Avatar depression

[smileyeagle1021]

OK, for those not keeping up with the interwebs, one of the growing concerns people have is a trend towards people calling into suicide hotlines, who are seriously depressed after leaving Avatar.
example: http://open.salon.com/blog/its_not_the_end_of_the_world/2010/01/26/the_dark_side_of_inspiration_avatars_suicide_hotli ne

Seriously, I agree, Pandora is a sweet planet, Earth is a rotting hellhole... but to kill yourself over a movie?
Thoughts, comments... anyone have a strong opinion on whether or not these people are nuts or if they might be on to something?

[jackfaire]

I don't even think it is that exactly so much as a growing disillusionment with modern life. In the world of Pandora every day there is purpose and meaning.

A lot of people are working jobs to make money so that they can pay rent, buy clothing, etc so that they can go to work to make money.

It feels like an unending cycle of sameness. People need to find something in their own lives their own little bit of greatness.

[Lace Neil Singer]

This isn't a new thing; ever hear of the Japanese suicide forest? This guy wrote a book about it, and since then, people have been heading to this forest in droves to kill themselves.

Suicide Forest (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1373287/Japan-struggles-with-soaring-death-toll-in-Suicide-Forest.html)

Warning: Graphic pictures. Do NOT CLICK if you don't want to see dead body photos. Read the other link, there aren't any in that one. (http://funzu.com/index.php/crazy-pics/aokigahara-forest-of-suicides-29102009.html)

Obviously, people get too invested in movies, books or games and this is the result. It's a way of making an otherwise dull life interesting, to imagine yourself in this film or that book. That in itself is harmless; it's when it branches out in this way, that it's disturbing.

[jackfaire]

I am feeling a bit of this myself but not leading to suicide. I am looking at one of the shows I have been watching Eureka.

I feel like I should be doing a job more fulfilling and doing something that helps mankind I don't feel like I am doing that right now. I am going to start catching up my finances and go back to school

[Cassandra]

As the other posters have mentioned, there does seem to be a growing sense of sameness in our modern world. We have a tendancy to do the same routine from day to day out of necessity and not because we enjoy it. This leads us to go to books, games, movies, and other forms of fanasy entertainment to escape our boring reality. Most people will enjoy the brief escape then go about their business. Others walk away from the escape with open eyes and look around their world and realise that their life is not what they want and they can't see what they can do to make it better, so they fall into one form of depression or another.

I don't think that these people are "nuts", per se. But they may be weaker in mind than others, or they may just be realists. There is no way of know this without meeting them. The way our society has fallen in the last few decades, it is no suprise, to me, that more and more people are looking for alternate realities to lose themselves in.

When you really look around at the world and take off the rose coloured glasses, you can see just how horrible of a place we live in. And that's what draws people to things like Avatar. The simplistic beauty of everything working like it should, no hunger, no murder, no crime, no anger. Every thing is perfect. And we all strive for perfection in our oh so imperfect world. Some just realise that it may be a waste of time and become so bitter and depressed that they lose sight of the only beauty that is left in this world, the beauty within ourselves to overcome such obsticles.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Is it just me, or has there literally been not one period of time during which everyone's decrying the fall of society? I look at the world and see flaws within beauty. Objectively now is the best time to be alive, and there's little convincing evidence to believe that tomorrow won't be better.

The idea that a perfect world is possible, even in a made-up world, is quite simply ludicrous. People invest too much in perfection, and not enough in general good. We take the good for granted and throw fits over the bad. People forget that we're living in a society that's less violent, cleaner and more comfortable then ever before. If you'd rather live in bum-fuck Iraq with it's ancient tribal society and technology roughly equivalent to the dark ages, congratulations, have fun scraping the crap from your ass with your left hand and and eating with the right.

Seriously, in the words of XKCD, panic of societal decline has done more damage than societal decline ever did. It pisses me off :mad:

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm just sick of Avatar, full stop. It's nowhere near as original and fantastic as everyone says it is. It's basically non stop cliches. But everyone I know is acting like it's the best thing since sliced bread. -.- Give me suicide forests any day; I'd sooner read about that than one more bloody Avatar themed writing. [/rant]

[AdminAssistant]

I'm just sick of Avatar, full stop. It's nowhere near as original and fantastic as everyone says it is.

