Avatar is libertarian, but only for those familiar with libertarian principles. The others (and it sure includes Cameron) are not going to grasp this message and are going to be catch by the intense anti-capitalist eco propagand underlying the history.

Had the earthlings homesteaded some piece of unoccupied Pandoran land, put it to productive use, and then the natives decided they needed the land or that its economic value belonged to “Mother Pandora,” is there any doubt what side Cameron would be on?

We would have to distinguish between earthlings and Na’Vis. The Na’vis actually have some connection with “unused” land. Their planet and nature are different from ours.

If you went and saw a vampire movie you’d not be inclined to be critical of the director or producer for his/her implied views on murder and blood sucking – you’d recognize it for what it is – fiction

Yet Avatar has piqued the ire of a lot of “economically minded” folk. I’ve seen many criticisms of the movie by people who seem to think there’s some sort of moral imperative there.

Is it possible that those who react to the “message” of the movie are confusing it with a documentary?

The lady doth protest too much, methinks…

It’s “just” a movie. It’s a brilliant movie too because it leverages on a lot of fundamental human nature and recent human culture. So what that it might seem to imply that nature is good and corporate greed is bad, that natives are good and consumerism is bad – so what? Will it have any effect on the way of things?

Cameron is a genius – he’s an example of who in the past might have been a Mozart or a Shakespeare – someone who gives the masses what they want paid for by whoever has the money to pay.

To purposefully fail to see the movie is in my opinion just foolishness akin to deciding you’d never want to listen to a Mozart opera – but worse, to see the movie and not thoroughly enjoy it for what it is here and now because your moral compass gets confused by the “messages” that resonate with your own personality disorder is a sign that you maybe need some serious therapy.

murray

It’s often the case that the villain gets the best lines in a movie. I’ve seen plenty of evil drug lords point out correctly that if the hero takes them down, someone just as bad or worse will step in. Even the bad guy in the Incredibles, a movie I loved, amongst all his evil doings was planning on giving super powers to ordinary people. Who had more persuasive cultural impact–Gordon Gekko or the Martin Sheen character in Wall Street?

sure, we all agree that strip mining exists/existed in developing countries. right?

Love, Stephan