Malick’s film speaks to the inherently paternalistic tone that seems to be prevalent in Western nations any time “natives”—or, as is more often these days, poor non-white, non-Americans—are brought up in conversation. Just a few weeks ago, I met a college student who had recently returned from Guatemala (sent there by her liberal arts college to study pottery). After a few minutes of conversation, she began to go on about the natives, telling me I “just couldn’t know” what life was like for them if I hadn’t been there—which was probably true, but I was left wondering what a tourist studying pottery could possibly understand about any culture after such a brief stay. More, the tone of the conversation troubled me a great deal. It is, of course, typical for visitors to think they have an understanding of a host culture after spending a short time with them.
A resenha do Independent Culture sobre The New World, novo longa do diretor Terrence Mallick, traz boas reflexões sobre choques de culturas. Compartilho do sentimento ressaltado nas passagens em negrito, e é o que mais me incomoda quando alguém vem falar de viagens como forma de produzir um conhecimento mais global do que qualquer outro expediente (como ler, por exemplo).
Visitar outros países e tomar contato com outros costumes é enriquecedor. Só me causa desconforto ouvir falar sobre isso quando parece que o interlocutor está lendo um currículo em voz alta.
Eu vi esse filme e curti.