The press is reporting a sense of depression that overcomes people after seeing the movie “Avatar”. Having seen this movie, I have some thoughts as to why this depression occurs.
Without giving away too many details, “Avatar” is another movie about corporate greed. It joins films such as “500 Nations”, “Food Inc.” and “Michael Clayton”. The corporate greed in “Avatar”, “Food Inc.” and “Michael Clayton” centers on either something that provides nourishment for humans or energy. These are items that are needed to sustain life and to keep the “machines” running. It’s understandable that people would fight and even kill to gain and maintain control of these sources. As someone once told me, “The most profitable items for sale are those that either go up a chimney or down a toilet.” Makes a lot of sense.
The documentary “500 Nations” is different because it tells the story of greedy invaders that killed the indigenous people of the Americas for GOLD, something that doesn’t go up a chimney or down a toilet. Gold is NOT needed to sustain life. Gold is a mineral that does not provide nourishment nor does it provide energy. The only thing that gold feeds is vanity. Yet people committed genocide to obtain gold. The same can be said about diamonds, a crystal of carbon that is plentiful and market and price controlled by one corporation.
We humans are so very shallow that we value minerals that provide nothing more than we value life. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh spend time peddling gold and telling us that gold makes the world go around even though gold has no real value when it comes to sustaining life. They are selling the corporate messages and the undereducated are allowing themselves to be manipulated. The Tea Party shouters, filled with racism and hate, will never be happy because their value system is based on “things”. Americans believe that “things” will make us happy and yet, we are always looking to buy more “things” because we feel a hole inside us that needs to be filled. Religion doesn’t completely fill the void because religions are always asking for money and more money. If Catholics stopped sending money to the Vatican, the Pope would have to live his life like Jesus instead of like a king.
The indigenous people in Avatar have lives that are not centered around “things” and yet they appear to be happy. When we leave the theater, we re-enter our world and we see an environment covered in concrete and asphalt and realize that our lives are centered on “things”. It’s a very boring and sad picture, both visually and spiritually. Yeah, that would cause a person to feel depressed.
Organizing for Change 