Do the Dump

                                                                           The Dump


                                                                       By Sean Elezovic



                                           

E-waste, the digital dump, is a process in which manufacturers of electronics produce products that are projected to be timeworn within a small amount of time. An exquisite example is the constant cell phone upgrades available; from the plain, block-like cellular devices of the 80’s, to the touch screen generation of today, cell phones have a very small life span. After these life cycles come to pass, the electronics in question are disposed of. Well, how? Certainly mercury, among other potent chemicals used in cell phones, laptops, and flat screens cannot be disposed of as easily as say, a broken lamp, right? Well, the corporate mongers seem to think so. Through cost effective strategies, they envelop communities in China, India, Niger, to just name a few, and dispose of their “dirty laundry” onto these unsuspecting, worldly neighbors.

The simpletons that find cheap work in these aforementioned communities are unaware of the hazards of physically destroying electronic junk to filter out the worthwhile fortune resting in the midst of the wreckage. The toxins are then released upon the very air they breathe, not to mention the chemicals’ chance of pouring out onto the workers’ skin is superbly high. What can be done about these atrocious work conditions and careless manners of disposal? Distributive Justice makes sense in that these burdens of chemicals should be equally disbursed. Not just China, Niger, and India should take the full throttle effect of these toxic electronic components, but Europe, the Americas, and Oceania should partake too!

To receive Distributive Justice, though, Procedural Justice has to start occurring for the gears to start running. These tycoons that feel no sympathy, and surely no empathy, need to get a stern lecture. A sit down is needed, so that the mediating process can begin and the tycoons, if not willingly, then forcibly, will come to terms with this digital dumping and its negative effects on associations around the globe. Saturation & Least-Resistance Strategy commandeers a plan with the least amount of obstacles and problems for a collective bargaining ploy. This cuts out time we don’t have to respond to the alarming rate of pollution to Gaia. This leads us to Restorative Justice; a form of offender accountability, that is used as leverage into receiving more than just an apology. This is quintessential to put the fear of God back into these do-as-you-please fellows whom seem to suffer from egocentric megalomania. These corporate powerhouses with their impending loss of their beloved delusions of grandeur and frightening repercussions that await them quickly offer up services, clean up messes, among other sympathetic actions to please: the poisoned, sick, and suffering many from the high amount of poor waste management. The Saturation & Least-Resistance Strategy should reduce waste if everything can go according to plan, but realistically is that even possible? A new plan has to be put in motion so that we can at least make the attempt to find out, but before any of the later stages of this brainstorm can take place, the hands of the guilty have to be forced for an effect to take place in the first place. Recognition Justice simply isn’t enough. One person does make a difference but how far does that really go if you do not coerce the villain into acting? Is the Principle of Commensurability awakened in only a few worldwide or are we ready for a bright, reinvigorating, new world order? “Ethical theory considers, among other things, the responsibilities each one of us has toward others and the rights we possess that others must not encroach upon.” Is this a relative close cousin to the Principle of Commensurability that Summers’ reading refers to? Do most denizens of earth have the drive to commit to an Earth Day, every day? Recognition Justice shouldn’t be taken lightly, however. It is a process where more individuals are needed to take notice and needed to take place for a movement to begin, but who says earth isn’t ready? A “Green” movement, involving more options for the consumer without unnecessary chemicals such as mercury is pertinent to a better tomorrow. The more, the merrier in supporting and voicing a healthier assembly of our electronics. Rally the troops, multiply, infect others with the needed willpower to overcome the odds. The corporations with greed in their eyes and dollar signs in their bellies are definitely to blame, but the blame game will not resolve a thing. It takes desire too.

