Avatar Racist? They're Aliens, Not Black

Donna Britt sees Cameron flick as an 'indictment of intolerance'
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 4, 2010 1:58 PM CST
Avatar Racist? They're Aliens , Not Black
Neytiri, voiced by Zoe Saldana, in a scene from "Avatar."   (AP Photo)

For all those who crow that Avatar is racist, a simple fact “bears repeating,” Donna Britt writes. “The Na'vi are aliens. Not black.” Far from being racist, the “movie is an indictment of intolerance,” intended to “portray the ugliness of technologically advanced cultures making war on simpler cultures.” Obviously, everyone sees things differently, Britt concedes, but remember, it’s a movie about aliens.

Sure, they wear dreadlocks, Britt writes on Politics Daily, but she feels “better about the deeply spiritual, nature-loving Na'vi sporting my 'do than some profane, crotch-grabbing rappers.” Perhaps the most damning criticism is the comparison to the racism of Tarzan—James Cameron freely admits taking inspiration from Edgar Rice Burroughs. But think about it: “The white ‘Ape Man’ would never have fallen in love with a black native, respected her kinsmen, and killed scores of fellow whites to protect them.” (More Avatar racist stories.)

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