NO KILL I ([info]glockgal) wrote,
@ 2009-01-09 16:40:00
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Entry tags:avatar, avatar: the last airbender, the last airbender

AVATAR
[info]aang_aint_white has a new post Round Two: FIGHT! which has some great new information. Check it out!

I'm starting to get comments from people saying this now:
-- These crazy race-obsessed Avatar fans all hate these INNOCENT CHILD ACTORS. I pity the poor darlings. I'm so magnanimous! WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN

....okay. No fan is gonna hate the children. I'll repeat: NO FAN HATES CHILDREN. Any and all fan-anger is directed at the adults/companies responsible for casting the movie. Stop thinking you're a magnanimous martyred Guardian Angel of Child Actors. You're not, because NO FAN HATES CHILDREN.

djkfhdsjfhdfh I'm gonna go read the newest [info]aang_aint_white post again to remind myself why I'm doing this......ah. Right.
-----------------------------------------------

Remember the awesomeness of this EW article? Now you have a way to send Nicole Sperling a response and a thank you! The more she knows how much people appreciate her attention to this, the more likely this issue will be addressed, so. Please please let her know!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY welcomes feedback:
e-mail: ew_letters@ew.com
fax: 212-467-1223
All correspondence must include your name, address, and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for clarity or length.

Thanks for the info, [info]jedifreac!
-----------------------------------------------

A very cool YouTube Video by [info]chaobunny comparing images from Avatar with some really awesome photos. It's really well done and so very perfect!


....and yet people still argue for an all-white main cast. I just. Just. Don't read the comments. *facepalms*


(58 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]ali_wildgoose
2009-01-10 12:53 am UTC (link)
IF ONE MORE PERSON TELLS ME THAT THE CHARACTERS ON AVATAR ARE WHITE AND/OR SUGGESTS YELLOWFACE IS THE ANSWER, I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR WHATEVER ACTIONS MAY FOLLOW D:


(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 01:02 am UTC (link)
GOD I KNOW RIGHT, I JUST . GOD.

Dude also - don't read what's going on on the forum of airbender.net. I just realized I was going into ANGER OVERTIME reading the clever 'arguments' people had (including WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE WHITE PEOPLE! YOU'RE ALL SO MEEEEEAAAAN! ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS RACE!) and I just...I. GYAAAA. That poor moderator, she's trying to hard to defend the point, but I don't even want to try saying anything there.

How, Ali? How can people claim to be fans of a racially diverse, culturally sensitive animated series and then tell us to shut up and accept colourblind casting? *boggles*

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]ali_wildgoose, 2009-01-10 01:10 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-10 01:17 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]ali_wildgoose, 2009-01-10 10:20 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-13 04:13 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]yeloson, 2009-01-10 03:26 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-10 09:21 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 08:30 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]melisus
2009-01-10 01:42 am UTC (link)
I've had to walk away from this for a while. I've started to see ludicrous amounts of stupid begin to come from BOTH sides... (not here, fortunately)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 09:19 pm UTC (link)
Man, I was tempted to let it rest over the holidays, but god. I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could, ahahahah. THE IRONY. Ignore it. lulz.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Won't someone think of the children? Ok then.
[info]yeloson
2009-01-10 03:12 am UTC (link)
Let's think of the children. Let's think about what all white media casting does to the children:



Let's think of the children who, before the last 5 years had to resign themselves to being the token character in a show. Let's think of the children who, at best, could be the geek/tech kid, or the weird spirit kid on the side, while the white characters were the heroes. Let's think of what drumming those messages into kids heads, all day does.

Let us think.

Or we could keep lying about what people count and don't count when we "think of the children".

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Won't someone think of the children? Ok then.
[info]tallycola
2009-01-10 06:21 am UTC (link)
That movie made me so sad! And angry!

AAAAAGHGHGHGH!!

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: Won't someone think of the children? Ok then.
[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 09:17 pm UTC (link)
Every time I see the Brown vs Board of Ed re-experimenting, I cry. Every. Single. Time.

I remember what that was like.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]tammylee
2009-01-10 03:16 am UTC (link)
Great video!
I don't know how people can keep insisting there are no Asian influences in Avatar.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 09:15 pm UTC (link)
The best, is when people will fully acknowledge Asian influences in Avatar but then still think there's no issue with having an Asian fantasy world populated with white main characters.

What's the big deal? they ask. And all I can do is sit and stare at my monitor in shock.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]ali_wildgoose, 2009-01-10 10:22 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]jedifreac
2009-01-10 04:40 am UTC (link)
I don't know if there be hatin' on children.

But there might be DISCRIMINATING ON NON-WHITE CHILDREN GOING ON IN THIS HERE MOVIE.

