks eyes then I'll try to perceive what he is saying to the best of my knowledge. Brooks states that the "white man" is the one who has come to save this different race. Well first understanding the concept of the movie. White soldiers, yes the white ones are actually the problem the entire movie. They are represented as greedy merciless murders who would perform genocides for a few bucks. One solider is sent in and he learns to understand this culture, his prejudices, his racism (if you want to call it that) dissolves after just a few weeks with these people. To say it is his burden to save this race, I personally believe is a bit misconstrued. The destruction of this race is being caused by the white race. It is not as if the Navi race is destroying itself, or as if another race that is not white is destroying it and they are asking help from the white protagonist. The protagonist is not burden he's just royally pissed off. Going against your own people to save the ones you have come to love is hardly a burden just an act of love and moral fire.
Okay so yes, now it seems that I am reading into this too much, but hey Brooks started it. There is a difference between a burden and just the right thing to do. The protagonist was originally involved in the plain to take down the Navi race but acquired and understanding that these creatures were not inferior, or ignorant because they lacked in the technological advances of the white race tat invaded. In fact they were more humane and in touch with their world than the actual humans. If anything this movie should be seen as a "white basher" movie only about three white characters were depicted to be just and humane the rest were heartless and evil. And in the end the white protagonist wishes to completely change his race and become a Navi and abandon his white roots. But once again this is just reading into the movie way too much again. I personally enjoyed the movie for what it was a piece of work by a talented director, a concept that could simply be labeled as a love story/ an action film/ sci-fi/ hidden political scheme never crossed my mind. And I doubt that that even mattered because it made millions in the box office.
Burden of the white man, "white basher" film, hidden racism, or a great action thriller however you perceive that fact that just a movie has caused such a debate proves that this movie has done its job. It has intrigued, inspired, entertained and made people think. I loved it eve without digging into its core details.

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mqg5043 says:

I never saw the movie Avatar, I never really wanted to go see it when it was first out. Although I heard the animation was great and the effects were something everyone needed to see. It was even in 3-D which tempted me like crazy, but I never got around to it. Now that there is so much buzz about it, I do wish that I had gone to go see it and I can’t wait to actually get to see it. I hear the movie is genius and that it is nominated for many awards. However, I am very interested in the comments Sam made in the youtube video. The comments about the protagonist, or the “good guy” always been white stood out to me a lot. Is that really the case? I did not think so at first, but I cant really think of many movies where the “good guy” is white and the “bad guy” is black except for in movies specifically pointing out racial issues. Why is this the case?
He also made the comment that someone said that maybe they never noticed this because they are white. While I am Hispanic, I am also very white. I look white and act white, so maybe that is why it never shocked me. I wonder if I wasn’t white, if I would feel like it is unfair that the good guy is usually white.
I then started thinking about all types of movies, and started thinking about the main characters and their race. I began realizing how everyone used to always complain about Disney only having white princesses and not being culturally diverse at all. Disney has come really far. Yes, in the beginning they were all white. But now they are not. There are some diverse princesses, but it wasn’t until this year that a black princess joined the crew. Mulan is Asian, Pocahontas is Native American, and now there is a new princess who is black, Princess Tiana. Personally, I think it is great that they have opened the spectrum to new races and cultures and that they are starting to be more culturally aware. Disney took a step in the right direction, and I think that other movies will soon follow in their footsteps. I think that soon enough, the “good guy” will be black and soon enough the “bad guy” will be white. It is just a matter of time, and we will get there. I have no doubts that in the years to come there will be more racially diverse movies and that people will not be judged as much for their race. I don’t think race will always be such a prominent subject and I cant wait for that day to come. Honestly, it is about time.

