David Brooks Shows...

...flashes of intelligence and (Gasp!) wit in his review of Avatar. [SPOILER ALERT (just in case the reader is one of the 7 human beings who has not yet seen the movie).

Every once in a while Davy manages to escape the trite fables of conservative theology long enough to write something interesting. Personal faves:

This is the oft-repeated story about a manly young adventurer who goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit. But, once there, he meets the native people and finds that they are noble and spiritual and pure. And so he emerges as their Messiah, leading them on a righteous crusade against his own rotten civilization.

And:

The white guy notices that the peace-loving natives are much cooler than the greedy corporate tools and the bloodthirsty U.S. military types he came over with. He goes to live with the natives, and, in short order, he’s the most awesome member of their tribe...

Along the way, he has his consciousness raised. The peace-loving natives are at one with nature, and even have a fiber-optic cable sticking out of their bodies that they can plug into horses and trees, which is like Horse Whispering without the wireless technology.

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