Other than the previously mentioned types of justice, the next one has been adamant for more than just a while—Environmental Justice, which is the type of reparation that prevents unfair acts of prejudice against poorer communities to occur. Environmental Justice can be easily kept up with if the “Green” picketing continues. Why should the “little guy” be forced to suffer as opposed to well off communities? An instance easily remembered was the February winter storm in North Texas of ’11. In the wake of the Superbowl in Arlington, TX, blackouts were needed to supplement just enough power for people to function routinely about the house through the frozen over generators. An environmental injustice took place in that many poorer communities such as: Terrell, Garland, and Lewisville were bombarded with more blackout time than powered on. Whereas the richer communities of: Plano, Frisco, and Arlington remained powered on for more than half of an hour--a truly remarkable coincidence? Or was it unfair play? Why don’t we ask Jerry Jones? He is a man who used his affluence to keep the lights on at Cowboys Stadium throughout the whole ordeal. A stadium with no players, or games, or fans, just the media, and they were allowed power over the spoiling food of a not-so-well-endowed, single mom of two in Mesquite. “Poorer citizens may very well be drawn to lower property values, and more affluent citizens may enjoy even greater mobility in moving away from burdens before experiencing the loss of property value and self-esteem.” This was the quote of a written assessment made by writer Figueroa. It shows how the less than fortunate have to suffer while the richer neighborhoods reap the benefits. Why did the suburbs of Dallas see such a high range of discrimination against stereotyped residencies? Only the electric companies and their providers can answer that. The rest of us are just meant to speculate on what happened and what keeps happening in commonwealths across the nation.

The Toxic Waste and Race in the U.S. has reached a twenty-fourth year, and is still up and running. It remains a constant reminder of our highest polluters to date. The EPA has always guaranteed to keep the highest standard of protection against any hazardous materials or chemicals from polluting our streets and jobs—which would include poorer suburbs like the ones mentioned earlier. They are doing everything that is in their power to keep these major corporations from downsizing spending and leaving all of the clean up to the consumer. Their itch they want scratched is a halt to the constant Moore’s Law of incoming technological advances ousting their obsolete compatriots in a matter of months which ultimately drops tons of unneeded waste on nations worldwide. Superfund Sites are the locations these toxic dumps of waste lay. NIMBY is a pejorative of substance used to denote the true distaste citizens on high “Green Alert” show to proposed new toxic plans for their beloved community. Silicon Valley didn’t know what they were getting themselves into way back when. Other locales ought to know better by now. Even though a community may be small, poor, or unknown to the public eye, it does not mean they should allow themselves to be bullied by the “fat cats” that seem to do as they please. Not In My Back Yard has been fairly effective in repelling unwanted factories, chemical plants, and other polluting firms from their respective communities. Some see it as a blessing that a new building that offers employment is coming soon to their area but these are the individuals that have unfortunately not been properly educated on the issue. It is not about money, it is about health. Most of the factory workers that make computers and TV’s become deathly ill to the point of no return and eventually die. Bringing home the bacon from such a high level of toxicity in a lethal environment will be hazardous to anyone’s health. It is not worth the trouble, no matter how much they pay. Can a check really be worth the loss loved one’s will endure? Tell that to the sea of people that have gone through such an ordeal and see how you feel then.

The basic narrative to digital dumping is one of a sorrowful overtone with hopelessness attached to it. It is unnecessary to abdicate the true power every one of us has—the power to overcome smog, chemical wastelands, ill-fates of factory workers, and even corporate takeovers. The only thing keeping any one of us from success is our own prerogative. Keep that in mind as you take your next step to class or work and you walk by an individual on their cell phone, knowing that it is only a matter of months before Moore’s Law kicks in and that the very cell phone you glanced over at will be wasting away in another Superfund Site.

The Patriarchal of Meat

          Have you ever watched a television show, and heard the wife of the household, ask the husband “what he wants for dinner”, and the husband would reply, “a big fat steak would be nice”. Though this conversation may happen anywhere besides on television, the importance of it has a much more rigorous meaning. In an in class reading, the article “The Sexual Politics of Meat”, by Carol J. Adams, makes a good reference to the humanism context of man’s actions. Meat eating has been around for decades. In with its consumption has come the identification of society males as being a “constant for men, intermittent for women…” (Adams, pg 36). In a worldwide patriarchal custom, some cultures forbid women from consuming fish, seafood, chicken and eggs. This view also dehumanizes women from the equality of male and female. In today’s time, the phrase “meat” can take on a sexual context, when using reference to women.



