8 Bizarre Psychological Disorders Affecting Modern Man
8. Post-Avatar Depression
Weve all seen James Camerons Avatar; big blue Navi tribespeople living a wonderful life in communion with nature surrounded by what can only be described as eye-candy. In fact it turned out to be such a magical experience that, upon leaving the cinema, a number of viewers fell victim to what colloquially became known as post-Avatar depression, as they came to the realisation that Pandora was a completely imaginary and unattainable utopia. A support thread soon appeared on avatar-forums.com and garnered over 3500 replies. The threads creator, known as Zoconno, stated that people were struggling to come to terms with the fact that the dream can't actually come true, which was soon backed up by users like Namash, who alleged to have come to a sudden standstill while walking back to the car, claiming I realized none of it was real, and I realized I could never experience it for myself. The thread and others like it eventually escalated to the point that some users reported suicidal feelings. One poster, Jefz, said he had found himself thinking If I would kill myself, I might start over again as a Navi (sic) but two days later announced that he was losing the depression and had realised that its just a movie. Importantly, there is no evidence of an individual being diagnosed with actual clinical depression after experiencing the post-Avatar blues but the wave of sadness and futility that briefly swept the internet after the movies release demonstrates the effect that a seemingly innocent three hour piece of film can have on us. Try to top that for the sequel, Cameron.
Peter Austin initially joined WhatCulture as an occasional contributor to our Film, Gaming and Science sections, but made the mistake of telling us that he'd been making videos in his bedroom for over a decade. Since then he's been a vital member of our YouTube team and routinely sets the standard for smart-casual wear in the office.
