Another post about Avatar. And Afghanistan.

Why did I write a post about the "white savior" theme in Avatar? I'm not particularly interested in why Hollywood makes these movies. As a couple of my readers noted in the comments, movie producers want to make money, and a lot of formulaic plots are guaranteed sells. I'm more concerned with why these themes resonate so deeply with audiences. I'm especially concerned when we carry these deep-seated myths out into real life without even realizing it, because the stakes are so high.

Major Jim Gant, an experienced Special Forces soldier, made waves in October with his article One Tribe at a Time. According to a glowing Washington Post article that ran yesterday, "Gant believes that with the central government still weak and corrupt, the tribes are the only enduring source of local authority and security in the country." Both General Petraeus and General McChrystal widely circulate Gant's article. One official called Gant "Lawrence of Afghanistan" because of his immersion in Afghan tribal culture.

Not everybody is convinced. The blog Ghosts of Alexander ran a scathing critique today, written by an PhD student studying at the Australian National University. After citing a passage where Gant describes his love for Afghanistan, his feeling that he was born there, and his fond memories of sitting and talking with a local tribal leader, the author writes:

Gant is, well... he's on Pandora, 10 seconds from scoring with a blue skin lizard-cat girl. His avatar is a beard and some local clothing. He's obviously not of the scary Kandahari variety of SF. Unless of course you see things from the perspective of the highlanders. Then he's very scary.

I'm not qualified to evaluate the debate, but Gant's critic has an important warning for all of us. The US is trying to "save" two alien countries. We absolutely need to do the best job we can, and that means empowering locals (and often leading them) to achieve the best outcome possible. But we need to proceed with a lot of caution and humility and stay grounded in the real world. We shouldn't be seduced by our subconscious, deeply-rooted myths about integrating into and saving other cultures.