        Meaningless this should not be the view that society should get, but in corresponding to this phrase, people can argue that animals should not be referred to in this way either. However, the absent referent to animals is both present and absent, this sometimes can occur on the objective of women. In a media piece discussed in class entitled “'I didn't think of Iraqis as humans,' says U.S. soldier who raped 14-year-old girl before killing her and her family” by Mail Foreign Service [Dec. 2010], the absent referent is present. In the passage, “An Iraq War veteran serving five life terms for raping and killing a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing her parents and sister says he didn't think of Iraqi civilians as humans after being exposed to extreme warzone violence” . “'If I thought that was an OK thing now, I wouldn't be much of a human being,'” ( pg 1), Green said. This quote truly reveals the explicit question of what morally counts as a "human", and what is socally constructed and categorized as an "animal". Adams explains, “Rape, in particular, carries such potent imagery that the terms is transferred from the literal experience of women and applied metaphorically to other instances of violent devastation, such as the “rape” of the earth in ecological writings of the early 1970’s”.
        In females relationship with animals there is only a few aspects that keeps us from being separated. That is the dehumanization of animals; which is broader and gruesome and also the male gaze. A male gaze at a female makes a broader point. In class we viewed a slide showing a soldier holding a prisoner by a rope that is tied to his around his neck. A quote by Theodore Adomo is portrayed below it stating "  .

       The possibility of [murder] is decided in the moment when the gaze of a fatally-wounded animal falls on a human being. The defiance with which he repels this gaze—‘after all, it’s only an animal’—reappears irresistibly in cruelties done to human beings, the perpetrators having again and again to reassure themselves that it is ‘only an animal'." This quote relates to the view of the male gaze, when men look at women, and women look at themselves, this determines not only the relationship between men and women but the relations that the women have with themselves. 

       For example in the picture below, a female is viewed in many manners, on the controversial a pig is only viewed as “meat”. However this leads to the question  "does being classified as a human carry any weight in itself?". Just Like the way the 14 year old girl was dehumanized and treated less than the soldier all because she was an Iraqis

Credit: Courtesy of PETA

Unknown Photography.

         Nevertheless, it is what makes meat a important symbol and celebration of male dominance. In a way gender inequality is produced in a individual, because in most cultures such as the United States over a century ago, meat was performed by men. In our economy now, the commodity of meat is so plentiful that we no longer have this same view. As in the media piece, Green states that “I thought I'd be neglecting my duty if I didn't. “' 'You've got a career, you've got a job. It gives you opportunities to do things with your life.” Although this is not a justifiable answer to taking human lives, it is an elimination that many people would use to justify the killing of animals for meat. Adams states that “Men who decide to eschew meat eating are deemed effeminate; failure of men to eat meat announces that they are not masculine” (pg 44).

            He also makes a good reference between these dualistic views. “Sexual violence and meat eating, which appear to be discrete forms of violence, find a point of intersection in the absent referent. Cultural images of sexual violence, and actual sexual violence, often rely on our knowledge of how animals are butchered and eaten” (pg 54).

"Peta ad- which while it promotes kindness to animals, does not look very kind to women."

         Like the woman who asked her husband what he wanted for dinner, someday she might become his dinner. Explaining that there is just a thin line that keeps animals and women separated.Like the way the young girl was killed by the soldier. Although male masculinity is reassured by the food that they eat, a woman or animal shouldn’t have to be a part of this process.




For More Info and References:


Adams, Carol J. "The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist- Vegetarian Critical Theory." New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. , 2003. 36-45.



Service, Mail Foreign. "'I didn't think of Iraqis as humans,' says U.S. soldier who raped 14-year-old girl before killing her and her family." 21 December 2010. MailOnline. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340207/I-didnt-think-Iraqis-humans-says-U-S-soldier-raped-14-year-old-girl-killing-her-family.html.


http://www.easyvegan.info/tag/sexy-meat/

By Briana Echols 

Is this an exceptional act of cruelty? Or is it just standard industry practice?

The atrocities committed in this undercover Mercy For Animals video show the lack of ethics of the workers in these factory farms.  These are exceptional acts of cruelty because there was absolutely no reason for the people shown in the video to torture the animals with pipes and pitchforks.  These acts weren't for self defense, the cows were obviously contained in enclosures where they were unable to move even they wanted.  These acts were unprovoked and were conducted because these people have a twisted, sick sense of humor and thought it was entertaining.  In order to work in this type of establishment, one must have a detachment from morals and from caring for the welfare of animals.  This attracts people who may be prone to abuse.  One of my co-workers is a strong advocate for animal rights and told me about how in a book called "Slaughterhouse", there is an interview done where a couple constantly experiences domestic violence.  This also shows how this industry can spawn violent behaviors.  These are also considered exceptional acts of cruelty because in addition to the confinement and stress that these cows already face on a daily basis, they are being stabbed with pitchforks in the face, flanks, udders, and legs, and beaten over the head with steel posts and fists.