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bzj5008 says:

Everyone has their own opinion on how the society is viewed. I can see where Brooke is coming from that in many movies White people are always saving Black and Brown people. The way media has skewed our thinking as individuals and places labels on everything, it is seen as acceptable to have White people generally save everyone else. For example, in the movie 2012 it is the end of the world and the White people are the ones who remain alive. Maybe it is deeper symbolism than we can see behind all these mainstream media pictures. I have also notice that in many scary movies the Black or Brown people do not stay alive long. Maybe mainstream media does not want minorities in major roles unless they are superstar such as Denzel Washington or Will Smith.
Going back to what Brooke said about the hero in most movies being white. There can be many reasons to why this is true; such as maybe racism is as a whole nation is still alive people are just covering it, by putting it in blockbuster. Could the directors and producers of these movies see minorities as lesser people than Whites? It is clear that everyday media has a stereotype behind every race. For instance, on the news you mainly see Black and Brown people in trouble, involved with crime. And when they show White people they generally show them doing good in their community. Black and White people equally serve their community and they both commit crimes.
Stereotypes will always be relevant; there will always be race issues. The media has been slowly shaping our minds into what they want us to be. Whatever that may be it is working, we look to celebrities for new fashion trends, and we listen to music to get new slang words. I believe our society is crumpling everyone’s mind is set in one way, to believe what you see.

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thecorruptedon3 says:

First of all, I really do not get this whole television and movie racism. Not because it is complex, mainly because it is so abstract, it is almost imaginable. I can guarantee you that black people always think of racism when they see a black guy get shot in a movie or going to jail or anything like that. It is unavoidable because they think of their ancestors who were enslaved and blah blah blah. I also do not get why people feel obligated to feel hurt by their ancestor’s history, first of all you did not know them, and nor did you experience slavery yourself. I hope you remember Sam’s example of going to Michigan State instead of Penn State, because this is the same thing, what if you were born white, what if you had racist parents, then you would hate black people, not white people. Why can’t people see the big picture, just because you are ancestors were enslaved does not mean you are living the hard world, nor does it mean that people should feel pity for you. Yes it was wrong, it should not have happened, but the past is the past, live in the present and stop trying to find reasons for your failure and disappointments. No it was not because you were black. Movies have actors that fit the character they want to show, and most of the time it’s not a black guy with a ghetto accent so I am sorry if you do not see that many black people on television or the movies. If you really want to see some really talented black actors, go watch BET and see some of the dumbest shows of all time. Not only that, but every black people comedy I have seen is all black people talking ghetto and acting stupid , I guess some people find that funny , but the show do not scream out professionalism, they rather show a different culture. And for some reason acting normal or dressing normal is frowned upon in the black community, its known as “acting white”. These movie directors only care about money, they don’t care who kills who and none of that crap, it’s all about money. So if they can be rich by making a movie about black people killing everyone in town then they would do it, it is not about the race. They want to win Grammy’s and they want to increase their audience and fans so they can make money. Just because you see something bad happening to a black person, it most likely does not have to do with race, it is all about money, because no one would say anything if two white people beat the crap out of each other, but if one was black then hell would break loose. Like in the movie transformers with the two transformers talking like they are from the ghetto. Give me a break.

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thehighlife says:

Let’s not forget that the original “messiah” that the messiah complex stems from was Jesus. And as discussed Jesus was a Middle Eastern man. There is a non-white messiah for you. As for black and brown people not needing the white man to lead them, I have mixed reactions. On the one hand, you look at many industrialized Asian countries which thrive without the white man. But I must ask, would they have begun that industrialization themselves without the influence of white, therefore, western culture? What about all the parts of Africa which are essentially run down countries that DEPEND at times on the aid of the white man. Now it wouldn’t be soc 119 if I didn’t mention Haiti. Black brown it doesn’t matter. This is a country that suffers from severe corruption and was a terrible and unhealthy place to live prior to the earthquake. This idea is rarely brought up. It certainly isn’t the white man running that country. Now I know someone will say well the United States is corrupt. Of course it is. What government in the history of governing hasn’t been corrupt? But the United States, and other predominantly white nations such as Canada, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, seem to be able to get the whole healthy civil society thing right. I just fear that people lose track of the accomplishments of the “white man” in their attempt to discredit and derail the “white man.” America saved the day when it came to Haiti. So what if a political cartoon is made of America going to save the day in Haiti. Instead of Uncle Sam, it’s a black man, reflecting Obama. Everyone would be up in arms that the cartoon is racist in some form. Sound radical? I think not. Would American even be here today to save the day if it weren’t for the white man? I mean I just start to get tired of hearing people bashing white people for everything. I mean slavery was a terrible, awful thing in America. But Black people, let me ask one question, would you rather be living here, or back in an undeveloped country in Africa? I mean ACTUALLY. Sure there are trials and tribulations here as an African American. But why not think of ancestors that were slaves as heroes that put up with the worst in order to secure a future for their family, much like white people thank their ancestors for immigrating to America, which by the way, was no easy task. I’m not a monster. I just think if white people are displayed as the heroes, then it’s typically accurate because throughout history, white people often are the heroes.

