Avatar shows Jake as human for only a few minutes of the film, showing the audience his perspective.
“Jake as a disabled human appears only in brief, intermittent scenes—several of which avoid representing his wheelchair—allows viewers to ignore disability and focus on the exotic Na’vi avatar body instead.” (Schalk, 413).
The ‘exotic’ body of Na’vi has been criticized for being racist which is separate from ableism. Jake Sully’s status as a veteran adds patriotism to the film.
“Jake Sully’s efforts to save the Na’vi aliens is just a “sci-fi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy” that dates back to ‘genocide’ Europeans perpetrated against Native Americans.
But well-meaning characters like Sully are just “a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white.” (The Week)
In science fiction, it is easy to create the allegory of an alien race = a minority group. Featuring a white protagonist results in a white savior complex where white people try to erase other cultures.
A disability community is different from a culture of a certain race. When imagining a future beyond 2022, writing a plot where only white people exist would be considered obscenely racist.
A future without disabilities, in contrast, is not obviously ableist to some people because of assumptions and pity disabled people receive from able-bodied people.
I cannot directly compare racial crimes against disability assumptions. I am a non-white, disabled person. I can only offer my experience.
People ask many personal questions about how your body works as a disabled person. Sometimes able-bodied people feel entitled to an answer.
Racial-related questions are usually less frequent, usually limited to” where are you from?“
People avoid talking about race but seem more curious about disability.
The disability community offers more unknowns to white, able-bodied people leading them to view the disabled person as more “exotic” and interesting.
Alien races are exotic and exciting.
“You can imagine studio executives saying Jake’s character is necessary
‘for the audience to connect with,
rather than having the world saved by one of these alien ‘blue people.’ ”(The Week)
Compare Jake, who represents an ideal version of a minority in reality, to the fictional Na’vi, who represents racial minority groups (unintentionally).
Ableism is also easier to overlook than racism. Both are bad.
Hollywood has a long history of whitewashing. Casting Jake as a white ex-marine represents the most patriotic version of humanity.
Culturally, this movie was a movement. Audiences were awed by the spectacular CGI and 3-D and possibly less focused on the plot, which is thoroughly unoriginal.
My dad described it as “Blue Pocahontas in space.”
The fact that this plot is well-worn shows the power of Hollywood to shape society.
A blockbuster like Avatar reinforces societal norms, “quelling anxieties” around disabled veterans.
“This is accomplished through
distinguishing the good, deserving disabled people
who want to integrate and be as “normal” as possible—
like the protagonist Jake —
from the bad guys, the con artists, the unstable “mentally ill,” and the rest of those other disabled people.“ (Schalk, 417)
Sources
Schalk, S. (2020). Wounded Warriors of the Future Disability Hierarchy in Avatar and Source Code. Journal of Literature & Disability Studies, 14(4), 403-419. https://doi.org/10.3828/jlcds.2020.27
The Week. (2015, January 8). Avatar’s ‘ugly’ message. https://theweek.com/articles/498243/avatars-ugly-message