Bitching about Avatar? Why don't you learn something about films first!

"Over the last month, it has been criticized by social and political conservatives who bristle at its depictions of religion and the use of military force; feminists who feel that the male avatar bodies are stronger and more muscular than their female counterparts; antismoking advocates who object to a character who lights up cigarettes"
--from a NYTimes article

My response is simple: you haters, what the f*ck have you been smoking?

I'm not trying to impose my thoughts on anyone. I'm not saying that just because I loved the movie Avatar, everyone else should either. But I am saying this to the following critics:

1. social and political conservatives:
For those of you who use this argument -- have you even seen the movie? The movie depicts the use of military force in a bad way. In other words, the movie advocates peace and harmony. Is that against the conservative belief?

2. feminists who feel that the male avatar bodies have more muscle :
Oh you have GOT to be kidding me. Those who make this argument must have never taken a biology class in their lives. It's called testosterone: males have more of it, and it means bigger muscle. I'm not saying women are in inferior to men in any way. Those who make this argument should stop associating themselves with feminists -- it makes people like Susan B Anthony look bad.

3. antismoking advocates:
This is just an example of people who blame others for their own faults. I'm going to use myself as an example. Until the age of 9, I spent my life in China and Japan, two countries where smoking was accepted in public. I am proud to say that I have never touched a cigarette (or tried any drugs). I didn't smoke, but not because of movies, or TV shows, or whatever. I didn't smoke because my parents always told me smoking is bad, and they also set a good example by not smoking. In addition, I believe there was only one character who smoked -- Dr. Grace Augustine. And she wasn't the main hero, or the heroine.

And just to get another thing clear, smoking has actually been used as a way to show a character's personality. The way a character smokes tells us a lot about him. For example, in the 1932 Scarface (directed by the legendary director Howard Hawks), Tony Camonte first lights up a cigarette using a police officer's badge. Immediately, we can see that Tony's disrespect for the law and his child-like arrogance. In Avatar, by introducing Dr. Augustine with the line "Where my cigarette?" implies (a) she's tough lady and (b) she's under tremendous stress.


So please, if you're going to critique something, especially say negative things, know what you're saying first. That way you won't sound like an idiot and subtract from the total intelligence of all human begins. Perhaps the world can be a better place if everyone did that.