I know I am probably way behind seeing the movie Avatar, but I went and saw it last night, and I was blown away by the creativity and idea behind the movie.
However, I also found the message to be a great social commentary and something very important for our time.
For those who haven't seen the movie, I don't want to give it all away.
However, the basic plot is that humans go to a planet far away in the future and encounter an indigenous group.
The human military which is really funded by a corporation, seeks to take the precious materials from the Native peoples, if they don't give up their land voluntarily it will be taken by force (a classic metaphor of the Spanish or American governments against the indigenous peoples).
However, I think the movie is trying to move beyond a simple analogy of past conflicts, but rather the danger of when military and corporate/profit interest interchange.
We all know that war is always tied to money.
However, today it is often much more subtle than it was in the past when it could be openly stated.
Though I wasn't a big fan of George W.
Bush, I am not going to say that what he did with the war in Iraq was completely for profit.
I still hold out that however misguided the war was, there was still some non-corrupt motives behind it originally.
However,there were very many corrupt links and deals between the corporation interests and the government which at least raise suspicion (the most obvious being the direct link between Dick Cheney and Halliburton which was given the contract for billions of dollars to really help with the war effort and recovery.
) The simple fact is defense companies and weapons distributors want war to happen, because that means their profits will increase significantly.
Oil companies also enjoy the fact that the U.
S.
will have control over certain regions, because it means easier access to the oil reserves.
Again, I am not a conspiracy theorist, but even Republican President Dwight D.
Eisenhower warned us of the military-industrial complex, and how creating a huge industry based on war would create an insatiable desire and need for more war.
As we know in every war, the rich wage the war, but the poor actually fight it, often with no real profit to them.
We have to be very careful as the only true super power in the world that we do not let greed and corporate interests rule our foreign policy (or for that matter, our domestic policy).
This is yet another reason why I find the latest ruling by the Supreme Court so disturbing, essentially giving the Corporations even more power over our government and its values both domestically and internationally.
If you haven't seen the movie, go watch it.
I think it is one of the best movies I have ever seen.
However, while watching it, make sure to look beyond just the dazzling effects to the social commentary that is trying to be conveyed to our generation.