The Truth about The White Savior Narrative
The truth about the so-called 'White Savior' narrative is that it is necessary to save the 'White' man!
I have seen Native American criticism of James Cameron's movie Avatar as a so-called 'White Savior' narrative- that is, a narrative where the 'White' person comes in and saves a non-'white' culture that cannot save itself.
Thing is, what James Cameron is really doing is teaching us 'whites'.
And that is where the so-called 'White Savior' narrative is needed.
And it is us 'Whites' who are actually being saved!
What James Cameron is really doing is showing us Franks that we can and should learn from the older, wiser non-'white' civilizations.
The Buddhists, the Native Americans, the Sufis of Mali, all the older, wiser civilizations.
In order to send this message and still have a strong driving plot a so-called 'White Savior' narrative is unavoidable.
It can be done sensitively, as it is in James Cameron's Avatar, where the second lead is 'Native American', or rather, of the analogues of Native Americans, and does as much to save her people as the lead, is played by an actress who is in real life one of the peoples the Native American analogues represent- for the Na'vi in the movie represent 'Black' Africans as well as Native Americans- and where the whole thing is science fiction with aliens who are Native-American analogues so as to avoid saying anything directly about real historical Native Americans.
The narrative could not have been done more sensitively without sacrificing a driving plot.
But if we Franks are to learn, the primary lead needs to be one of us, and if the plot is to be a strong driving plot, he must save the day.
Which brings us to this:Â a sensitive version of the so-called 'White Savior' narrative is the only way many of us Franks can learn that we can and should learn from the older, wiser civilizations.
Me personally, I do not need to go there, purely because my narratives are set in the past, before the fall, and do not involve the fall to Frankish civilization at all.
That and it is easier for me to be accurate because my stories are history and not fiction, and so I have the actual reality to guide me in giving accurate representation.
But if we are to represent the future for us Franks, a 'White Savior' narrative is unaviodable.
Because the primary thing the 'White Savior' narrative is about is the 'White' man learning from the non-'whites'
And while that can be done without a 'White Savior' narrative, if it is done in a driving plot of a heroic type, than the 'white savior' trope is unavoidable.
Because that is what the 'White Savior' trope is: a 'white' person learning from the non-'whites' and going on to save the day.
If we are to show us 'Whites' learning in a plot that is a heroic story where the one who learns goes on to save the day, than this trope is unaviodable.
Which brings us to this: the 'White Savior' is really saving us Whites!
Not the Non-Whites!
The so-called 'White Savior' is really saving his own people, not the non-whites!
In real life!
Anyway, I hope this helps!
God loves you, and so do I!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson