I've heard the criticisms of Avatar as being white imperialist but was largely inclined to dismiss them, myself. And one of the reasons does seem to be that the movie has been embraced by pretty much everyone who's seen it, regardless of their ethnicity. And, quite frankly, it's hard for me to imagine a James Cameron script having enough subtlety to really for or against anything. I've read a number of reviews of Avatar – including the mighty whitey ones – and they're just crazy about inferring things into this movie. One of the reviews I read of it said it was actually a repudiation of the US military's human terrain systems that use professional anthropologists to go into countries we've invaded and soothe “the natives” so we can more efficiently conquer and exploit them. The avatars are just like the HTS, right?! Well, kinna maybe sorta, you can squint your eyes and tilt your head just so and see it that way. Like most of Cameron's work, it's really a loud, flashy mess that's a lot of fun with just enough intelligence to make you think that, maybe, it's about something other than what it appears to be. It's the kind of thing that it's real easy to project yourself into. Which is part of his brilliance as a director – he makes things that contain our zeitgeist without preaching about it. The perfect vehicle for pretty much anyone who wishes to praise or condemn anything in our zeitgeist.
About white angst, I have no particular use for it. I think it's evident that a lot of white people – and certainly our broader culture – is racist. I am sure I do racially stupid things now and then.
But when I was in South Carolina, I took a couple of sections of a black history class. In two semesters, I was the only white guy in the class. Seriously. It was the only college class I took where the white guys were in the minority. I really enjoyed the class but the weird thing was really that I was often asked questions as a representative of my whole ethnicity. That was weird. However, what I learned from the classes is really that black people in the US don't want us to feel guilty, not as a group, anyway. And our assistance is absolutely vital for balancing any historic injustices in the system. They recognize the historical injustices, the present day injustices, the role of white people, historically, in their oppression, and the need to make white people part of the solution to racial injustice. Moreover, there is nothing like a broad rejection of “white culture” by black people. Oh, they DEFINITELY want to see the history of Africa treated with the same respect that Americans treat European history and feel it's preposterous that European history is taught at the expense of African history, given the obvious contributions of black Americans. But they're really Americans and they have pride in the accomplishments of white Americans. Weird, huh? ;)
Mostly, what I took out of what was almost certainly the best experience I had in college was we're all in this together and that underrepresented minorities largely understand that. They don't want anything different than what white people in America already have – they just want to be respected, have the same opportunities, etc., as everyone else. We are a lot more alike than we are different.
But, hey, I was still the only white guy in the class. :p
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About white angst, I have no particular use for it. I think it's evident that a lot of white people – and certainly our broader culture – is racist. I am sure I do racially stupid things now and then.
But when I was in South Carolina, I took a couple of sections of a black history class. In two semesters, I was the only white guy in the class. Seriously. It was the only college class I took where the white guys were in the minority. I really enjoyed the class but the weird thing was really that I was often asked questions as a representative of my whole ethnicity. That was weird. However, what I learned from the classes is really that black people in the US don't want us to feel guilty, not as a group, anyway. And our assistance is absolutely vital for balancing any historic injustices in the system. They recognize the historical injustices, the present day injustices, the role of white people, historically, in their oppression, and the need to make white people part of the solution to racial injustice. Moreover, there is nothing like a broad rejection of “white culture” by black people. Oh, they DEFINITELY want to see the history of Africa treated with the same respect that Americans treat European history and feel it's preposterous that European history is taught at the expense of African history, given the obvious contributions of black Americans. But they're really Americans and they have pride in the accomplishments of white Americans. Weird, huh? ;)
Mostly, what I took out of what was almost certainly the best experience I had in college was we're all in this together and that underrepresented minorities largely understand that. They don't want anything different than what white people in America already have – they just want to be respected, have the same opportunities, etc., as everyone else. We are a lot more alike than we are different.
But, hey, I was still the only white guy in the class. :p