Vatican Offends the Dangerous Screenwriter

The Associated Press reports the Vatican has finally weighed in on the Artistic and spiritual merits of "Avatar". Thank God. Their review was, well, similar to mine in that it was tepid.

However, among their complaints was that the film "gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature." That actually didn't bug me. Vatican Radio goes on to say the film takes the point of view that "Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship," and his Holiness his'self says such notions "open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the source of man's salvation in nature alone, understood in purely naturalistic terms." 
I'm sensing by the Vatican's p.o.v. if Catholics ever make it to other planets, they're fairly confident the inhabitants will be Catholic as well. If not, well, I guess there's always that Crusades thing they could try. Greetings from Earth, mother fuckers (wasn't that kind of the point of Avatar?). 


The Catholic church isn't alone in its aggravation though, seems a lot of conservatives are up in arms (pun intended) about the film's anti-militaristic stance, as well as its anti-corporate stance (except, of course, those who own stock in the corporations who are making hundreds of millions off the film & merch, they're ok with it).


Anti-smokers are incensed (pun also intended) that a supporting character like Sigourney Weaver's smokes because, as we all know, kids all over the world are going to run out and buy cigarettes after the film because they all want to be like SIGOURNEY WEAVER.


There's even a handful of racist anti-racists calling it "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it reinforces "the white Messiah fable."


I remember when "Basic Instinct" came out (the puns, they keep a' comin'!) a vocal section of the gay community boycotted the film because Sharon Stone's character was bi and was also the BAD GUY. Why? Because gay people are the only section of the human population that don't commit murder?


Then there was the whole "Training Day" boycott because Denzel Washington - a black man - played the role of the villain, never mind he was nominated for an Oscar (little trademark registration thingy here) for his chilling portrayal.


So what's the point in me detailing all this? The point is -- and here's my point, Dude -- the point is to WRITE WHAT YOU WANT. Because in the end, no matter what you do, in today's day and age SOMEONE is going to be offended. If you try not to offend anyone, if you try to "write nice", you're going to end up with nothing but a bland story, that simple. And bland stories don't launch careers.