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My insides curled and my eyes built up with tears. Compassion for the stories of so many filled me and once again the conviction to do something in this world consumed me. Oppressed people. Greedy pockets. Cries for justice silenced. And the quotes: "Preemptive attack...fight terror with terror." It hit a note deep within my soul.
I watched Avatar without 3D. I am not sorry. I may have missed the spectacular flying shows, but I caught the spirit. What does it say of a culture that watches movies about justice, about oppression, and about themselves and sees only the acrobatics and the animation? Do they miss the point? Are they so much centered on amusement that they forget the meaning? More than a movie about flying blue people and amazing digital technology, Avatar is the story of oppression, subjugation, genocide and greed that has been told so many times throughout history and never been heard. The point is clear. The words are there tying the story of Pandora to the story of the First Nations, of Africa, and of the war on terror, but all this culture sees are the pretty works of art.

Comments

  1. EnnsplaceMay 16, 2010 at 7:45 AM

    Cries for justice- echo out the cries of the university students in Chad- cries for textbooks, computers, ways to catchup to others beyond their borders and yet their cries too turn into violence so that they may be heard. Burning cars they seek to be heard by governmental ears that are deaf to their pleas. Yes, oppression comes in many forms- the fires were exciting to many but my mind can only ask- violence begats violence, how do we move towards peace?

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  2. JamilaMay 21, 2010 at 11:29 AM

    YES! That is why I love this movie. Not that it's a good problem, but that it fills me with a desire to do something. The blue people and awesome scenery are definitely a plus, but you're right, it's sad that that is all some people see in it. Are there so many cold-hearted people that don't realize how much our nation is like the humans that invade pandora and so many who ignore the pleas for diplomacy? why do we not realize that their way of life might be working for them? maybe (God forbid) they know more than we do about where they live.

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