Avatar 2 faces boycott calls over 'cultural appropriation' and racism

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water is out in theatres and has already earned worldwide $300 million. The filmmaker James Cameron faces accusations of Indigenous and Native American cultural appropriation. A boycott movement has been launched to persuade people not to watch the movie.

Like the 2009 film Avatar, the sequel essentially resumes the theme of colonisers robbing the motherland and resources from tribes. In the sequel, the colonists are shown as people who need an utterly livable world because Earth's resources are running out. The director has been accused of plagiarising the customs and history of various Indigenous tribes to create a film with a predominantly white cast.

Yuè Begay, a Native American influencer, stated that he, along with Natives and other Indigenous communities worldwide, will boycott this "heinous and racist" film. She also said their customs were wrongfully hijacked to appease some man's saviour mentality. More than 40,000 people have liked the tweet. Begay also drew attention to a 2010 interview director James Cameron gave to a portal. The filmmaker said he invested a lot of time with Amazon tribes to study the history of Indigenous people in North America, which he described as a dead-end culture.


Autumn Asher BlackDeer, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver, was another sharp of Avatar.

FAQ

Is Avatar: The Way of Water available on Netflix?

The streaming service boasts an extensive repertoire of television episodes and movies, but 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is outside them.


Is a new Avatar series on the way from Netflix?

Prepare to return to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender since the new live-action series is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2023. After years of development, the long-awaited franchise is making a comeback.