http://theparkinglotfields.com/2009/12/30/why-you-shouldnt-get-too-excited-about-avatar/ a poltical pop culture wake-up call Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:38:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://theparkinglotfields.com/2009/12/30/why-you-shouldnt-get-too-excited-about-avatar/comment-page-1/#comment-2 jimspee Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:00:07 +0000 http://theparkinglotfields.wordpress.com/?p=6#comment-2 You point out some interesting paradoxes about Avatar. All of your complaints, however, demonstrate why Avatar rates as good science fiction. It uses a parallel, future Universe to point out truths and grapple with issues in our own society that we have not addressed. Instead of writing Dune, Herbert could have written a novel about Saudi Arabia. Cameron could have made a movie about mining in Congo, but Blood Diamond was already taken and that wasn't his interest. You are asking the right question, though! How do we as a society redirect our energy from fantasy wish fulfilment in a virtual world to actually solving global injustice? You point out some interesting paradoxes about Avatar. All of your complaints, however, demonstrate why Avatar rates as good science fiction. It uses a parallel, future Universe to point out truths and grapple with issues in our own society that we have not addressed. Instead of writing Dune, Herbert could have written a novel about Saudi Arabia. Cameron could have made a movie about mining in Congo, but Blood Diamond was already taken and that wasn’t his interest. You are asking the right question, though! How do we as a society redirect our energy from fantasy wish fulfilment in a virtual world to actually solving global injustice?

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