Avatar & how after you make a few billion your a racist liar

I'm sure by this point you've heard of a little movie called Avatar. Yes, its that Golden Globe winning movie James Cameron made 12 whole long years after his huge hit of Titanic - and God knows you've heard of that one.

So what is it about this little picture that's got everyone's panties suddenly in a bunch?

One man from Russia is calling Cameron out on plagiarism. You know because EVERY idea we have is specifically our own - we are in no way, shape or form effected by things that are global - like the news... movies... books... tabloids... (just because you don't remember seeing it, doesn't mean you didn't)

Then there are those people who are saying Cameron is a racist, that he's projecting the idea of a "white savior" on the general population.

OK!

#1 - last I knew no one showed up at your house and pressed a gun into your temple and told you to see the movie. From the name alone you should have had some general idea of what this movie is about, and if you didn't understand what the meaning of the word "avatar" was, you should have looked it up.

#2 - The story of Avatar is an old one. It has been repeated over and over and over again - it's only been placed into different settings. In a way it's like Arthurian Legend - you can pick up bits and pieces of this story from continent to continent, from language to language. Does that mean the general population shit on Joe Schmoe by stealing his precious story and passing it off on his own? No, actually its a sign of the times - the story and its meaning is an example of what the general population needed at that moment to move forward with their lives.

"People who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." <- this is a fact people.

So what is this Avatar about? You want the gist? There's this guy, he's a jarhead - that's what he knows, that's what he always has known.  Due to tragedy he goes to Pandora where he is introduced into an "avatar" program where he takes his mind and puts it in the body of an alien being that lives on Pandora. The military uses him as a mole to help destroy this evil, stupid, ignorant enemy! But then his new companion shows him her world, and he learns, and he grows and he realizes he's more than this "jarhead", this image that was projected on him by a society that could pretty much give a shit about him... the "little" man.

Let me show you this - There was this little movie from back in 92 - it was called "Ferngully" it was the story about this logger that was killing the rain forest and he was shrunk down (by magic) and he met the local fairies and then his new companion shows him her world, and he learns, and he grows and he realizes he's more than this "logger", this image that was projected on him by a society that could pretty much give a shit about him... the "little" man.

Then there was this other little pic from 1990 called "Dances with Wolves" he's a guy in the military sent to make "friends" with the locals and then help kill them but suddenly -  his new companion shows him her world, and he learns, and he grows and he realizes he's more than this "solider", this image that was projected on him by a society that could pretty much give a shit about him... the "little" man.

The story of Pocahontas is similar... in the end I could do this all day.

So what is this Avatar movie about?

It's about a man that realizes there is more to the world, more to life, than what he knew and some of that is very beautiful and should be protected from people who think what they know is the only way to go.

Is it racist? No but then again, yes. The theme of racism is very strong - but in a light that makes  you think, "maybe I shouldn't think like that" not in a pro-racist kind of way. And as for the "white savior" thing - James Cameron is white, I'm sure if he was Latin the man would have been Latin, if he was African or Jamaican the man would have been of that ethnicity. (anyway, maybe the "white man" needs to hear this story more often seeing the last time we were in clans, tribes, etc was waaaaaay to long ago.)

Everyone out there who is calling foul on this story is really missing the point. It's not about hurting people, its about helping people. So maybe instead of taking all that time and that hate an passing more of it around, maybe you should figure out a way to help the victims of Haiti or that family down the street that can't pay the rent or the victims of Katrina who we've seem to have forgotten.

We live in a world run on a marketing campaign and we accept what they say as truth.
We live in a world that says "knee jerk reactions" are the only way to go.

Stop listening to other people, listen to your gut and when that first idea pops into your head - instead of screaming foul on someone, maybe you should take five minutes to look at the bigger picture.

Once again - Those who do not LEARN from history are DOOMED to repeat it.

(trust me - that's the definition of my 20's)