So am I, Lace, and no, I haven't seen it. I've heard it called "Dances with Smurfs", "Dances with Wolves in Space", and "The Blue Pocahontas." The plot is crap, which leaves the pretty, pretty computer generated graphics. Hm..a crappy plot....amazing film technology...You know, I could just pull out Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and watch it instead. The only difference is that at least Episode I has Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman in it.

And I don't understand why people are falling all over themselves for James Cameron. He makes a crap blockbuster movie once a decade and everybody wants to throw awards and money at him. "Eh, it's okay, we'll fix it in post" is not a sign of a good director.

[BlaqueKatt]

I'm just sick of Avatar, full stop. It's nowhere near as original and fantastic as everyone says it is.

agreed 110%

However one thing I find terribly amusing in an ironic sense....

My husband saw it in 3D(didn't really like it)....and the 3D glasses that were used for the viewing.....were disposable :eek: yup, large pieces of plastic with polarized plastic lenses-use once and throw them away......contribute to the "rotting hellhole" with more waste! :::shakes head in dismay::::

[Rapscallion]

I had to give mine back at the end of the performance...

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

I got to keep mine. And they weren't the cheap plastic kind either.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/avatar-pocahontas-in-spac_n_410538.html

[BlaqueKatt]

I got to keep mine. And they weren't the cheap plastic kind either.

yeah that's what I meant by "disposable" what the heck are you going to use them for(he kept his too they're sitting on a table collecting dust)-my bloody valentine 3D had you turn them in after the movie-they had sensors on them to prevent theft.

[powerboy]

I had to give mine back at the end of the performance...

Rapscallion


As did I. I wouldn't have mind keeping them.

[BlaqueKatt]

As did I. I wouldn't have mind keeping them.

for what? You happen to have a personal digital 3D projector in your living room?

[Boozy]

for what? You happen to have a personal digital 3D projector in your living room?

3-D theatres around here sell you a ticket for admittance, and then charge you a little extra to purchase a pair of 3-D glasses. The glasses are then yours to keep, and you are allowed to bring them back in with you the next time you see a 3-D movie.

They probably think it encourages repeat business. You now own these glasses that are useless to you unless you return to the theatre and buy a ticket to see another show.

That may not be the way things work at the theatre you attended, BK. But it's an example of why someone elsewhere may want to hang on to their 3-D glasses.

[Amanita]

My friend got a copy of My Bloody Valentine on DVD that includes both the regular and 3-d version of the movie, so if you have a nice set of 3-d glasses, they're a sight better than the cheap ones the movie comes with.

[BlaqueKatt]

My friend got a copy of My Bloody Valentine on DVD that includes both the regular and 3-d version of the movie, so if you have a nice set of 3-d glasses, they're a sight better than the cheap ones the movie comes with.

not really-my bloody valentine used the red/blue 3D-while Avatar used "polarized"(look like sunglasses) they wouldn't work at all

3-D theatres around here sell you a ticket for admittance, and then charge you a little extra to purchase a pair of 3-D glasses.

for my bloody valentine they charged an extra $5 deposit that was returned when the glasses were returned-according to my husband it was an extra dollar for Avatar.

[Bloodsoul]

I wouldn't mind an extra pair of 3D glasses for my 3D Superman and Darkwing Duck comics.

[BlaqueKatt]

I wouldn't mind an extra pair of 3D glasses for my 3D Superman and Darkwing Duck comics.


again different types of 3D they wouldn't work at all

this explains it pretty well (http://www.3dglasses.net/3dglasses-%20How.htm)-your comic books are red/blue-avitar was polarized two very different technologies that are not interchangeable

[Bloodsoul]

I know, I know, I's just being silly...

I do remember having the poloarized kind of glasses once before.. aside from perhaps having Yogi Bear on them I forgot what their purpose was for (long-lost video? television commercials? alas).