New Year, New Me

Alianna Kendallbrooks Correspondent

Director James Cameron has not been shy in revealing what inspired him to make the highest-grossing film of all time, “Avatar” and its sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Cameron said in an interview, "Avatar very pointedly made reference to the colonial period in the Americas, with all its conflict and bloodshed between the military aggressors from Europe and the indigenous peoples...It's not meant to be subtle."Amassing almost two billion dollars in revenue since its release, the films' recreation of Americas violent colonial period in has proved profitable – but not ethical.

The first film is set in a futuristic world where humans have depleted Earth’s resources. In search of more, they travel to Pandora – a lush moon inhabited by a local tribe called the Na’Vi. The military along with the protagonist, Jake Sully, infiltrate Pandora by transferring their consciousnesses into hybrid clones of the Na’vi, called Avatars. After losing his way in the forest Sully meets Neytiri, a Na’Vi woman, and he falls in love with her and her culture. Along with other Avatars, Sully decides against exterminating the Na’Vi and embodies the white savior trope by defeating the colonizing corporal in the third act. In the end, Sully remains on Pandora to become chief of the Na’Vi tribe. “Avatar: The Way of Water” picks up over a decade later with Sully’s avatar rocking locs as he attempts to save his family from his fellow colonizing earthlings, again.

Both films are reminiscent of European colonization and the brutal genocide of Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. While Cameron offers a more optimistic alternative in which the Na’Vi people are able to defeat the imperialists with Sully’s help, the film is unable to transcend tired tropes. “Avatar: The Way of Water” crosses the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. By inhabiting the bodies of the Na’Vi people, we once again see the commodification of Indigenous people’s bodies as was seen during colonization and slavery. Furthermore, the Na’Vi are predominantly played by white actors– aside from Zoe Saldana. The lack of representation is not just a glaring contradiction to the film’s source material,

The protagonist, Jake Sully, manages to save the Na’Vi people with sheer military genius? Not only does it lack logistical sense, it paints a false image of white people as the savior of Indigenous people when in reality it's the exact opposite. ‘Avatar’ follows behind other Disney movies, such as Pocahontas and the Legend of Tarzan, by perpetuating white savior tropes within the subtext of colonization. Crystal Echo-Hawk, president and CEO of IllumiNative, says “It’s a level of arrogance once again that a White filmmaker can just somehow tell a story that’s based on Indigenous peoples better than Indigenous peoples ever could.”

In 2010, Cameron joined the Xingu people in the Amazon to fight against a dam project and spoke about how the experience related to Avatar. “This was a driving force for me in the writing of Avatar – I couldn’t help but think that if (the Lakota Sioux) had had a time-window and they could see the future… and they could see their kids committing suicide at the highest suicide rates in the nation… because they were hopeless and they were a dead-end society – which is what is happening now – they would have fought a lot harder.”

Cameron’s heart may have been in the right place in protesting the construction of a dam in the Amazon, but his comment is victim-blaming and ignorant. Once again, Cameron crossed the line.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” has reignited conversations about what distinguishes cultural appropriation from cultural appreciation. Although Cameron strives for cultural appreciation, Sully has a parasitic relationship with his environment and his ignorance endangers both the Na’Vi and Metkina people. The production of the film itself is unrepresentative of the Indigenous cultures it appropriates and it seems Cameron prefers complacency over apologies.

Cameron responded to criticisms in an interview with Unilad, “It’s not up to me, speaking from a perspective of White privilege, if you will, to tell them that they’re wrong,” he said of his critics. “It has validity. It’s pointless for me to say, ‘Well, that was never my intention.”

Cameron plans to make three more sequels and further profit off the film's depiction of colonization. Will you be watching, or will you be boycotting?

“New year, new me.” Right? Speaking with friends and family, there are mixed feelings about this quote. Some believe going into the New Year with new resolutions is a waste of time, while others write theirs down and go into detail about everything they want to accomplish.

I’m going to help those who write down their New Year’s resolutions down to accomplish those goals. I also hope to encourage their who don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions to give them a shot. How do I plan on doing this? By providing tips on how to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions. I generally don't make resolutions but this year was different. It's necessary to make a change when you aren't getting your desired results. Albert Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” New Year's Resolutions are an attempt to break that repetitive cycle.

Another way to help maintain your New Year’s resolutions is by using applications, like DONE, can help you create and maintain your resolutions. According to the Done website, “Done helps you create healthy routines by helping you set goals, tracking your progress, and then motivating you with streaks/chains, all in a simple, clean, package.”

This app, that’s marketed as easy and convenient, can assist you in accomplishing your goals by keeping you on track. To achieve your goals, it is important to create a healthy routine. According to Northwestern Medicine, routines can “help you manage stress more effectively...sleep better...eat healthier...get active.”

Personally, I love routines and schedules. They allow me to be more productive and structured. Using an application, such as Done, has helped me to make sure that I accomplish everything that I set out to do in the day.

Done has the ability to not only help with goals for today but also help you monitor your future goals. The application also automatically syncs with your health app in your phone, so you do not have to transfer all that information over. These are just some of the advantages of using an application like Done.

My last tip is a simple one: Eat healthily and sleep well. Taking care of your body is essential to accomplishing any goals. As a college student, I know how hard it can be to eat three times a day and go to sleep on time, so here is what you should do.

So, what can you use to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions? A vision board. According to Brigett Ealy in Oprah Daily, a vision board is a “visual representation of your goals.” Typically poster-size, vision boards include images and text that illustrate your goals. You can get these images and text from virtually anywhere– the Internet, Pinterest, magazines and newspapers are a few examples. Your creative license is limitless. One way to be accountable is to have a vision board night. Creating vision boards with you and your friends is a great way to start the year off. Surrounding yourself with people working towards accomplishing their goals will help encourage you to achieve yours.

If you're having difficulty finding balanced meals, the dining halls offer healthy options. There are a variety of options and the staff is really nice. The dining halls also accommodate those with dietary restrictions.

Sleep has been important since the dawn of time. According to the CDC, in order to wake up refreshed in the morning and ready to start your day, we need seven-plus hours of sleep per night. And who doesn’t love to sleep?

Hopefully, with these tips, you will be able to accomplish whatever you put your mind to this year. Happy New Year!