"The Tibetans are Like the Na'vi"

Robert Thurman asserts that the "Tibetans are like the Na'vi" in this New York Times article about the 2010 Tibet House concert at Carnegie Hall.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/arts/music/25benefit.html?8ur=&emc=ura1&nl=

Excerpt:

"... the Tibetan cause has become a regular topic of American public discourse, and the Dalai Lama a familiar face around the world. In 1989 he won the Nobel Peace Prize and is now a regular presence in the mainstream news media...He may be dressed in robes and sandals, but his organization is tech-savvy: on Monday an official Dalai Lama Twitter account began sending out regular news updates.

As Professor Thurman sees it, the visibility of the concerts and the Dalai Lama’s example of nonviolence have drawn worldwide sympathy for the Tibetan cause and put pressure on the Chinese government to reconcile.

'The Chinese desperately need spirituality,” he said. “They would benefit from the Dalai Lama’s representations and his walking the talk of Buddhist ethics. So as a peacemaker and as a religious leader he likes to have a hand in China.'"