Avatar and the Attack of the Anti-Americans
Environmentalism. Imperialism. Corporatism. Words used by the left to destroy our beloved republic. And James Cameron's Avatar is only the latest in a string of attacks on our freedom and liberty.
Or is it? Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows I'm a traditionalist, which means I'm right of center. But they also know that I don't typically fall for political arguments. I recently did a three-part series on the politicization of the global warming argument for the purpose of socializing the West. Or America at the least. If Avatar was patently anti-American I figure it would raise my hackles. So why have I seen it three times now and will probably go again?
The main arguments against Avatar in the blogosphere are that it portrays American soldiers in a negative light, and that it attacks industrialization. Interesting that both of these observations come from people who say they haven't seen Avatar and then go on in the next sentence to predict that the movie will fail. Would it be possible for these people to have been more wrong? I remember the same people criticizing Harry Potter as being pro-witchcraft. Had they read it? NO. Did they look stupid? YES.
The problem here, and the fact that they don't see it, is that environmentalism and other issues have become political footballs - which they should not be. The left uses them to get votes so the right uses them to get votes. Before you know it, preserving our nest is a bad thing.
More specifically, Avatar does not hide the fact that it is strongly against destruction of rainforests and wanton industrialization. At the same time, it says not a single word about global warming. Not one. Now, what kind of fool is against preserving the natural beauty of our planet? In fact, preserving nature for the masses is an American invention. We were the first to do it. And it was a conservative republican (Theodore Roosevelt) who led the way. What was Robin Hood's crime? Hunting in the King's Forest. America preserved natural areas for the common man. And we better damn well take care of this place or it isn't going to be a very good home for our children. I love animals. I love the wonder of nature. How is preserving them, liberal? If you think it is, it is YOU that have become the politicized element. Or maybe I can come cut down the trees in your yard and use them in my fireplace. Yes, we need resources, but the environment MUST be a consideration. If Avatar had used the global warming argument it would have been political. That it didn't is a nod to Cameron that he didn't want to take that route.
Secondly, I have read in a number of blogs that Avatar criticizes the War on Terror and the soldiers fighting in it. This too I have to disagree with on several levels. First, Avatar clearly states in the opening scenes that the soldiers on Pandora are mercs. Mercenaries. Former military that have become hired guns. Blackwater scum machinegunning civilians. Sorry, but this is the case and if it a political statement to you then you need to review your concept of right and wrong. No one is more pro-Military than I. My grandfather flew Wildcats at the Battle of Midway. My father flew Intruders in Vietnam. I spent time on submarines. I love the military. But having been in I also know there are plenty of people in the military who'd gladly leave to do the same thing for a bigger paycheck sans oath.
As far as the War on Terror goes, I've never seen a more botched operation than that mess in Iraq. The soldiers and military performed flawlessly but Sadaam had no nukes. He didn't even have a program. Hell, he didn't even have air conditioning. The evidence was crap. We should have never gone into Iraq. We won but we look like the Romans. Or the Russians. We had more business in Vietnam than we had or have in Iraq. Now Afghanistan is a different story. We should have concentrated our resources there and that one might be finished already. So how is criticizing a botched military operation un-American? In North Korea you can't say anything against the government. You go to jail. In other words, as far as they are concerned, criticizing their government makes you anti-North Korean. But in America, we get to criticize all we want. So really, criticizing a botched military operation isn't anti-American, it is an exercize of our constitutional rights. It is pro-American. Nothing ever gets better in North Korea because there is no dissent. In America, just the opposite is true. So if you maintain that criticism of a botched military operation is anti-American, then maybe you have more in common with a North Korean stooge than you realize.
My advice: Go See Avatar. See it more than once. It is freaking awesome. It is the first movie that did to me what Star Wars did in 1977. First one I've seen in a theater more than twice since then. It is fresh. Unique. Well executed. Powerful. Rich. A technological masterpiece. Possibly the best movie ever made. Could parts of it be called political? If you wanted to, parts of the original Star Wars could be interpreted as political. If you love America, you'll still love America. If you are a lefty, you won't change your mind. If you are a righty, you won't change your mind. And if you've passed judgment before seeing it, don't be such lemming.
Futbol Guru, www.not-a-lemming.com