As IF Times

link Cameron hearts ecoterrorism — WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH?#more-5646

Whatever people’s political leanings, if they feel passionately enough about an issue, they are bound to say some extreme and in hindsight, dumb things. All sides of the political spectrum will provide examples of this. Recently, Pat Robertson, in an intemperate moment, expressed that the nation of Haiti may have brought the recent earthquake devastation upon itself by making a pact with the devil some years ago. Without question, this was a poor time to volunteer that opinion and he was excoriated by the media and the political left and right alike.

In a recent interview according to the linked article, Mr. Cameron of recent Avatar fame, let it be known that he would certainly advocate “eco-terrorism”. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion since, like noses, everyone has one. Of note however is the notable silence on the part of the media on Cameron’s advocacy for violent means to support his views. No doubt Mr. Robertson and Mr. Cameron are sincere in their sentiments, it just so happens they expressed their opinions publicly.

As well as rebuking Robertson for his remarks, we neccesarily also have to weigh past and future opinions from him in a somewhat skeptical light. It doesn’t discredit everything he says, but the view of his judgement has suffered. Having said that, we weren’t actually there when the devil made the deal.

For Mr. Cameron, whose genius in film-making is certainly not matched by his logic in real world matters, we should consider what he is is advocating.

We assume “eco-terrorism” entails the destruction of things deemed to be harmful to the environment, which could include oil and gas drilling sites, power stations, forestry operations, mine sites or any kind of factory. The target list can be quite exhaustive since there will always be some way to rationalize the detrimental aspects of any kind of industry. Heck, even Starbucks coffee, the staple consumer item of the green set uses paper cups, so it’s just a matter of time until someone jumps on their case.

Let’s also assume that the hundreds of millions of dollars used to finance his epics came from conscientious people who buy into his worldview and not for reasons of glorious profits in case the films makes it big. These film making costs can only go up in the future because the price of walking the green walk will entail finding hybrid or electric airplanes to ferry people and equipment around to all the shooting sets. Either that, or use horses and mules.

In this scenario also, movie theaters that show the films would not use nasty old electricity gleaned from hydro electric power dams or coal fired plants. Instead, all theater goers will sit on bicycle-like devices and everyone will collectively pedal to power the projectors required to show the film. It’s likely Cameron will have to make shorter films, because bicycling for 3 hours seems like an iffy proposition. Not to mention, fewer people will go to the movies on a romantic date.

As well, he is now pushing new technology in his films, the introduction of 3-D effects. Naturally, they will have to stop handing out the free plastic viewing glasses because of plastic toxicity. They will have to make these viewers out of something biodegradable, perhaps sugar crystals that can later be eaten.

This obviously won’t work well, but as we all walk the green walk it’s likely that we’ll turn back the hands of progress of most everything we do including aspects of entertainment that we take for granted. I don’t know what forms they will take but I wouldn’t throw away the old radios.

link Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues – CNN.com

I can’t make this stuff up, this material streams in and just begs for comment. CNN reports that an online web site called “Avatar Forums” have people expressing feelings of sadness or depression because they cannot live in a world as beautiful and perfect as depicted in the movie “Avatar”. A writer by the name of Mike:

“Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it,” Mike posted. “I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ ”

Other fans have expressed feelings of disgust with the human race and disengagement with reality:

“When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning,” Hill wrote on the forum. “It just seems so … meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.”

As an aside, the writer is 17 years old. Everything that he’s “done and worked for” may include math and english homework as well as a half finished collection of Pokemon cards. Of course he does live in Sweden, so the 11 month winter may be getting to him.

If these heart wrenching sentiments don’t crown James Cameron as the greatest filmmaker of all time, I’ll be the uncle of monkeys. To be able to craft a movie so rich in convincing detail, that people are tempted to off themselves because reality is so miserable is unprecedented to my knowledge. Heads up to the lawyers, Cameron will need a team of you guys when the lawsuits come pouring in for wrongful death suits.

Maybe people like this unfortunate young man should stop believing the biased propaganda that is being peddled by governments and media alike. Under the cover of science we are constantly fed a bleak stream of negative and alarmist views. The looming horror of global warming, imminent nuclear warfare, disappearing forests, depleted fish stocks, missing polar bears, African killer bees, spread of AIDS, hijackings of ships, oil prices soaring, rain forests shrinking, violent drug wars, airplane terrorism, excessive salt intake. He has to stop watching MSNBC.

If his bleak assessment of the state of the world is based on the diet of information fed to him at school, maybe the education system should stop sourcing texts from the Goth School collection; maybe turn a few lights on at the school.

Back in the 60′s there was an campy TV series called Lost In Space, whose special effects didn’t quite approach the richness of Cameron’s epic. One of the characters, Dr. Zachary Smith, was notable for his eternal pessimism and on nearly every episode, he was able to wail, “We’re doomed I tell you, doomed!” This guy was way ahead of his time.