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jor5107 says:

I haven’t actually seen Avatar myself, but I have heard a lot about it. The more I hear the more I am interested in actually seeing the movie. A friend of mine described the movie to me and said I should definitely go see the movie describing it as the Avatars being in need of help because they are going to be destroyed while having a romance story attached to it where a human falls in love with this Avatar. She was white but never brought up the theme of race while she was telling me about the movie.
Hearing this different way of looking at the movie, I find it funny and interesting. I never really know whether people who find these relationships just always think about race and just find it in everything or if it’s everyone else who doesn’t ever take the time to make the connection.
Recently we spoke about the movie in my English class where this girl that is white actually brought up the point that it had the same plot as Pocahontas. Even though she made this connection I don’t think she related it back to color and white supremacy.
I don’t know if I myself can even establish the relationship between this recent plot of the white man being the savior of the brown or black man. I don’t feel like the movie really went that in depth with the whole race thing because I feel like a lot more people would have made the connection. Maybe those making this connection are just looking for something that just happens to be there and isn’t necessarily there? I just really don’t think that was the point of the movie. I think if that was the point of the movie then they did a bad job at it because only some people got the message.
I think there are plenty of movies that have a black or brown guy be the savior and the movie doesn’t cause such a buzz. I just really doubt that these were the intentions of the director and all I think it could have easily been the other way around without a problem. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of movies where the black or brown man saves the day.
I mean if it is the fact that I have not had as much experience in the whole racial thing and I could be missing the entire racial relationship going on. And it could be that whites are always playing the savior role while blacks and browns depend on them?

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khs5027 says:

I saw Avatar over my winter break with a few friends at around 1200am in IMAX. As we exited the theater my friend turned to me and said "Dude that kind of sucked….how can they expect me to root against the humans? I'm human." That pretty much summed up my feelings on Avatar in general, I could not help but root against the "Navi" or whatever because I didn't identify with them. The main problem with Avatar is it just isn't well written or developed. The script almost seems like it wasn't finished when production started, for example the mineral that us humans are supposed to be coveting is given the unfortunate name "Unobtanium" (HOW WILL WE OBTAIN THE UNOBTANIUMABLE!!!????) which sounds like something a screenwriter would put in to fill but with the intention of going back and, you know, rereading what he's written so he could find a suitable replacement that doesn't sound quite so insultingly dumb. The ideas and themes behind Avatar are so simplistic and obvious it really doesn't take any dissecting. It borrows from several other films including Dances with Wolves and Pocahantas with little to no shame. "White Americans bad! Native people are good! War and military are evil! Science is great!" It's all pretty basic and childish, and the story is pretty dumb and certainly doesn't make it seem like James Cameron thinks much of his audience. That being said it really seems like David Brooks has taken upon himself to out-stupid Cameron. Brooks does not seem to grasp that the fact that the main character is white is merely a formality, it doesn't matter to Cameron, it doesn't matter to the people paying to see Avatar, it actually only matters to him. Only someone so sarcastic and self-righteous enough to pick on something so trivial in great scheme of the giant piece of crap that is Avatar would inadvertently sound more racist than anything James Cameron might have included in his silly story. Brooks doesn't bother to see the movie for its blatantly obvious black and white message; about how Americans (or United Statesians) need to feel guilty about the treatment of Native Americans when people first started colonizing The United States. Avatar screams allegory for our past until the audience can't hear anything else, it has nothing to do with the story of a white man teaching natives (who Brooks and his unrivaled racial sensitivity deemed more inferior than any human in the film or James Cameron probably to us as humans or "white men") of how awesome it is to be white. As far as I see it Brooks' argument basically is as simple as a casting issue. What if the main character was cast as a black male? It wouldn't really change anything about Cameron's film, would it? There would still be the same implied guilt the audience should feel about the way their country was founded, to imply that there's a racist element underneath everything else is to give this movie more credit for its depth than it deserves.

