AVATAR – A GENDER PERSPECTIVE
The whole world seems to at least have heard of the film Avatar and every movie critic has offered his or her commentary concerning it. Heralded as a major breakthrough in film technology it will strongly influence the production of future films. It has shown sensitivity to people who live outside of cubicles (Western man loves living inside a cubicle) and have a rapport with nature. It indicated an awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, and as a space-age version of the old cowboy and Indian movie, it had the Indians win.
For all the technological advances and quasi-metaphysical insights it contained, this picture was devoid of an understanding of the purpose of human existence. As Jake is accepted into the community of the Ne’vi do we see any families? De we see any babies? Do we see any pregnant women? No. Because the Ne’vi women do not have teats! Isn’t that strange? Have you ever seen in National Geographic Magazine pictures of a native village anywhere in the world that did not include lactating women? Lactating women are designed to nurture babies into becoming children, an activity that consists of suckling their offspring.
Nurturing the race has become a diminishing concept Western society. Nowhere in our educational system or societal values do we see the creation of families as an objective. On the contrary we see increasing numbers of articles written by the new breed of “independent” women questioning the modern necessity of family.
In accordance with this thinking director James Cameron has depicted the people of Pandora as an almost androgynous race with only slightly differing gender characteristics. In suggesting mates to Jake, Neytiri recommends one woman who is a fine archer and another who dances well (I didn’t notice any dancing women in the film or even any music). I wouldn’t want an archer for a mate. I like a soft and squeezable woman next to me who oozes nurturing love. Certainly children want and need the same and to a greater degree.
In Cameron’s androgynous society of Pandora, he does not give us a hint of the purpose of its existence or what it does when aliens are not attacking it. He is clear about the invaders; their objective in life is material accumulation and self-indulgence. What about the Ne’vi—those people who are so in tune with nature that they communicate with animals and trees—what objective or purpose do they have in life? Is it to just to become warriors and fight off some of the more vicious animals of their kingdom? Isn’t there something more?
Not that James Cameron can see. His own religious text calls for the first order of business upon the creation of Adam to get him a mate and to tell him clearly to “be fruitful and multiply.” The propagation and preservation of the species is a universal activity of the highest order. Not only do we find lactating females in native villages throughout the world, but among deer, monkeys, bears and all species of mammals as well. The nurturing love of lactating mothers sustains newborns. Not according to Western man who is continually trying to prove that he can make better milk for babies than mothers can. But then that should come as no surprise since he is well engaged in genetic engineering. If he can design a better apple than God can, certainly he should be able to design better milk than what comes out of mothers.
This being the case, androgyny seems like a logical evolution to James Cameron, whereas it is a devolution of natural behavior that leads to the eventual extinction of the species. However, James Cameron’s androgynous society confirms what I wrote recently concerning the mutation of the species. Women as a result of unnatural exercise are developing broader shoulders, more muscular bodies, narrower hips and smaller breasts. We also flood their minds with birth control methods. This mutation of their bodies and psyches makes them less desirable to mate with; consequently we have witnessed booming sales of chemical sexual stimulants to men.
The only children that we see on Pandora occurs when the battle gets into high gear and their attempt to escape annihilation serves as a vehicle to arouse the emotions of the viewer. Emotion and sensation are staples for all Western entertainment. If there is no purpose in life, then self-indulgence prevails, which requires the arousing and satisfying of emotions and sensations. In watching the coming attractions in the theater while waiting for Avatar to begin, I saw five previews of films all of which were based on extreme violence. Then we wonder why the United States has the most violent boys in the world.
The level of violence in Avatar could have been reduced significantly without endangering its limited plot. It could have shown a peaceful family life in Pandora that the viewer would have identified with and wanted to protect.
The purpose of human existence is the propagation and preservation of the species while on its path of spiritual unfoldment. This simple purpose requires the involvement of gender, support of the family and the tribe, and the worship of a supreme entity. In addition to lactating women villages also contain, marriage rituals, worship, singing, musical instruments and temples.
