Blog #6

The way Avatar dichotomizes gender is obvious, and apparent throughout the movie. The head scientist in charge of the “Avatar” experiment is a woman named Dr. Grace Augustine. In the storyline, Grace is a very powerful figure. Grace is strong, persuasive, intense, and intelligent. In the movie, the male population, from the beginning to end, is shown as a “jarhead” stereotype. In my opinion, the main general of the marines is a “meathead” with weapons and machinery. This portrayal is shown throughout the movie with force, mainly coming from destruction with the use of killing and brute force instead of a diplomatic, patient attempt. Grace uses a calm approach to reasoning with the Na’vi race. She is persistent to reason with the race with persuasion and technique (a sensible method) like how she’s creates human avatars to go within the world of Pandora. In other words, the women in the film are more sensible, calm, reasonable, caring, and powerful, rather than the male population claiming all of these characteristics along the lines of the typical male stereotypes.

“James Cameron’s movie sensation, AVATAR, is about race, obviously. In a classic venue of white man versus nature, the white man is made the traditional enemy of the environment and its more natural, morally superior habitants–persons of color. This is such a basic, anti-white fantasy, one has to wonder at the implications of the movie’s success. Are there that many non-whites in America, or, Are there that many guilt-mongering whites in America? Perhaps it is a combination of both audiences. Combine that ‘liberal’ moral appeal with the compulsive lure of computerized, extravagant “photo-shop” creativity.” (Yeagley)

Jake Sully begins the movie as a jarhead, ex marine, called upon to take the place of his brother (PhD) who died in action prior to the storyline. Jake has the easy go lucky “whatever” approach to the whole idea behind the Avatar world. Once Jake begins his journey through Pandora he finally realizes there is more to life than the shitty world outside of Pandora. In Pandora Jake is something, and is loved by one of the Na’vi, Neytiri. As soon as he realizes what he was put forth to do wasn’t the right way, he literally switches sides and supports the Na’vi, battling back at his own kind, the human race. I’m sure the Avatars like the way they are portrayed switching from race to race. Each charater is stretched quite a bit. The only real resemblance shown is in their faces. Grace is shown as a tall, slim, “attractive” Avatar. Jake is transformed into a mucular macho Na’vi with a certain swagger, he lacks to have in reality. Throughout the film, Jake has very limited personability other than jarhead turned to lover, literally. Not much to broaden in that sense.

 Yeagley, David. "The Blue People: AVATAR Race Fantasy." Bad Eagle Journal (2009): n. pag. Web. 4 Oct 2010. <http://www.badeagle.com/2010/01/19/the-blue-people-avatar-race-fantasy/>.