What Movies Teach about Race by Satchel Roslyn M.;

Author:Satchel, Roslyn M.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

In this scene’s example, imperialism takes on a uniquely post-9/11 character through expressions of population control fears, the Bush doctrine of preemptive attack, and linkages between terrorism and religious and racial war. These images of white people coupled with the previously discussed words and the following actions to racially represent dominant group members with discretely stereotypical portrayals that blur the lines between what is laudatory and what is pejorative. An alternative interpretation is that these individuals are clearly evil and the movie is setting it up to show these are the antagonists, regardless of race. Further, it might mean that whites in this film are evil while the non-whites are the protagonists and espouse the better morals and values. Either way, Avatar marks a significant shift among the sampled films in its depictions of whites and Others. Whether this is an indication of historical progress, since it is the most recently released film analyzed, is an issue taken up in chapters 6 and 7.

Conversely, figure 5.6 demonstrates how sparse images of non-dominant racial group members are across the films, but when these representations do occur in Avatar they are consistently of primitive and violent combatants with tribal markings, wild hair, and scant attire that are cultish, travel collectively, and cast threatening stares from the darkness. This occurs far more than three times in Avatar (Landau & Cameron, 2009). While subordinated groups may not drum, kidnap, burn, boil, or eat anyone in Cameron’s movies, his characterizations of the blue aliens are reminiscent of turn-of-the-twentieth-century stereotypes that portrayed people of color as anonymous masses that traveled in groups, chanted, danced, entered trances, performed rites, and killed people (more on this in chapter 6).

Nevertheless, unlike the other films in the sample, Avatar (Landau & Cameron, 2009) has women of color cast not only in speaking roles, but also in leading roles. Distinctively, one Black Latina, one African American, and one white Latina are cast in leading roles. These women are uncommonly smart, defiant, and pretty warriors. Their characters are strong heroes who fight in parity with the men and children in ways that are exceptional. Several additional women of color are in the cast even though most of them are merely in the blue masses without dialogue. These depictions warrant additional scrutiny in the next chapter and in future research.

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