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ATHENS (Raging Heart of the Uprising)

No Anagram For Avatar: Predictive Programing In Pop Culture [With Reference To Plato's Allegory Of The Cave]

DISCLAIMER:

I would like to begin this article with an explanation of why a discussion of James Cameron's movie Avatar [2009] is relevant to a blog that is devoted to total disinformation awareness. I intend to use this movie as an analogy to explore some of the issues surrounding predictive programming and cultural conditioning. Astute readers will note that these are two different labels for the same phenomena. I might equally call it behaviour modification or mind control, except that in the case of Avatar it happens on a mass scale. Recent estimates indicate that almost 27 million people have seen the film at a cinema with the full 3D immersion effect. For the sake of brevity I shall avoid any extended discussion of the technology behind Avatar, as I don't think the special effects are the most important factor here, although the experience of being totally immersed in someone else's vision is an issue that should be considered in depth.  Equally, I am omitting any discussion of the plot or storyline of the film as, for the sake of full disclosure I feel it is only right to admit that I haven't actually seen it on account of how the whole thing really fucking creeps me out.  

INTRODUCTION:  Not Just Imprisoned, The Prison Itself 

[Or: It May Only Be A Movie But It Has The Power To Transport Us All To A Magical Dreamland Where We Will Become So Happy We'll Want To Kill Ourselves]  

Firstly: no responsible, rational blogger would, could or should expect to get away with a line like that.

But I'm not a responsible, rational blogger.

I'm an irresponsible, alarmist blogger.

So that's alright, then.

As I will argue [#withlogic!] in this article, predictive programming is nothing new, and one of the earliest references that I've been able to find is Plato's allegory of the cave. Before we get into that, or  into what some more contemporary thinkers are writing about predictive programming, lets have some background information on all this Avatar shit [and a fucking creepy picture] preferably from a reputable, mainstream source:

James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film the beauty of the alien world Pandora. On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope.

A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site "Naviblue" that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie. "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.'"

Creepy, right?

Other fans have expressed feelings of disgust with the human race and disengagement with reality. Cameron's movie, which has pulled in more than $1.4 billion in worldwide box office sales and could be on track to be the highest grossing film of all time, is set in the future when the Earth's resources have been pillaged by the human race. A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 10-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na'vi.

In their race to mine for Pandora's resources, the humans clash with the Na'vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia.

Cameron's special effects masterpiece is very lifelike, and the 3-D performance capture and CGI effects essentially allow the viewer to enter the alien world of Pandora for the movie's 2½-hour running time, which only lends to the separation anxiety some individuals experience when they depart the movie theater.

"Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far," said Dr. Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. "It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as it seems onscreen. It makes real life seem more imperfect." Within the fan community, suggestions for battling feelings of depression after seeing the movie include things like playing "Avatar" video games or downloading the movie soundtrack, in addition to encouraging members to relate to other people outside the virtual realm and to seek out positive and constructive activities.

- Jo Piazza; Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues [cnn.com; Janurary 11, 2010]

So, let's review: Avatar is a "completely immersive spectacle" which has produced in some viewers "feelings of disgust with the human race and disengagement with reality" as well as suicidal ideation and the belief in some kind of supernatural afterlife upon death. Astute readers will immediately notice the similarities between this and the intended results of both military training and religious indoctrination.

And that is why I want to examine it more closely in our awesome new blog.