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Various people have talked about the attitudes to disability in the movie "Avatar". Overall I thought it was middling, a mix of good and bad and much better at disability than it was at race omg. (EDIT: Though the moment the bad guy was introduced I thought "Oh, he has a scar. Well, I guess he must be the bad guy then"...)
But watching the movie I started wondering about whether or not the Na'vi were actually any better about disability than the military. Sure, Jake is treated a lot better by them, but his avatar is able-bodied. How would they have treated him if he was paraplegic in his Na'vi form too? (oh there's an interesting story idea)
During the dull patches of the movie I pondered how they might react to a Na'vi who lost their braid/queue and thus their ability to connect to the tree of souls. When I got home I was inspired to write a version of the story without Jake in it and in the process found the original script and in it is this deleted scene:
(Jake is the hero, Tsu’tey his sometimes rival, sometimes comrade)
MO’AT tends to the mortally wounded TSU’TEY as AVATAR JAKE arrives with Neytiri. Mo’at has bound his wounds, but by her expression, it is clear he cannot be saved.
...
Tsu’tey weakly clutches his severed queue.
TSU’TEY
I can never ride again, or bond with my woman -- or hear the voice of Eywa. I can not lead the People. You will lead them, Jakesully.
JAKE
No. I’m not officer material.
TSU’TEY
It is decided. Now do the duty of Olo’eyctan. Set my spirit free.
JAKE
I’m not killing you.
TSU’TEY
I am already dead.
JAKE
No.
TSU’TEY
It is the way. And it is good. I will be remembered --
Tsu’tey’s voice is weak, but thick with emotion.
TSU’TEY
-- I fought with Toruk Macto, we were brothers -- and he was my last shadow.
TSU’TEY’S HAND clasps with Jake’s in a fierce grip. Jake draws his knife.
TSU’TEY’S POV -- Jake leans forward, blocking the sun. HIS SHADOW falls across Tsu’tey.
JAKE
(Na’vi)
Forgive me, my Brother. Go now to the Mother Spirit.
By his movement, we know that he has ended Tsu’tey’s pain. Jake’s eyes well with tears as he continues reciting the prayer for the dead.
So...yeah. Admittedly, it's plausible that he would have asked Jake to kill him even if he still had his queue since he was mortally wounded, but then why mention it at all? Taken in conjunction with Jake not being able to do much in his disabled body apart from jack into a non-disabled one, the subtext to the film is pretty creepy if you ask me.
EDIT: Deepad has a nice collection of links about the race and disability issues of the film.
I googled and found this essay about actual American Indian attitudes to disability and they actually sound pretty cool. Then again I wonder at the implication that there's only ONE such attitude, what with there being so many diverse American Indian tribes, I may try and find something not written by white people.
But watching the movie I started wondering about whether or not the Na'vi were actually any better about disability than the military. Sure, Jake is treated a lot better by them, but his avatar is able-bodied. How would they have treated him if he was paraplegic in his Na'vi form too? (oh there's an interesting story idea)
During the dull patches of the movie I pondered how they might react to a Na'vi who lost their braid/queue and thus their ability to connect to the tree of souls. When I got home I was inspired to write a version of the story without Jake in it and in the process found the original script and in it is this deleted scene:
(Jake is the hero, Tsu’tey his sometimes rival, sometimes comrade)
MO’AT tends to the mortally wounded TSU’TEY as AVATAR JAKE arrives with Neytiri. Mo’at has bound his wounds, but by her expression, it is clear he cannot be saved.
...
Tsu’tey weakly clutches his severed queue.
TSU’TEY
I can never ride again, or bond with my woman -- or hear the voice of Eywa. I can not lead the People. You will lead them, Jakesully.
JAKE
No. I’m not officer material.
TSU’TEY
It is decided. Now do the duty of Olo’eyctan. Set my spirit free.
JAKE
I’m not killing you.
TSU’TEY
I am already dead.
JAKE
No.
TSU’TEY
It is the way. And it is good. I will be remembered --
Tsu’tey’s voice is weak, but thick with emotion.
TSU’TEY
-- I fought with Toruk Macto, we were brothers -- and he was my last shadow.
TSU’TEY’S HAND clasps with Jake’s in a fierce grip. Jake draws his knife.
TSU’TEY’S POV -- Jake leans forward, blocking the sun. HIS SHADOW falls across Tsu’tey.
JAKE
(Na’vi)
Forgive me, my Brother. Go now to the Mother Spirit.
By his movement, we know that he has ended Tsu’tey’s pain. Jake’s eyes well with tears as he continues reciting the prayer for the dead.
So...yeah. Admittedly, it's plausible that he would have asked Jake to kill him even if he still had his queue since he was mortally wounded, but then why mention it at all? Taken in conjunction with Jake not being able to do much in his disabled body apart from jack into a non-disabled one, the subtext to the film is pretty creepy if you ask me.
EDIT: Deepad has a nice collection of links about the race and disability issues of the film.
I googled and found this essay about actual American Indian attitudes to disability and they actually sound pretty cool. Then again I wonder at the implication that there's only ONE such attitude, what with there being so many diverse American Indian tribes, I may try and find something not written by white people.
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I find it rather unsurprising that this scene existed, and equally unsurprising that it was deleted in favour of "non-white rival dies heroically, mostly offscreen".
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