Avatar Article Reaction

Nick Upper

English

9/12/2012

Reaction Paper

When I first read the avatar racism article I had mixed reactions. Initially, I thought some of his points had validity. But then as I started to think about each of the points presented I saw that each one had two sides.

            “A ‘race traitor’ to his fellow humans, Sully leads the cat people in thwarting the military invasion.  ‘This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare,’ Newitz wrote.”(Milloy, 1) The first line of the quote is part of Milloy’s summary, while the latter is a quote from another article that ties in with Milloy’s argument. At first I thought this was a very valid point (posed by both Milloy and Newitz, the quoted author). As I began to think about it, I realized that the Newitz quote contradicted Milloy’s initial argument. Milloy’s plot summary glorifies Sully, while Newitz’s quote tears him down.

            Newitz was once again quoted in Milloy’s argument. “Sully has the power to choose between being a dominating Sky Person or a Na'vi victim, which in the end yields greater power -- the audience's empathy. Only white men are privileged enough to have such choices.”(Milloy, 1) This quote is completely ridiculous. Of course the main character, who so happens to be a white man, has the power. There would not be a plot or the need for characters if Cameron didn’t give power like that to someone.

            Perhaps the most contradictory statement lies in the final section of the article. “Sully becomes blue and puts his life on the line for the Na'vi.” (Milloy, 2) If he is trying to antagonize the white man’s treatment of the Na’vi, the last thing he would want to say is that Sully became a martyr, the ultimate sign of respect.

            All in all, this essay contained quotes that contradicted Milloy’s main argument. In my mind this made the whole essay boring to read.