Erik Falkenstein found Avatar visually dazzling but totally cliché — and he has a few things to say about the superior virtues of a primitive, indigenous culture:
The funny thing is that everyone knows primitive indigenous white cultures, such as those in Appalachia (rural America), are backward: illiterate, racist, sexist, and homophobic. They have high rates of crime, drug use, and incest. Their religiosity is not admirable, it merely highlights their devotion to dogma.However, given the current enlightened tribalism white trash has no analogue among brown, black, yellow and now blue hominids. I guess the marginal effect of education on rational self-interest is high only for Europeans; everyone else simply knows that ‘playing nice’ is an optimal strategy in dynamic interactions.