CNN says people are considering suicide because they can’t live in Pandora.
I liked the movie. It was one of the best morally simplistic allegories I’ve ever seen – everything is so richly thought out and brought exquisitely to life (except of course human motivations). But people are getting depressed because it’s not real? Surely this is a hoax.
I mean, of course we all know dating robots leads to dependency, and ultimately the destruction of your homeworld. But a movie? Uh uh.
There are people out there who get depressed when their burger doesn’t have pickles on it. I can see certain individuals getting so immersed in “Avatar” that reality bums them out.
These people shouldn’t be allowed to breed. 
Who would’ve thought depressed people could be so irrational.
I find it sad that some peoples’ real lives are so empty and bleak that they view a movie (and yes, *Avatar *had some great effects, it was lovely) as preferable to reality.
And, who would have thought depressed people could be so comical.
Because, seriously.
I think they got the “blue alien” and “sparklypire” files mixed up on their computer.
From the link:
If that’s all it takes to be “news”, I’m wondering when CNN will run a story on a dope thread.
They could get a lot of news ideas from here. What a vast, untapped resource!
That would be a Bad Idea, seeing as how this place is one of my major sources for news. Things could get meta very quickly.
Why Avatar specifically? Hell, there’s lots of worlds I fantasize about living in rather than this one. I mean, I have to trudge off and work in this mundane world every day, and even though I generally like my job I still would rather not!
Most movies are preferable to reality…especially the ones they show on Skinemax late at night.
If I were a cynic, I’d say this reads a lot like a puff piece planted by a creative PR department.
“James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle ‘Avatar’ … the beauty of the alien world Pandora… 'The movie was so beautiful … ‘I think I need a rebound movie [sequel?]’ … ‘the wonderful world of Pandora’ … ‘Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia’ … 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 … ‘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’ … ‘the best of our technology to create this virtual world’ … ‘James Cameron had the technical resources to go along with this incredibly fertile imagination’ … suggestions for battling feelings of depression after seeing the movie include things like playing ‘Avatar’ video games or downloading the movie soundtrack.”
Oh, what the hell. It doesn’t take a cynic to see it’s a puff piece and CNN is allowing itself to be used as a PR tool.
Look how overboard people went about freaking Titanic … sweet jumping jebus, titanic replica jewelry, replica dresses, music, theme parties, titanic theme nights in bars …
I’ve long believed that, from time to time, a few media professionals will get together for lunch, start chatting about their lives, and then decide that whatever is happening to them constitutes a worldwide trend that calls for a story.
A couple of Newsweek editors chat about how tired they’ve been lately, and voila! Newsweek has a cover story on “Why We Have No Leisure Time.”
A couple of busy Time staffers mention that they haven’t had sex with their spouses in a while, and presto! There’s a cover story about “Why Americans Never Have Sex Any More.”
A couple of Parade editors notice that a few of their friends have gotten pregnant recently, and next thing you know, there’s a cover story on “America’s New Baby Boom.”
Are these “trends” real? Probably not, but who cares? By the time anyone gets around to pointing out the inaccuracies, the magazines are dealing with a brand new phantom phenomenon.
I’d bet “Avatar” related suicides are about as real as the glut of battered wives on Super Bowl Sunday, or the oft-quoted pseudo-fact that “35 year old have a better chance of getting killed by a terrorist than of getting married.”
Half the people I know have seen “Avatar.” A few thought it was awesome, most said, “The story’s kind of stupid but the effects are amazing,” several said “Meh,” and a couple said, “I want my money and by time back.” NONE has said, “I want to kill myself, because the real world isn’t as perfect as the Na’vi world!”
There’s at least one documented Star Trek suicide, according to this book. Other than the suicide issue, though, none of the stuff in the article really seems unique or noteworthy. Doesn’t the average teenage male go through a period of devoting more time and attention to Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Ender’s Game, or some other geeky phenomenon than to real life. So now Avatar is one the list.
I find it unlikely that people really feel depressed that they cannot live in the magical world of Avatar. I think the posts are people showing their love for Avatar in a slightly emo way on message boards. People often make exaggerated statements for rhetorical purposes.
They need a therapy ferret.
I can understand. Really. I’ve felt that pang of sorrow after watching movies or reading a book…that sorrow of knowing that I’m done with that world\universe. I got it after reading the Harry Potter series, knowing that even if I read it again, I’d never really return. I guess I can get so wrapped up in these fantasies that I do feel a little depressed when it’s over.
It passes quickly for me, but for some people I can see it become more. There were people I played WoW with that started getting real life and WoW confused…their sense of belonging, of being, was tied into a computer game. I think it’s a bit of the same thing.
These people have probably seen Avitar several times and emotionally investing themselves into that universe. Isn’t that the point of movies and books and games? To escape from real life for a little into a world where you can jump onto a pterodactyl and fly, or strap on a big-ass sword and kill some orcs (or sissy elves). These people just put a little more of themselves into the fantasy and it sometimes hurts to come back out.
Most of them will get over it, but some of them really need help. My high school buddy’s brother attempted suicide when his Everquest account was turned off.
I’m sure some of these people are attention whores, but it’s possible that someone can be depressed after watching Avitar.
I think this might actually be MORE sane than these people, who seem to think that they actually ARE Na’vi.
This community has existed for about a week, and they’ve already had enough crazy to get reported on Fandom_Wank.
The one that blew my mind was brides who had Titanic-themed weddings!
I mean how could anyone be so clueless as to choose a theme for their wedding which is one of the ultimate cultural references for a doomed endeavor?!?