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sambroscoe says:

I saw Avatar when it first came out, and in IMAX 3D of course. I found it to be a very enjoyable movie going experience. It didn’t really drag, and the amazing effects made up for the sub par acting and writing. And this is the reason why I wasn’t offended by the so-called presence of this “messiah complex”. The film was entertaining enough for me not to notice that subtext, although I found the presence of an element called “unobtanium” a little too heavy handed when referencing the U.S. presence in the middle east.

Now, looking at it after I have watched the film, I completely see and agree with everything Brooks is saying. I’ve seen a lot of the films he has mentioned. Some of them I liked, some of them I did not, but after all of them there was an odd sense of confusion. I was confused about why this seemingly capable race is only able to succeed after adding one random guy to there side who only recently learned of their culture and heritage but seems to care more than anyone else, before he virtually single handedly destroys his own people saving the incapable savage race.

In my personal beliefs, this theme in movies is a little offputting, simply because the guy is always a white male in all of the movies I have seen at least. I found all of the stories interesting, except for Dances With Wolves, and all of them have what I would consider a good moral at the end of the film. The problem people have with it is that the guy always seems to be some random white dude, who is not particularly smart, and saves an entire race of people single handedly.

I’m not trying to say that all films like this are bad. Otherewise, only films like Remember the Titans would have acceptable morals. What I would like to see is some validity for the random white guy saving the race. Like a situation in which we see a capable hero, one that doesn’t need to be completely reeducated before saving the day. Or maybe the group of people being saved doesn’t necessarily need the heroes help, they are just happy to have it, In The Last Samurai, it’s a little more acceptable because it isn’t Tom Cruise that saves the Samurai, in fact all of them die. On that film, I happen to disagree with Brooks. It’s a film about Tom Cruise learning the value of the Samurai way right before their culture is annihilated. But, Brooks makes excellent points about Avatar and all of the other films he mentions, although it can be a slippery slope when judging stories like that.

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Mercedessportz says:

When I first heard about the movie Avatar it didn’t really seem like my kind of movie. My boyfriend was like "come on, it is going to be a good movie" but because I am not with the whole animated, cartoon thing, it wasn’t on my list of what I wanted to see at the movies, so I told him no. Then I talked to my step-dad about the movie and how my boyfriend wanted me to see it and he said, "well it looks like a good movie, and you know how picky I am about movies," so I decided to maybe give Avatar a chance. So that night I told my boyfriend that I wanted to see it and we both went. As the movie started I was a little apprehensive about seeing it and it didn’t really seem like my kind of movie, but within the first five minutes I really began to get in the movie. When I left the movie, I began to tear up because of the love story that was in it and I am kind of a sap for a good love story. But I left the movie theatre in awe, it was am AMAZING movie and I am glad I got to watch a movie that had such a good love story despite my initial feelings toward the movie. Although rather long, the movie was one of the best movies I had seen all year, maybe besides the Ugly Truth and Hangover, but I wanted to see those from the beginning so that doesn’t count. But anyways, it was a great movie.

All of this being said, I can also agree with David Brooks when he says that there is some Messiah complex within the film. Although not initially noticing the Messiah complex, because I was so captivated by the love story within the movie, now that he brings it up, I totally agree. You have the avatar people that are one with nature and care about people and then you have the money hungry, greedy humans who are seeking to take the one thing that all of them have lived there whole life for, the nature that surrounds them in search of riches that lead them to being evil. They use the man in the wheelchair that is able to move normal as an avatar. The man represents the Messiah and he is able to learn the ways of the avatar people and impact the entire people while saving them in the end all for the love that he has for one of the other fellow avatar that taught him all the ways of the people. In the movie it kind of puzzles me being the people that are good and helping were the avatar people, which were tribal people of like African or Native American tendencies and the people who were bad, were predominantly white. None of the human thought to learn about the culture of the avatars, they just were out to invade the avatar being for their land, so it could benefit them, just as Americans did to the Native American several years back.

