adrianneleigh wrote:Have any of you seen James Cameron's "Avatar"? How do you feel about the portrayal of disability in this movie?
I'll keep my opinions to myself until I read some of yours!
It's no wonder that so many able-bodied people feel pity for me! In their minds, I would rather be a different species, on a different planet, than be stuck in my wheelchair on this planet! Like, there's nothing here for me, and I'm just waiting to die.
I wonder if James Cameron has any experience with disability
..... ...answer to the question, "is there anything in this life worth living for despite having a disability?" was assumed to be "no."
Pete wrote:
I'd say the character was written to be disabled, as it gave him less reason to want to remain human in a human body so it wasn't such a huge decision to have his consciousness transferred over to his avatar at the end of the movie.
I'd say the character was written to be disabled, as it gave him less reason to want to remain human in a human body so it wasn't such a huge decision to have his consciousness transferred over to his avatar at the end of the movie.
2senile wrote:So, the character was a sad pussy with no friends, family or anybody he loved or who loved him in the human world & therefore nobody to miss him or be hurt by his decision to leave them.
Burgerman wrote:I washed my hands of it. And I dont miss the wasted time, ultra loud adverts for much of the time (I forget what repeat I was watching), or endless pushing of overpaid (idiot) "stars" that I really dont care about or like... Its all aimed so low, is so trivial that its all a waste of my time.
adrianneleigh wrote:I agree, Pete. But isn't that offensive?! He was in the angry stage of dealing with his injury, and there have been times that I wished I could be a mermaid rather than human. The simple fact that this deeply emotional and important soul searching was ignored in the story allowed the audience - in general - to maintain the stereotypes currently associated with disability (anger, bitterness, unhappiness, loneliness, etc.), and that does a disservice to the disabled community. In that 2 1/2 hour movie, the topic could have been at LEAST glossed over. Could living with a disability be worthwhile? Could it advantageous in some way or another? These were choices the character had to make, and those two questions weren't even asked - by anyone!
So, as a woman with a disability, it's offensive that BECAUSE the character was in a wheelchair, the topic of staying human was disregarded as it was.
Pete wrote:The movie was a James Cameron Hollywood blockbuster, they're normally shallow and meaningless by design. To read any more into it beyond the simplistic is just guessing.
Pete wrote:I really think you're reading too much into Avatar. It's basically a simplistic Hollywood popcorn movie. Strip away the special effects and 3-D rubbish and what you have left is a very simplistic shallow three act story that has been retold hundreds of times in various movies over the years.
adrianneleigh wrote:If disability were portrayed as often as it actually occurs, I'd be able to accept that Avatar is a shallow movie with a shallow plot. It's basically a modern Pocahontas.
I forgot to mention schools. There are still countries where people with disabilities are all segregated into separate schools.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 28 guests