 
Standard industry practices require industries to follow certain requirements and regulations, however, factory farming seems to be an exception. I cannot help but assume that Billy Joe Gregg has terrorized and abused animals on more than one occasion, and it's not likely that he was alone when doing so.  So why wasn't anything done?  He was in clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act.  These animals are thought of as a resource, as something that has no intrinsic value, feelings, or thoughts, and are therefore thought of as mere objects, not beings that can feel, think, and have a will to live.  Since they are only thought of as a commodity, people tend to stop caring how they are treated.  From the employees, to the management, to the corporate level, the gap of detachment from being able to sympathize for animals grows larger and larger.  The agribusiness world described in Mason's "Brave New Farm" is an overcrowded, terrifying place. In 2004, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) did an undercover investigation of a chicken slaughterhouse.  Pilgrim's Pride is the "second-largest chicken company in the U.S." and the investigation "revealed sadistic abuse of birds, involving laborers, supervisors, foreman, and managers. In responding, the President and CEO assured the public that "Pilgrim's Pride strictly adheres to the animal welfare program recommended by the National Chicken Council."" (Mason, 169). Since chickens aren't covered under the Animal Welfare Act, I don't believe that these employees were ever prosecuted in any way.  Thankfully Billy Joe Gregg was arrested on twelve counts of animal cruelty, however, he wasn't the only one committing the abuse, and there are countless others who are doing these horrible things on a daily basis. The law needs to change and needs to actually be enforced. I know if I'm caught going six miles over the speed limit, I'll probably get a ticket. These people do not care because even if they have the longshot chance of being caught, no one is likely to do much about it.

-Mika Earling

Images:
1. http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/3/6/0/2/1/4/i/5/2/9/o/Cows_in_the_barn.jpg
2. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0133ef847ea5970b-600wi
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUhm9mctSwc

Cross-Cultural Cinematic

The movie Avatar has made a gigantic cultural impact on us in the year 2009. After racking up major box-office bucks, the movie has touched our hearts now through our blue-ray/DVD-players for the subsequent years. The reason it has had a titanic impact, forgive the pun, is solely on the fact that it touched a racial segregation line between two different groups of people. The Na'vi, a born species to the world of Pandora, claimed the rightful throne of their homeworld until the human beings came in with their anthropocentric view of the universe and attempted an overthrow of its original inhabitants. This touched many people because, even though it had been shown through movies such as: The Last Samurai, Dances With Wolves, and even to a lesser extent, Star Wars, this one was the most recent "awakening" from the anthropocentric view we guide our children and grandchildren to believe day in and day out.