The film was more of a love story when I first saw it but now I have analyzed the movie a little better with what David Brooks said I think there was a deeper message. I think the film was supposed to show how people of the white race oppressed a group of people just as there was oppression to Native Americans several years back. It was kind of reinventing it. I think the message is rather troublesome, but I think that this is what David Brooks was trying to convey. Without reading what he said I would have never even though of the movie in this sense but since reading it, I have looked at the movie in a different light. Not saying that I totally agree or totally disagree but I think this is what he was trying to point out to people reading what he had to say, and now that he points it out, it kind of makes sense.

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KiaTNique says:

To me this analysis of Avatar is somewhat inaccurate. I saw the movie and at the end of the movie he is not even a “white” man anymore. He completely immerses himself into the culture of the natives. He has to prove himself to them, and learn how to be a completely new person. By the end of the movie and even by the time he gets to the final battle he is completely one of the natives. And it doesn’t seem that the white guy comes into the tribe, masters everything and suddenly becomes awesome to the rest of the natives and saves them. Although he does master the “toruk” he still is not better than any other members of the tribe. In many ways he was still weaker and less athletic. The reason he emerges as their so called “savior” is because of his knowledge of his own people and of the Na’vi. He is no more powerful than the rest of them.
The White Messiah fable may be a common storyline in other movies; however I have not seen any of the other movies mentioned by Brooks except for Pochahontas. So if those movies do in fact have a story line as such then that is a bad thing to radicalize white society as either made completely evil and exploitive by their enlightenment or completely fed up with that mentality and therefore righteous. There are good and evil people on both sides of the spectrum and enlightenment does not equal evil just as being one with nature doesn’t make you inherently good. And also Pocahontas doesn’t seem to fit the white messiah category either because the eventual savior of the Native Americans is Pocahontas herself and John Smith is just the sidekick in the situation. Perhaps if I had seen the other movies brooks mentioned, and realized that what he is saying is true, then I would be able to draw parallels, make comparisons and see the similarities between the movies. I have not, so I can’t.
I also do not see how the fact that the Na’vi are slender, muscular and walking around in loincloths hints to anything. It simply makes sense in the context. If anyone was living the way the natives in Avatar did they would look the same way. Their environment is such that they have to walk across narrow tree trunks and make their way through the forest on a regular basis. It only makes sense that they should look like that. It can be argued that “natives” in movies such as these are always portrayed as living in forests and being at one with nature, when they could just as easily be indigenous and living in skyscrapers or exploiting their own land, or even enlightened and still in one with nature.

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rely says:

I was definitely one of those people that wanted to go see Avatar as soon as it came out. It wasn’t because of the storyline. It wasn’t because of the actors in it. It wasn’t because I thought the blue people were cool. It was simply because I love three -dimensional movies. As I was watching the movie, I quickly realized how similar it was to the Disney’s Pocahontas, basically the same exact storyline. The idea or theory of the whole “Messiah” complex never dawned upon me. After reading David Brook’s article, I feel somewhat caught in the middle. I am not sure if I completely agree with this theory, but I don’t completely disagree either.
Now the reason I don’t completely agree with this Messiah complex theory is because I feel like if we actually sit there and start dissecting every little thing, like movies, or just something in general, we can find something racial with absolutely each and every one of them. I feel that sometimes we read too much into things, and forget that it could have simply just been a movie. Personally, I have watched plenty of movies in which a black or brown person was the hero. So because of this, I have to say that this theory is only relevant in some instances or situations.
The reason that I don’t completely disagree with the Messiah complex is because these movies were made with the historical perception that the “white” man saved us all. Isn’t that basically what we learned in history class throughout our lives? Last semester, I took a CMLIT class and many of the readings we had were rather interesting. They had to do with journals entries from explorers ranging from William Bradford to Columbus. They all had different views as to what the Native Americans were to them. But still many of them described them as savages needing to be tamed or saved, or describing them as possessing animal like features. This kind of shows that more than a century later, the white man’s perception still hasn’t changed. They still regard themselves as the “heroes of the world”, when really they are not. I just think that it is something carried out throughout the years, and something that sadly we have learned in our history classes. Because of these historical perceptions, many movies have been made with this perception. Although this is true in many cases, we must still remember that not everything is made with a racial intent. Sometimes things can simply just be movies. Simple as that.

