Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

‘Avatar’ has a racist agenda hidden in plain sight

James Cameron’s biased portrayal of the Na’vi based on indigenous peoples
Collegian+File+Photo
Collegian File Photo

Winning three Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and named the second-highest grossing movie of all time, James Cameron’s “Avatar” was the biggest film of 2009, despite its racist undertones. Its impressive use of CGI technology and well-written storyline cloud its viewers’ perception of the film. Through groundbreaking technology and picturesque landscapes, the film successfully disguises its derogatory themes.

Set in the year 2154 on a fictional moon named Pandora, the film revolves around a mission by the United States Armed Forces to mine a precious resource Earth desperately needs. Ex-military personnel bombard this land, guns ablaze and ready to conquer a world that posed no threat to Earth. Much like the story of Pandora’s box, the armed forces are a foolish interference in an already perfect world. Inevitably, the mission complicates and spins out of control.

Home to the Na’vi people, Pandora is a lush, green and flowery forest that harbors creatures of all kinds. The Na’vi live in perfect harmony with every species that inhabits the moon, mirroring Indigenous peoples. This world, however, does not possess atmospheric qualities that are safe to humans and as a result, every Earth-bound creature enters Pandora as an avatar; organically grown Na’vi lookalikes. Once in this form, humans live, breathe, feel and taste just like Pandora’s native race, a quality that appeals greatly to our protagonist, Jake Sully.

Sully, a paraplegic recruited for the siege on Pandora after the death of his twin brother, is the only viable option for his brother’s already grown organic Na’vi body. As compensation for this mission, Sully would receive a life-altering surgery that will restore functionality to his legs. The guarantee of living life as a Na’vi and staying unharmed as a human poses a great opportunity to him, and Sully chooses to accept, unknowingly contributing to the already unneeded interference on Pandora.

Once humans descend on Pandora, Cameron’s film takes a turn for the worse. Behind the picture-perfect landscape that we’re immersed in, there is a sickening message that rings throughout the entirety of the film. The Na’vi, with their braided hair and culture centered around living off the land, are clearly based off indigenous cultures with every passing minute of the film’s runtime. Their view of Sully and the other humans as saviors pushes the agenda that they need the Americans’ help and resources to survive. This “White Messiah” trope continues throughout the plot, as the Na’vi, a species thought to be self-sufficient and strong, grow weaker and weaker. They lose all sense of morals as the Americans bring out the worst in them. Neytiri, a Na’vi female who is introduced to the audience as a skilled and dangerous hunter, uncharacteristically falls in love with Sully, becoming a more feminized version of herself; easier to digest.

Tsu’tey, the best warrior of all the Na’vi, implied to be level-headed and just, transforms into a violent and animalistic version of his species. These sudden changes in the Na’vi characters, although justified to some viewers, is a nauseating display of how these characters are simply used to move the imperialist agenda forward. Their ability to bend and break at the will of the white man reinforces the film’s racist undertones.

To no surprise, many of the Na’vi, including the four main characters, are all portrayed by non-white actors and actresses. Their voices, accents, actions and mannerisms visualized through motion-capture technology further reinforces the idea that the Na’vi are based on people of color. Despite being the residents of Pandora, the Na’vi only exist to further the plot that is central to the white humans within this film. Their backstories are never truly explained, and they don’t seem to have many positive characteristics.

For a species that is extremely protective of their homeland and their culture, they welcome Sully into their tribe with open arms as he comes to terms with the fact that he is part of a colonial coup. Sully’s desire to cease to be white is strong in this film, as he portrays the holier-than-thou persona frequently. His interactions with other earthbound characters within the film radiate pretentiousness, yet we, as viewers, have no choice but to side with him. Cameron reminds us time and time again that he is the naive, disenfranchised white man. We have to take his side, as his life is already hard enough.

Does this make James Cameron racist? Not necessarily. Cameron did not make any of these casting, storyline or directing decisions on his own. After viewing this film there is much to say about Hollywood as well. Films do well for many reasons, but action-packed science-fiction films do well for one reason; and this is the fact that audiences need someone to connect with. Films set in faraway and strange lands need a grounding force for its audiences to truly take in the genre.

Watching a film such as “Avatar” without understanding the protagonist’s motives turns the idea of watching any film into a pointless activity. The idea of concluding “Avatar” with a Na’vi as the ‘last man standing’ is too bold and too brash. There is no satisfaction at watching the “blue people” win, because that signifies a reality that humans are too far from saving. There is no sense of peace or a happy ending when an alien race survives, leaving our species in the dust.

These racist and imperialist undertones (while not glaring on first watch) do genuinely exist in what some have called Cameron’s magnum opus. White privilege lingers through the entire plot, as the Na’vi seem so minuscule and small-minded when compared to the humans. One can only imagine what Cameron will try to attempt in any of his four planned sequels, but we can hope that it doesn’t feel as racially motivated as the original.