            As the Master Narrative tells us, through textbook, news casts, and even webcasts, the world we live in, or don't for that matter a la Pandora, seems to offer only one scapegoat of a persepective, "all shall bow to the humans." The major flaw in such a one-sided view is that the humans invading Pandora for their own means of gaining wealth and colonialism, do not live the life of the natives. Rarely do such exquisite stories get told, but in this case, Sam Worthington, or Jake Sully as he is known in the film, does experience such a tale, and even embarks on a heroic tale to recapture the land for the true colonists. The heroic ethics he taps into are needed to rectify his ineffectiveness of pleasing either side of the story which at one point left him with no home to call his own. This allowed the self-narrative to occur and guided him through wastelands left behing by his own race to approaching these drastic times with drastic measures. His careful preparation was unhindered and he managed to capture the biggest creature known to the Na'vi -- a creature that held a symbolic and even noble standing in the Na'vis' hearts. This allowed him to claim the title of "World-Traveler" and completely changed his philosophy on life and allegiance once sworn to the armed forces and human beings. Through his eyes, the narration exposes us to a not so anthropocentric view on matters, as an audience, rather it portrays a truncated narrative-- a view not seen often enough. As we are experiencing in Texas currently, Cesar Chavez, the pioneer extraordinaire, is being deleted from knowledge because of the state government. Known for hating illegal immigration with a passion, Texas government has moved forward with their blinded, delusional decision-making for this paradigm on the true forefathers to this great land. As the Tools for a Cross-Culture Feminist Ethics: Exploring Ethical Contexts and Contents in the Makah Whale Hunt states on paragraph two of the fifth page in the reading: "In 1979, the Makah Cultural and Research Center opened as a place to display the artifacts from Ozette, representing the 'historic continuity of Makah efforts to self-determine their ways of knowing and living in the world around them.'" Is that what we expect to do everytime a colonialism take place? To give back to them a grain of salt after we had taken the entirety of their existence? The Native Americans received sacred land to live on dozens of years after they were assimilated into a European, white-man culture. The Mexicans that once held Texas as one of their own properties were forced out at San Jacinto when Santa Anna declared defeat to the Texan hoards fighting for independence and sorrow in their hearts post-Goliad and post-Alamo. Are we to give them anything? We are seemingly still punishing them in Texas for their rule eons ago. Are the Na'vi just as unlucky? When their sacred tree is decimated through colonialization, are they to receive a small prize for playing the human's game centuries down the road? It isn't a good enough consolation to have your belief system wiped out by madmen with hovercrafts of destruction. The simple living the Na'vi led couldn't compare to the white man's technology. The only thing on their side at the climactic end was the knowledge of the white man's culture through their fearless, new leader, Jake Sully. Their heart, home-field advantage and tactical planning proved too much for the technological fleet of doom with their impending attack on the tree of life-- their sustenance on Pandora. They prevailed, but by a hair when the armed forces leader had his life taken away for his maniacal need to commit genocide; the karma finally caught up to him and hopefully enstilled a lesson in all audiences' minds.

              To have such a different understanding and going forward allows us to accept nature and its belongings as a possession of Gaia, and not Uncle Sam, or any human-made poster child. The feelings towards Avatar were mixed in that the political standpoint James Cameron decided to take this movie in either angered and offended some, or showed them a whole new perspective on the matter, which enlightened them. Either way, this movie made an impact in everyone's life, as it's safe to say, because the box office numbers reflect the massive quantities that viewed, and then reviewed this movie over the course of six months. A cultural impact, surely, it will be remembered as the new milennium's take on the dualisms that still remain in society, albeit a fictional society, it still revealed to us how even decades and centuries after how the Native Americans, African-Americans, and serfs were handled, we realized deep within ourselves that "HATE" is still a word that seems to be a self-proclaimed moniker even in today's standards when we are dealing with either each other's races, lands, or our fellow air-breathing comrades. A shame to admit this horrid truth it is, but to avoid it is futile.

'Our great mother does not take sides Jake. She protects only the balance of life.'

General Concept 

Life’s decisions are continuously made upon judgmental views.  The way these views are weighed out and determined is by a person’s perspective.  The movie Avatar demonstrates one of the most basic and common perspectives that many people living in today’s day carry out. Riches and materialistic wealth heavily surpass the value of life and nature. Throughout this entire film there will be subliminal messages about the undisposed respect for nature lining the plot of this story. This was instilled to subconsciously effect the way you think or see things. Some of these messages are more obvious than others; I want to bring attention to a few.

Observing as a student, Jake learns that "they have a deep connection to the forest; a network of energy that flows through all living things.” Nothing is taken for granted and every thing is appreciated. They don’t kill for sport, nonchalantly, or aggressively. They kill cautiously and swiftly with positive intent, assumed to preserve the animals as much as possible.  During the scene where Jake has made his first kill, once the animal has been struck, he quickly rushes to it’s side to quickly end it’s suffering. Simultaneously he professes his appreciation saying things like "I see you Brother and thank you.  Your spirit flows with Eywa; your body stays behind to become one with the people." This was done with the acknowledgment that he would still be recognized under Eywa, that he was not killed out of recklessness, and his sacrifice will be for a better cause. 

Modern Thought

Much like in Jakes powerful last speech amongst the people, he addresses issues relevant to the way we live now. He addresses how we’re under the impression that we can take whatever we want and no one can stop us.  This isn’t the case. This world is not ours to destruct.  Neytiri begins to break down explanations of the how to go about the ecology of things, she mentions that “All energy is only borrowed; one day you’ll have to give it back”

This is in reference to the readings of Leopold “Thinking like a Mountain” because they also believe in the strong rotation of the cycle of life and nature in it’s entirety.  They know not to mistaken their place; they don’t take things out of order.  They realize that it’s a world they’re able to live in but not in control.  That is exactly the point that superficial people forget.  I believe the scene I’m about to post can refrain specifically back to when the boy looked into the deep emerald green eyes of the dying wolf and reached a point of realization.