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seanvar1 says:

I don’t think Cameron’s intention was to make a movie about race and I don’t think race was really on the minds of most of the people who went to see Avatar. Brook’s does bring up an interesting point though. A lot of people will dismiss these kinds of articles about race and say that the movie is solely for entertainment purposes and shouldn't be analyzed, and I agree for the most part. But it is a thought provoking article mainly because there are other films that contain the same themes.
I do think that there is an underlying white messianic theme in the films but I think they are a product of the cultural mind or the collective unconscious and not intentional. Whites conquering other civilizations, or greedy governments stealing land are a real and classic part of history, so I don’t see the plots of these stories being conjured up by the filmmakers but instead already existing and just being used by the filmmakers.
In terms of the white messiah figure portrayed in these movies, old Hollywood movies used to glamorize white man conquering brown cultures especially in old western movies. Also, the Hollywood industry was predominantly white during the Golden age of cinema and the films that came out during that time often targeted a white audience and had white heroes and protagonists. So I think that movies like Avatar demonstrate the classic Hollywood portrayal of white American heroes that began during the early years of cinema.
I’m sure James Cameron imagined Avatar with a predominantly white cast before even beginning the film not intentionally but because, most likely, that’s what he grew up seeing and hearing from movies and history. The story of a white figure becoming immersed in another culture, falling in love etc. has been portrayed before in Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves. Tales like these are based on historical events and they also make good stories. The classic story already existed, Cameron just played around with it and put a sci-fi spin on it. The formula and plot of these stories makes for a good vehicle to create the over the top, big-budgeted entertaining Hollywood popcorn flick that Cameron wanted.
I also think any country, when being shown against another culture or civilization on screen, is going to want to come off as right or noble compared to that other culture. This is what people like to see no matter what country they come from. People usually like to feel proud of themselves and their country even if in reality there is nothing to be proud of. Movies create that kind of escape from reality that people enjoy.

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briansandrick says:

I have seen the movie and personally I think that people read too deep into things. I just thought that it was a good movie. There might be some underlying themes that the writer or director was trying to incorporate or maybe someone thought that this would just make a good movie. I find it more plausible that it is just a movie. It seems to me that just about any movie out there seems to have a plot that countless movies have had before. I am not completely denouncing the notion that I could be completely wrong but as of right now I don’t think so. I still think that most movies are made to entertain and a lot of people spend way too much time trying to come to conclusions and trying to find underlying messages in everyday life. It seems to me that there are way too many people that feel that there is a larger message or conspiracy that is trying to influence our way of thinking.

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mat5161 says:

When I first heard about the movie avatar I had no desire at all to see it. It didn’t seem interesting but when I heard the ranting and raving about the movie and how it was the high grossing movie of all time it sparked my interest. Also another preceding factor for me to view the movie was that the same director of Avatar happened to be the same director of Titanic which happened to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I never go to the movies anymore just because it cost so much and sometimes I feel that they aren’t even worth it but I must say Avatar is the best 10 dollars I have spent in a very long time !!! The graphics were amazing and it’s just one of those movies that you must see in the theater. The story line was a little cliché bit still it was an amazing movie. Now referring to the article that the white man always saves the other race is very true and has proven itself in history over and over again. It’s extremely sad but is how our world functions. With the movement of LGBT people in our country who are fighting for equal rights straight allys as they call them are extremely important because they can convince the other straight people that LGBT people deserve the rights as they do and they will convince other straight people and eventually the more allys they get the more “socially acceptable” this will be and then there you go gay rights are granted. Now we can move back to the civil rights movement in this country. Yes there were many amazing black leaders out there but the united states government was white and it was those white people who were extremely important to the cause. This caused a chain affect of other white people and then people of color were granted equal rights. Let’s go back in time again where women were not granted the right to vote. They rallied and protested but it was the men who made the decision in the government not the women. So it was the women’s job to slowly have men ally’s aiding them in their cause. Once one man acknowledged there difference then another man did. Eventually voting rights were granted to women. Yes protesting and fighting for their rights played a major role but it were the male allies who could go into the system and break the barriers. Now let’s go back to today’s perspective on a not so touchy subject. Fashion in high school is always changing and there is that one person who always takes the risk of wearing a new look. Then you have those cliques in high school who “command respect” and basically do what they want. Well is one person in the clique wants to wear something different then the whole group of ally followers follow along because there all friends and must support each other. The whole school will look at the obnoxious outfit that these kids are wearing in school but will think its cool because the kids who command “respect” are wearing it and what they do goes. Then the next day no matter how crazy people look they will accept the new style and conform. In avatar all these themes are illustrated where it is the man who is different understand the people and their rights. Of course the white people do not realize that the people of avatar deserve a home until one of their own says something. This causes the people to change even though it takes a while and command respect for the people of avatar. I must say that the author is while where the white or person in power always runs the world and you will always need allys to get your way.