Ashviny Kaur can be reached at [email protected].

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  • M

    Marissa ThompsonJun 11, 2023 at 12:55 pm

    Some people don’t want to see the racism in this film, but it’s definitely there. Cameron depicts a white nation invading and destroying Pandora to possess its natural resources, an act that has been carrying out by good ole’ white folks for centuries.

    White empires have invaded, exploited and/or occupied numerous nations of populations of color for the purpose of domination and/or natural resources? Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Morocco, South Africa, Fulani Empire, Swaziland, Ashanti Confederacy, Burundi, Nigeria, Nri Kingdom, Benin, Dahomey, Rwanda,Zanzibar, Bunyoro, Oubangui-Chari, Mthwakazi, Ijebu, Bechuanaland, Fante Confederacy, Basutoland, Tunisia, Comoros, Algeria, South America, Portugal, North America, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel.

    Of course, Cameron would send in a white savior to challenge the white oppressor, think Dances with Wolves, the Last Samuri. In doing so, he introduces a white male that is pretty much useless until he becomes a fake Na’vi but he’s still bad a.. enough to replace the best of the Na’vi warriors, Tsu’tey, who Sully asks to fight beside. Sully gets the woman and rides in on the biggest, baddest, brightest bird, which shows he’s “the messiah,” to which everybody bows down.

    So to you commenters who think this is simply another CGI masterpiece, try reading world history and thinking critically, because white supremacy is the basis of this piece of s. called a film.

    Reply
  • C

    CheyenneFeb 24, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    Y’all call anything racist these days huh? 💀💀💀

    Reply
  • M

    MizJan 29, 2023 at 8:46 am

    I did feel the white messiah vibe to a bunch of Africans

    Reply
  • T

    Tom BurneDec 30, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Unsure as to what part you find racist, you have clearly missed the true meaning behind this film, and appear to be trying to find racism where it simply doesn’t exsist.

    Reply
  • Z

    ZDec 15, 2022 at 10:22 pm

    I’m not catching the racism spin. If anything, as a person of African decent, I see this film as more of an honoring to the culture and a direct callout on white imperialism. The indigenous people you speak of, did not seem inferior to me – but that’s a societal construct, to think that just because you don’t have the latest and greatest technology you lack intelligence – as if they couldn’t create the same, or thrive without it. Loved Avatar and looking forward to seeing Avatar 2 tomorrow!

    Reply
    • J

      JamesDec 31, 2022 at 9:04 am

      The Sky People are Planet/Environmental Rapists stealing the planet from the wonderful and peaceful indigenous inhabitants.

      Notice that there is not one black Sky Person. Not one.

      Reply
  • V

    VyacheslavDec 13, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    Oh the next movie, way of water, is just the same.

    Reply
  • T

    tonyDec 6, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    The Na’vi people are represented positively to the viewer. Strong, beautiful and living harmoniously with the planet. The humans are represented negatively to the viewer. Greedy, violent and Imperialistic. The film’s narrative isn’t racist at all, quite the opposite

    Reply
  • M

    ManasOct 13, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    can people chill and not try to read racism into everything

    Reply
  • C

    ChrisSep 27, 2022 at 7:45 am

    Nothing is hidden in Avatar. The story is quite obviously based on imperialism and the facts around displacement of indigenous peoples for resource appropriation. That isn’t racism, it’s greed and power. Most of those indigenous people were / are not white, again a fact, not a bias or agenda. They Na’vi are overtly models of indigenous earth tribes. The portrayal of the Na’vi and the humans was an authenticity representing the reality here on earth in such a way that an average watcher can relate, and in such a way that the average watcher understands how reprehensible the imperialism of the past few thousand years on earth have been. Not everything is racist.

    Reply
    • A

      Ayanna cowanOct 11, 2022 at 11:49 pm

      But you can clearly look at those Avatars features and can see that these strong features were from Africans bride wide noses, even down to the hair of dreadlocks and or braids. Their culture their ancestors.. their story it is African American. That’s something you can’t disagree or argue against.

      Reply
      • L

        LolaDec 21, 2022 at 12:46 am

        You mean **African. This story is about native/tribal people and not Americans…

        Reply
    • K

      Kimberly EnglishDec 11, 2022 at 9:15 pm

      THANK YOU.
      And well said
      My mother is CHEROKEE & my father is SICILIAN

      I have only watched the movie at home
      I like & don’t like the movie

      Reply
    • A

      Adam.Dec 15, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      The movie is a complete knock off of Dances with wolves. Kevin Cosner is a union officer and turns Indian

      Reply
      • B

        blakeJan 8, 2023 at 11:54 am

        Romeo and Juliet is a complete knock off of The Tragic Tale of Romeus and Juliet. Hamlet is a complete knock off of Amleth. Most stories are based on other stories.

        Reply