I took my boys to Avatar and found it visually dazzling, though the story totally cliche. It's the standard trope about the superior virtues of a primitive, indigeounous culture. The funny thing is that everyone knows primitive indigenous white cultures, such as those in Appalachia (rural America), are backward: illiterate, racist, sexist, and homophobic. The have high rates of crime, drug use, and incest. Their religiosity is not admirable, it merely highlights their devotion to dogma. However, given the current enlightened tribalism white trash has no analogue among brown, black, yellow and now blue hominids. I guess the marginal effect of education on rational self-interest is high only for Europeans; everyone else simply knows that 'playing nice' is an optimal strategy in dynamic interactions.
The most important fact to remember when species from different ecosystems meet is that one usually has 100x the brainpower of the other. When one comes light years to visit the other, and you can put your money on the visitors, and remember, they are not only smart, but hungry. This is why I'm not too excited by the thought of aliens coming back, because I don't think they are going to serve mankind in a way we would like.
Most importantly, I was wondering whether it counts as creepy if you lust for females of another species merely because they look and act kind of human. Sure, she's a pretty blue girl, but horses are pretty, and if they could talk, I still wouldn't fark one, even if "I" were a horse. I guess ever since Captain Kirk started making out with alien babes everyone figures a hot chick with a tail and racing stripes is just a hot chick. I'm all for being color blind, but if your neighbors are really blue, deep blue, don't tell me you'll treat them just like everyone else.
Interestingly, there's a fun theory out there (see Chariots of the Gods), that aliens with really big heads came around, bred with the locals and build megaliths, then left or where killed, suggesting that Ghengis Khan is not the greatest progenitor of the planet, but rather the Captain Kirk from Planet X. This also explains why all cultures assume the Gods come from the heavens. You can see evidence of their big heads in South American to Russia, and their buildings from Macchu Picchu to Giza.
11 comments:
Great post. I think the difference is that the stereotypical rural whites tend to try to tame nature (fighting beehives with gasoline) instead of putting nature on a pedestal, and fostering a symbiotic relationship, which is so attractive to the political left.
A horse is not a creature with intelligence on par with humans. If i could "avatar" into that blue body and Capt. Kirk that steroid smuff,I'd be down to try it in a heartbeat. :)
Maybe the aliens were ancestors of King Tut, seeing that the 2005 CAT scan revealed the odd shape of his head. See article at National Geographic.
Avatar is a upside down story line ... the author flips the logic because they are dilettantes
the word of the day is rishathra. what do you do when you hear the word of the day?
Supposedly there are numerous star systems that can give rise to life. Some of these star systems are much older than the sun. It can be assumed then at least some of these systems would boast of intelligent life far above us humans. The technology at their disposal would make the TGV look in comparison like a pushcart. Why then are they not here yet? What are they hiding from? Why haven't they carried off Nicole Kidman, Halle Barry or Aishwarya Rai yet? I echo the famous Enrico Fermi in asking: just where are these guys?
Why haven't they carried off Nicole Kidman, Halle Barry or Aishwarya Rai yet?
They are the aliens !!!!! and Tom Cruise is their leader haha.
Ummmm so why haven't we won in Afghanistan yet? Could you please hop a plane to Kabul and explain what you just posted to the locals so they lay down their arms and just give up, since we are clearly soooooooo superior to them. Thanks a million.
we didn't win over the natives by our sheer strength: the diseases we brought with us did most of the job.
That's why the Chinese, despite being more advanced in the 15th century never had much of an empire; they traveled west (following the winds) and didn't have the immunity advantage.
Without the immunity advantage it's hell to submit other peoples living 1000's miles away, regardless of the technical edge -just look at Afghanistan today.
Eric, would you really be interested in communicating with the bacteria of a pile of dog poop you found while traveling? And do you think this pile contains some important resources for you? Energy? When you have antimatter?
It's ridiculous to think earth would provide any benefits to smart aliens.
Sex? If they are so smart, they can create whatever they like to. With advanced AI those machines would be adaptive and actually have a personality. Do you think in a thousand years anybody cares whether the loved one is artificial or real? What would be real anyway?
Yes, Appalachia is backwards. But if you travel in the rural areas of the Midwest (WI, MN, IA)you'll meet some very nice people that would bend over backwards to help a stranger.
I've also been to WV, and the people there do seem to have bad dental care and be poorly educated. Head further up Appalachia, and it's not as bad in Pennsylvannia. By the time you get to NY State, they are conservative folks but quite educated and rational. But the roads are better and they aren't as isolated.
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