Pandora has no babies, no pregnant women, no lactating women, no elderly people, no marriage ceremony, no families, no songs, no musical instruments, no worship and no temples. Sounds like a society someone in a cubicle would dream up.
Director Cameron created a green androgynous Western culture and it rings hollow.
E.G.
For all the technological advances and quasi-metaphysical insights it contained, this picture was devoid of an understanding of the purpose of human existence. As Jake is accepted into the community of the Ne’vi do we see any families? De we see any babies? Do we see any pregnant women? No. Because the Ne’vi women do not have teats! Isn’t that strange? Have you ever seen in National Geographic Magazine pictures of a native village anywhere in the world that did not include lactating women? Lactating women are designed to nurture babies into becoming children, an activity that consists of suckling their offspring.
Nurturing the race has become a diminishing concept Western society. Nowhere in our educational system or societal values do we see the creation of families as an objective. On the contrary we see increasing numbers of articles written by the new breed of “independent” women questioning the modern necessity of family.
In accordance with this thinking director James Cameron has depicted the people of Pandora as an almost androgynous race with only slightly differing gender characteristics. In suggesting mates to Jake, Neytiri recommends one woman who is a fine archer and another who dances well (I didn’t notice any dancing women in the film or even any music). I wouldn’t want an archer for a mate. I like a soft and squeezable woman next to me who oozes nurturing love. Certainly children want and need the same and to a greater degree.
In Cameron’s androgynous society of Pandora, he does not give us a hint of the purpose of its existence or what it does when aliens are not attacking it. He is clear about the invaders; their objective in life is material accumulation and self-indulgence. What about the Ne’vi—those people who are so in tune with nature that they communicate with animals and trees—what objective or purpose do they have in life? Is it to just to become warriors and fight off some of the more vicious animals of their kingdom? Isn’t there something more?
Not that James Cameron can see. His own religious text calls for the first order of business upon the creation of Adam to get him a mate and to tell him clearly to “be fruitful and multiply.” The propagation and preservation of the species is a universal activity of the highest order. Not only do we find lactating females in native villages throughout the world, but among deer, monkeys, bears and all species of mammals as well. The nurturing love of lactating mothers sustains newborns. Not according to Western man who is continually trying to prove that he can make better milk for babies than mothers can. But then that should come as no surprise since he is well engaged in genetic engineering. If he can design a better apple than God can, certainly he should be able to design better milk than what comes out of mothers.
This being the case, androgyny seems like a logical evolution to James Cameron, whereas it is a devolution of natural behavior that leads to the eventual extinction of the species. However, James Cameron’s androgynous society confirms what I wrote recently concerning the mutation of the species. Women as a result of unnatural exercise are developing broader shoulders, more muscular bodies, narrower hips and smaller breasts. We also flood their minds with birth control methods. This mutation of their bodies and psyches makes them less desirable to mate with; consequently we have witnessed booming sales of chemical sexual stimulants to men.
The only children that we see on Pandora occurs when the battle gets into high gear and their attempt to escape annihilation serves as a vehicle to arouse the emotions of the viewer. Emotion and sensation are staples for all Western entertainment. If there is no purpose in life, then self-indulgence prevails, which requires the arousing and satisfying of emotions and sensations. In watching the coming attractions in the theater while waiting for Avatar to begin, I saw five previews of films all of which were based on extreme violence. Then we wonder why the United States has the most violent boys in the world.
The level of violence in Avatar could have been reduced significantly without endangering its limited plot. It could have shown a peaceful family life in Pandora that the viewer would have identified with and wanted to protect.
The purpose of human existence is the propagation and preservation of the species while on its path of spiritual unfoldment. This simple purpose requires the involvement of gender, support of the family and the tribe, and the worship of a supreme entity. In addition to lactating women villages also contain, marriage rituals, worship, singing, musical instruments and temples.
Pandora has no babies, no pregnant women, no lactating women, no elderly people, no marriage ceremony, no families, no songs, no musical instruments, no worship and no temples. Sounds like a society someone in a cubicle would dream up.
Director Cameron created a green androgynous Western culture and it rings hollow.
E.G.
posted by Elder George at
2:16 AM
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