Avatar - Drama scene from Igor Kubo on Vimeo.

It’s like we’re draining the life out of Mother Nature slowly, and her love isn’t unconditional. We cannot keep taking from her without putting back in.  I would like to close my post with my last quote from the Movie:

“I’m probably just talking to a tree right now, but if you’re there, I need to give you a heads up. If Grace is with you look into her memories. See the world we come from.  There’s no green there. They killed their mother and they’re going to do the same here. They’re going to come like a rain that never ends, unless we stop them. “

--Morgan Farruya

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/
http://blog.areyoupayingattention.com/2009/12/spoilers-most-people-wont-understand-avatar/
https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct


..

Mother Earth

From the Movie Avatar, The Forest of the Planet Pandora
huwDavid.wordpress.com 

EARTH IS ART.
In the epic film Avatar, directed by James Cameron, it is clearly brought before our eyes that our world is a place of art, beauty, life, and knowledge that we the people are slowly killing without second thought every second of the day. Our environment is here before us not to just be drained of every resource, but instead is here to be a companion, a teacher, a mother.

Summary of movie. ATTENTION: Spoiler Alert!!!

General Concepts of the Movie Avatar

Master Narrative- The humans who come to Pandora believe that man is the center of all importance. They believe they can take what isn’t theirs and make it theirs with no problem on pandora.

Anthropocentrism- is non existent with the native people of Pandora. The Na’vi do not view themselves as the central or most important element of existence. Instead, they view themselves as one with the environment or mother earth. Though the humans on Pandora think differently. They support the idea of Anthropocentrism to the fullest.

Dualism- man v. nature, violence v. peace, life v. death, male v. female, knowledge v. lack of knowledge.

The movie Avatar to sum it all up is a story of nature and how man is greedy and a killer for resources. Avatar explains how modern humans are killing the earth and is sends an important message that we the people of today need to start doing something about our careless ways or else we will be left with nothing. Throughout the whole movie tons of quotes reveal the ways of humans and how we are seen to the Na'vi people (the natives of the planet Pandora)

"learn well Jake Sooley, and we will see if your insanity, can be cured"- Neytiri's mother

This quote is a perfect example of how the Na'vi people view the humans. She states, "we will see if your insanity, can be cured" insanity meaning, humans being so clueless about our own earth as well as the environment of Pandora. The Na'vi know how horrible the humans have been to their own homes and they hope to teach "Jake Sooley" all they know. They hope to expand the idea of mother earth and becoming a student of her teachings.

"Sky people cannot learn, you do not see." 

Another quote explaining the cluelessness of humans and understanding our Earth and Pandora.

Modern Thought

"This is how it's done. When people are sitting on sh*t that you want, you make them your enemy, then you justify it and take it." - General, Movie Avatar

This quote truly justifies how we modern humans think. We take from our environment and in the end become enemies because the one we are taking from is dying. 

"Energy is borrowed and one day we have to give it back" -Neytiri, Movie Avatar. 

If we do not respect what we are given and don't give back to our earth we will end up with nothing.

"For some men care only to know nature, others desire to command her" -Robert Boyle p 46  of Merchant reading. 

Humans in the movie Avatar are the "bad guys" they are referring to the people of the Na'vi as "blue monkeys" and "roaches" clearly stating to have no respect for life around them. They come to take their land and kill all that gets in the way including the trees, plants and even the Na'vi people. The humans are on this planet because all that was given to them on their own land they took and never gave anything back, "they killed their mother". Thus, we must think about the consequences today.  Today we  have a Mechanistic Worldview, we view nature as “dead”, composed of inert, substitutable, discreet parts that operate like cogs in a machine. We use and abuse it. We look at our selves as individuals, we are selfish and greedy only thinking of one’s self. We do only what benefits ourselves in result we sometimes hurt others. Atomism and Reductionism, are other reasons we humans base life selfishly. We are all worked up into science “atoms” and all types of theories we lose what is important to pay attention to. We loose the idea that our earth is here for us and that we are here to learn and grow with “her”. We forget to keep her healthy. All we do is take and take without giving back. All in all, through the movie Avatar our humanistic world view is shown clear giving us the motive to change. Lets learn from this movie and stop what we are doing wrong and CHANGE. We can create a better tomorrow just change our Modern Thought. Think of earth as our "Mother" and she will take care of us.

