I am not depressed by the probability that we, mankind, have already traveled too far down the road of no return. I call this the "The Day the Earth Stood Still" Conundrum. In other words, I was rooting for Keanu Reeves' character and the plan to save the planet earth by eradicating all human life. Even without extraterrestrial intervention, the earth is a self-cleaning oven, and mankind's days are numbered. The seventh extinction is well under way. This is not a bad thing.
~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@...> wrote: > > Insightful. I scoffed at first, and to some degree I still am, however, I > wondered.... Working with renewable energy and environmental issues > everyday, I am bombarded with evidence that we are destroying our planet and > how connected everything is. I have moved beyond depressed to a place where > I doubt if it can be fixed, but I refuse to go down without doing my part to > help fix it. So I was not bombarded with facts I face almost everyday in > this film. It was a reinforcement of sorts. > > I've come to know most of you over the years, and it seems to me that this > is a group of people who seek out the truth about the world we live in. > Perhaps the majority of people are not particularly self-aware and this film > hit them very hard over the head with facts about earth and being human that > they had not given much thought about. Perhaps that brought on a sense of > despair for them. > > I admit, I really do not get some of the sentiments expressed in the article > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On > Behalf Of angelababycat > Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 8:42 PM > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: FW: Avatar watchers.. suicidal & depressed??? > > My mom went to see Avatar at my insistance. Although she's still too busy > mourning Mike to be sad about anything else, she did point out how much the > scene with the tree falling reminded her of 9/11. I hadn't thought about > it, but maybe on some subconscious level we all now have a strong emotional > reaction to tall structures falling (e.g., skysrappers, giant trees people > live in). So perhaps that scene coupled with the warring conflict over > resources throughout brings up a lot of old bad feelings in people. I'm > suprised that wasn't considered in the article. > > Angela > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdlists@> wrote: > > > > From: Chris de Morsella [mailto:cdemorse...@] > > Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 2:16 PM > > To: tdemorsella@ > > Subject: Avatar watchers.. suicidal & depressed??? > > > > > > > > http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html > > > > > > > > (CNN) -- James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have > > been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced > > depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long > to > > enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora. > > > > On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to > cope > > with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has > received > > more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying > to > > help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum > > administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so > people > > could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie. > > > > "I wasn't depressed myself. In fact the movie made me happy ," > Baghdassarian > > said. "But I can understand why it made people depressed. The movie was so > > beautiful and it showed something we don't have here on Earth. I think > > people saw we could be living in a completely different world and that > > caused them to be depressed." > > > > A post by a user called Elequin expresses an almost obsessive relationship > > with the film. > > > > "That's all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more > > info about 'Avatar.' I guess that helps. It's so hard I can't force myself > > to think that it's just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the > > Na'vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie," Elequin posted. > > > > A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site "Naviblue" that he > contemplated > > suicide after seeing the movie. > > > > "Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the > > wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of > them. > > I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and > all > > of the tears and shivers I got from it," Mike posted. "I even contemplate > > suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to > > Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.' " > > > > Other fans have expressed feelings of disgust with the human race and > > disengagement with reality. > > > > Cameron's movie, which has pulled in more than $1.4 billion in worldwide > box > > office sales and could be on track to be the highest grossing film of all > > time, is set in the future when the Earth's resources have been pillaged > by > > the human race. A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral > > unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving > > race of 7-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na'vi. > > > > In their race to mine for Pandora's resources, the humans clash with the > > Na'vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is > > reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like > > creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches > of > > the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing > > utopia. > > > > Ivar Hill posts to the "Avatar" forum page under the name Eltu. He wrote > > about his post-"Avatar" depression after he first saw the film earlier > this > > month. > > > > "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time > > yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, > everything > > I've done and worked for, lost its meaning," Hill wrote on the forum. "It > > just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep > > ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world." > > > > Reached via e-mail in Sweden where he is studying game design, Hill, 17, > > explained that his feelings of despair made him desperately want to escape > > reality. > > > > "One can say my depression was twofold: I was depressed because I really > > wanted to live in Pandora, which seemed like such a perfect place, but I > was > > also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have > done > > to Earth. I so much wanted to escape reality," Hill said. > > > > Cameron's special effects masterpiece is very lifelike, and the 3-D > > performance capture and CGI effects essentially allow the viewer to enter > > the alien world of Pandora for the movie's 2½-hour running time, which > only > > lends to the separation anxiety some individuals experience when they > depart > > the movie theater. > > > > "Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the > > pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far," said Dr. > > Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director for the Louis > Armstrong > > Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. > "It > > has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real > > life will never be as utopian as it seems onscreen. It makes real life > seem > > more imperfect." > > > > Fans of the movie may find actor Stephen Lang, who plays the villainous > Col. > > Miles Quaritch in the film, an enemy of the Na'vi people and their sacred > > ground, an unlikely sympathizer. But Lang says he can understand the > > connection people are feeling with the movie. > > > > "Pandora is a pristine world and there is the synergy between all of the > > creatures of the planet and I think that strikes a deep chord within > people > > that has a wishfulness and a wistfulness to it," Lang said. "James Cameron > > had the technical resources to go along with this incredibly fertile > > imagination of his and his dream is built out of the same things that > other > > peoples' dreams are made of." > > > > The bright side is that for Hill and others like him -- who became > > dissatisfied with their own lives and with our imperfect world after > > enjoying the fictional creation of James Cameron -- becoming a part of a > > community of like-minded people on an online forum has helped them emerge > > from the darkness. > > > > "After discussing on the forums for a while now, my depression is > beginning > > to fade away. Having taken a part in many discussions concerning all this > > has really, really helped me," Hill said. "Before, I had lost the reason > to > > keep on living -- but now it feels like these feelings are gradually being > > replaced with others." > > > > Quentzel said creating relationships with others is one of the keys to > human > > happiness, and that even if those connections are occurring online they > are > > better than nothing. > > > > "Obviously there is community building in these forums," Quentzel said. > "It > > may be technologically different from other community building, but it > > serves the same purpose." > > > > Within the fan community, suggestions for battling feelings of depression > > after seeing the movie include things like playing "Avatar" video games or > > downloading the movie soundtrack, in addition to encouraging members to > > relate to other people outside the virtual realm and to seek out positive > > and constructive activities. > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Post your SciFiNoir Profile at > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYa > hoo! 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