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goldenboybrodie says:

First off I would to start off saying Avatar was an awesome movie. The movie had great action scenes and graphics in to the movie. As I was watching this movie I was blind of what was being pointed out in this blog and as you see what going on you see how non creative the directors where with the plot because it’s basically the same thing just being put into a advance theory with better technology and graphics which would sell a lot in their eyes with the 3D movie because I agree the graphics to me was the best part of the movie along with the battle scenes and that sold me .Wow this came at me hard like this is so true why is these movies always have the white man on top even though I have nothing against them but in the movie’s that what it seem. It would be good from time to time to see another race on top to juice things up. As I look back I see what professor is talking about it always seem to have the same type of story and idea since the beginning of movies. To me I feel as if we are out of that time and we need to explore new changes and new race of being the main characters of these new movies for our future because really this is getting lame. It a shame race is still in movie’s that would be the last thing I expect race to be in but hey as you see it still exists which blows me. I’m not going to be hater towards that director because the number they are doing with this movie are out of control and bringing in money like never before yes I commend him on that. I can remember when avatar was showing their trailers and I was saying to myself that movie looks terrible it seem it had no plot at all like a kiddy movie to say. I bet if the trailer where more specific about what the movie will be about allot of people to my knowledge probably wouldn’t have going out to see it because it the same things as any other movie. As the movie dropped it’s seem like more and more of my friends where speaking highly of the movie so I sad F it I am going to see what’s the big deal and I was shocked of the movie but again as this been pointed to me and just crushed a lot of good stuff I half to say about the movie.

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TorreyLFranklin says:

They always have some deeper meaning or some underlying message or lesson. Whats even funnier is that many times the person who made the movie had many different deeper meanings they wanted to get across or they didn't have any at all. In many cases these meanings are misinterpeted and people take them to mean something completely different than what it actually might mean. Movies are made so that different people can see them and think different things about it. David Brooks does just that. Brooks went and saw the movie then explained his thoughts about the movie and what it meant to him. He thought that the underlying meaning of the movie was about the, "white messiah" and he said he thought that was the underlying meaning of many other movies as well. Good for him. He has a strong opinion on the subject and has an idea of what he thinks it means. However, that is not at all what I or most of the other people who saw the movie thought. This is what makes movies so great; this is why movies can appeal to such a large group of people. They can relate and have different meanings for many different people. Like when I saw the movie I saw a man who happened to be white conquer his own personal obstacles, i.e the inability to use his legs. To me the movie's deeper underlying meaning was one that was about giving those who were powerless power to do right. It was about the importance of nature and keeping the soul of the world alive. It was about raising awareness of the human race's destructive power and its over-emphasis on materialism and greed. Many people I'm sure thought many different things about the movie. Maybe I am right, maybe David Brooks is, maybe you are, maybe no one is. Perhaps the directors deeper meaning in this was puring to create a number of different meanings and to raise questions and inspire those who watched it to be curious. It is my firm belief that one of the most important parts this country is the acceptance of different opinions. We need to express our opinions to everyone not to create controversy but to settle conflict and to see things from a different light than we did before. Brooks maybe a little blunt but I like that, he is just telling it how he thinks it is. I would do the same if I were him and my job was to write about movies. I am going to keep giving my opinion just as he will keep giving his. If one thing is certain I think it is the fact that there may be no true meaning to the movie and that everyone should come away from the movie thinking something a little bit different.The funny thing about movies is they always have some form of symbolism in them.

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