by Schyler duVall

Resources:

http://avatarblog.typepad.com/avatar-blog/2010/05/the-best-avatar-movie-quotes.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

Modern Thought by Merchant

Avatar: Clash of the Cultures

As an eager patron of the Cinermark movie theater in College Station I ignorantly watched Avatar for nothing more than a $4 thrill with big guns and blue aliens. When I went back and analyzed Avatar with ecofeminism in mind I realized that this movie demonstrates recurring themes of male domination and female/nature oppression while developing Gaard's eco and anti racial feminist ethic observations.

Avatar shares the same plot as such movies as: Pocahauntus, and Dances with Wolves. The themes of these movies focus on a dominant male character who shifts from the role of an antagonistic oppressionist that follows the master narrative of society through oppression to a protagonistic hero through the world travelling idea presented by Greta Gaard. Jake, a white marine with no education besides how to pull a trigger, begins by taking the place of his brother as a researcher to occupy an anatomic machine disguised as member of the indigenous tribe that occupy the planet Pandora. Grace, the leader of research, is a strong female character who struggles to overcome the oppression of the Colonel, an anthropocentric white male,who is only concerned about the colonization of this planet for use of it's rare and valuable "Unobtantium". The mission for colonization is headed by Parker, another white male, who carries himself as successful and is oblivious to anything besides his narrative self, which is him and his goal to obtain what cannot be obtained.


Avatar is a perfect example of dualisms including: man versus nature, and man versus women (Parker/the Colonel versus Grace). The dualistic idea of man versus nature is blatantly clear when the Colonel and his army follow the orders issued by Parker to destroy home tree. The notion that this is someone's home does not matter.What matters is that there are valuable resources under the tree and their home is an acceptable loss.At  1 hour and 35 minutes into the movie the Colonel acknowledges his awareness of home tree being the Na'Vi home and at the same time his lack of care."Alright people, let's get this done. I want every gas round you got right in the front door." With no hesitation he destroys this massive tree and follows with "first rounds on me", insinuating his victory which should be followed with celebration.

In many ways this movie follows along with what Greta Gaard points with the Makah tribe. The Na'Vi are like the Makah, and the Tree of Souls is their version of the gray whale. White man comes in and tries to take what is not theirs and in doing so, they crush what is spiritual to the tribe. Grace can be labeled as a feminist border crosser as she follows what Gaard is pointing out by learning the language of the Na'Vi. "The arguments on both sides of the  Makah whale hunting issue articulate the logic of different moral voices, stemming from different cultural contexts." (Gaard) To prevent the breakdown in cross cultural languages, Grace makes her researchers learn the the indigenous language. Gaard supports her point with an excerpt from an essay written by Maria Lugones and Elizabeth Spelman: "We do not talk the same language. When we talk to you we use your language, the language of your experience and of your theories." One must realize, however that in Avatar, a part of the colonization is the implementation of schools to teach American language and American tradition. This is an example of racial oppression. Some might argue that these are simply made up tribes of made up beliefs from the head of James Cameron. Although, they are blue, they are also not white. Avatar can be rationalized as just a simple movie with a good plot and nothing else, however the similarities are there. Are the Na'Vi really any different than the Native Americans from so long ago that nobody remembers?

The master narrative of our society accepts and hails such movies like Avatar because it portrays white man dominating nature and becomes a reigning hero. Realistically, humans do not act like what is shown by Jake's character. Ideally, however, nobody wants to see the reality of white man's oppression, so we candy coat it with movies of heroic ethic that ignore the truncative narrative and go for glory. Nobody cares about female oppression, so, in the end, we focus on Jake (man) being the hero rather than Grace (woman) having her research used as a tool that led to the inevitable deforestation (nature) of Pandora. In order to break free from the oppression of females and possibly the oppression of whatever else man deems himself worthy of dominating, we must step outside of what Tony Porter calls the "man box."


Written by: Justin W. Drummond