"It’s just escapism, obviously, but benevolent romanticism can be just as condescending as the malevolent kind — even when you surround it with pop-up ferns and floating mountains."
That's David Brooks, who observes in his NYT piece that James Cameron's "Avatar" is the same "White Messiah" fable we've seen in years of film-making--and its ultimately offensive:
It [the White Messiah fable] 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. It rests on the assumption that illiteracy is the path to grace. It also creates a sort of two-edged cultural imperialism. Natives can either have their history shaped by cruel imperialists or benevolent ones, but either way, they are going to be supporting actors in our journey to self-admiration.
As I've already said in my "Twitter-length" review, Avatar has eye-popping visuals and an eye-rolling story.
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