Suicide fantasy in Avatar?

[Rhizomorph13]

I don't know that it is a fallacy but it is a trope:

A character who is portrayed as nobler or of higher moral fibre than the norm, due to their race or ethnicity, which is that of a barbaric or savage tribe. (Often regarded as living the Good Old Ways). The savages in question are quite often American Indians, so you could probably call them Mary Sioux. Rare nowadays, except as a Sci Fi alien- though it has made something of a comeback with the idea of Magical Native American people being more in tune with nature than the greedy white people. Unfortunately still considered normal in academic anthropology (albeit not as much as it once was), despite being/becoming discredited in popular media.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NobleSavage

enjoy,
Rhizo

[Eilonnwy]

The savages in question are quite often American Indians, so you could probably call them Mary Sioux.

That made me LOL pretty hard. XD


And FYI, I adored the movie. I loved the CG, loved the story. I'm seeing it again in Imax on Saturday

[Ashes1995]

And FYI, I adored the movie. I loved the CG, loved the story. I'm seeing it again in Imax on Saturday

finnaly someone else who enjoys it! im going to see it again in 3d, the traffic made us late last time so we had to watch the 2d one

[Rhizomorph13]

I loved Avatar! I guess my first post wasn't clear enough?

[Ashes1995]

I loved Avatar! I guess my first post wasn't clear enough?

oh soz

its just ive been asking all my friends about it and they all said there was something they didnt like about it it was starting to get annoying because avatar is a great film!

i just say random stuff without thinking..... yeah that sounds like me

[leo-rcc]

I didn't like it.

[chatpilot]

I loved it great cgi and I liked the story too.

[Purple Rabbit]

I loved Avatar! I guess my first post wasn't clear enough?

It was clear to me. And I loved it too.

Claiming that it harbours a suicide fantasy is a completely over the top statement of the jaundiced eye and a case of misplaced identification with the portrayed bad guys (Dr Zero: "During the big battle scene, as dinosaurs were chowing down on soldiers, the middle-aged couple seated next to me were grinning happily… delighted by the defeat and destruction of their own miserable species."). Was he happily laughing at the flying Na'vi bodies? He could have but he chose to act the victim part. Go rinse your brain out with peanut butter I'd say. Dr Zero really pays credit to his name when he jumps from his own teenager suicide fantasies to the believe that this movie is the ultimate wet dream of teenage payback time. His column being in the hardcore jerk of genre for maximum effect itself.

True the plot is exceptionally one dimensional, like most fairy tales I'd say such as Lord Of The Rings for instance. And true the plot could have been made more interesting by adding some bad to the good guys and vice versa. So what? This is a overwhelming 161 minutes performance of craftsmanship aimed at visual effect and stuffed with insane cinematographic detail. There simply is very little room for any plot at all.

[LukeMC]

I enjoyed it first time through. Got invited to see it again with a different group of people so this time I'll look out for the "noble savage fallacy" and everything else. Personally, I think I'll enjoy just as much. I has respect for the noble savages and their ways (y)

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

it has made something of a comeback with the idea of Magical Native American people being more in tune with nature than the greedy white people. Unfortunately still considered normal in academic anthropology (albeit not as much as it once was), despite being/becoming discredited in popular media.

That has not been the case for at least 30 years that I'm aware of.(being from the time I started studying Anthropology at university in 1978) Nor was it common in the C19th,when Anthopology was based on the 'quaint customs' view found in "The Golden Bough". That attitude was used to justify colonialism from Roman times..

"The Noble" savage and "the wisdom of the ancients' have been perpetuated in modern times by the lunatic fringe such as the Theosophists,then Hippies in the 1960's. In the 1970's it was the fraud and fake Anthropologist Carlos Castenada.Today it's the New Age morons. Then there's Hollywood. A graphic example is the appalling tripe in the film 'Dances With Wolves'.