It seems the author's key point is that everything white people do is racist.
On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 10:30 AM, Vivec <[email protected]> wrote: > > "These are movies about white guilt. Our main white characters realize > that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA > people of color - their cultures, their habitats, and their > populations. The whites realize this when they begin to assimilate > into the "alien" cultures and see things from a new perspective. To > purge their overwhelming sense of guilt, they switch sides, become > "race traitors," and fight against their old comrades. But then they > go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once > oppressed. This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare. > It's not just a wish to be absolved of the crimes whites have > committed against people of color; it's not just a wish to join the > side of moral justice in battle. It's a wish to lead people of color > from the inside rather than from the (oppressive, white) outside." > > "Think of it this way. Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white, > giving up the old human meatsack to join the blue people, but never > losing white privilege. Jake never really knows what it's like to be a > Na'vi because he always has the option to switch back into human mode. > Interestingly, Wikus in District 9 learns a very different lesson. > He's becoming alien and he can't go back. He has no other choice but > to live in the slums and eat catfood. And guess what? He really hates > it. He helps his alien buddy to escape Earth solely because he's > hoping the guy will come back in a few years with a "cure" for his > alienness. When whites fantasize about becoming other races, it's only > fun if they can blithely ignore the fundamental experience of being an > oppressed racial group. Which is that you are oppressed, and nobody > will let you be a leader of anything. > > This is not a message anybody wants to hear, least of all the white > people who are creating and consuming these fantasies. Afro-Canadian > scifi writer Nalo Hopkinson recently told the Boston Globe: > > In the US, to talk about race is to be seen as racist. You become > the problem because you bring up the problem. So you find people who > are hesitant to talk about it. > > She adds that the main mythic story you find in science fiction, > generally written by whites, "is going to a foreign culture and > colonizing it." > > " > > 2009/12/21 Cameron Childress <[email protected]>: >> >> I guess... What is the author's core point here? >> >> -Camero > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:309614 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
