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James Cameron schooled by indigenous leaders
NRDC hosts special screening of 'Avatar' with James Cameron, who talks about getting 'schooled' by indigenous leaders on why 'Avatar' has it wrong.
Wed, Mar 03 2010 at 6:24 PM

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Conservation, Pollution, Celebs

 
In a recent fundraiser for conservation efforts in Ecuador, James Cameron screened his environmental adventure movie Avatar before an audience which included many of the highest ranking indigenous leaders of the region. After the movie, they reproached Cameron, saying that they didn't like the violence and that, "This movie needed a better message." 
 
Ouch. But Cameron took it in stride before an NRDC audience last week as he recounted something we all suspected — his passion for preserving the last remaining rain forests on Earth.
 
Today was a big day for one of those forests — the Peruvian Achuar region, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. California's 9th Circuit Court heard the appeal today to try the case of Maynas Carijano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp. The indigenous Achuar people are suing OXY oil for using illegal dumping practices for three decades in the region, resulting in massive environmental degradation and human health impacts. Sounds like the plot to Avatar?
 
I was there at the hearing and will give more details shortly — it is a very interesting case.
 

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Comment: 1
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anonymous
Marlowe Brown Mar 04 2010 at 5:09 PM
And if we want to see change, we have to start changing what we see. I'm not talking about morality here and Avatar is certainly a great start. I'm talking about our physical, emotional and spiritual health. I work in the biz and considering the enormous power that filmmakers have to influence our thoughts, emotions, attitudes and decisions, I have to agree with the indigenous leaders. We can do better. If we truly care about our health and the health of our planet, we would never subject ourselves
.... More
to the violence and degradation that comes out of Hollywood. Would you take your child by the hand and say, "Come on Johnny, let's go watch this crazy, psycho clown torture people down on the corner." Heck no! That's crazy, right? But we do it all the time. Why is a child's mind any more or less susceptible to scenes of violence than our minds? Because we're old enough to know the difference? Wrong. Studies show that the human brain does not know the difference between a real crazy clown sawing off someone's leg or one in a movie. It responds the same, either way. Adrenaline, kidney function, adrenal glands, stomach function, blood flow.... you name it. The brain doesn't know the difference. Overall, it's really no different than the foods we eat or the air we breathe. What we watch has the power to harm us or heal us. Period. It's either toxic or healthy. Decades of scientific research shows that what we see with our eyes can lower our blood pressure or spike it. It can boost our immune system or supress it. It can even alleviate symptoms of pain, depression, ADD and more. That's the power of the entertainment industry!
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