(Just sayin'.)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 09:13 pm UTC (link)
What? Non-white children exist?

SAY IT ISN'T SO! Anyway, they don't know any better, so white is right. And so forth.

*closes eyes, fingers to forehead*

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]jedifreac, 2009-01-12 09:09 am UTC (Expand)

[info]mawaridi
2009-01-10 08:24 am UTC (link)
I'm not terribly fond of children, and I'm a fan :)

That said: grr, argh. Avatar has no Asian influences? It's a totally white culture? REALLY??

On the plus side, that very pretty video made me want to watch Avatar. It looks awesome :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 09:12 pm UTC (link)
AHahahaha! You've debunked my statement! WHAT DO I DO NOW, OH NOES. XD XD

What people seem to be saying is 'Yes, we are aware that it's Asian-influenced and there's a lot of things Asian about it. But we still think white people are just fine to play the main roles. Asian ppl can play side characters, and that's okay! Nicola Peltz can just get a tan! I'm colourblind! etc'

And this is apparently reasonable arguments.

OMG DUDE. I think you would LOVE Avatar, srsly. It is so fun and hilarious and fantastic!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]vejiicakes
2009-01-10 01:28 pm UTC (link)
It's been maybe about ten hours since coming up from the comments on a forum thread on this topic (you know, the one that came up on the A-A-W LJ) and I'm still formulating this response to all the massive amounts of jackassery I'm seeing there and it's just.. too... m-

Okay, one, it's gotten really really lengthy. I'm all quoting books and shit and yellow/brown/blackface, I'm jumping over to Kal Penn and his "where's your turban?" interviews and rambling about Rita Moreno (a Puerto Rican actress in West Side Story put in darker brownface to LOOK MORE PUERTO RICAN so audiences wouldn't confuse her with the white actress they put in lighter brownface who was involved in the "interracial" romance in the movie) and linking Beau Sia and THERE IS SO MUCH OMG. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH.

Anyway. And TWO, there is SO MUCH INTERSECTING of so many DIFFERENT sorts of racist assumptions (asking that they cast Asian actors = shipping over actors from Asia and waiting for them to learn English badly? REALLY?) and white privilege (won't someone please think of the (white) children and it's like BITCH PLEASE, that is the most PRIVILEGED GROUP of young actors and this is the ONE TIME we're asking that it not be about them for once) and misplaced arguments (Hey not everyone in "Australia" was Australian! which.. one, is a regional distinction and not a racial one and BESIDES, the main cast WAS Australian anyway) and EVERYTHING D:

I'm surprised by how many different excuses are being made for this cast, and how full of fail they ALL are, and I'm starting to wonder if this kind of thing is only obviously wrong to people who are actually familiar with.. all this shit. Familiar with Hollywood's long historical collusion of racism and commerce, familiar with the actual content of movies being put out by Hollywood from the days of "The Jazz Singer" to the American remake of Japanese horror today, familiar with the political/cultural climate, familiar with the concepts of privilege and patriarchy and Orientalism and cultural appropriation, and.. possibly even familiar with the idea that racism still exists. Like, I'm no anthropologist or student of culture or.. anything academic like that--I'm a 23 year old American gal who likes cartoons and wants to make more of 'em one day--but I feel like either this must require some kind of additional education for people to actually GET IT, or... shit, I dunno.

Also, I'm tired of seeing this referred to as "the Avatar drama" on my flist. And I still don't care who Jesse McCartney is. And I hate hate HATE that this whole ordeal has resulted in me watching beautiful movies like Kun Dun and visualizing everyone played by Caucasian actors. And I hate that while I love Avatar so much, if this casting goes ahead as planned, I totally hope it crashes and burns and I'm actually having fantasies about Ebert giving it a scathing review about the obvious cultural appropriation. Yeah. I hate that that's my most optimistic outlook at the moment.

I also dislike how much this has become such a discussion about "excluding" white people. Kind of like this conversation I was having with my friend about affirmative action and how one of our friends (and he's Caucasian, so) complains about how it's about rewarding underqualified people of color and keeping the white man down and it's like DUDE, that's when you know you're a privileged member of society--when you can take something that's about a given minority group and somehow STILL MAKE IT ABOUT YOU.

Crap I'm rambling. I'm sorry -_- Non-ramble: that's a great video. And I'm really sad that it was even necessary. It feels like it should be extraneous, y'know? And.. then you see people commenting, "Oh, I had no idea when I was watching the show that there was so much Asian influence!" and it's just *FACEPALM* Where do these people live and what do they watch and what do they read and what sort of people do they see every day that they can't recognize this shit as Asian? I mean SERIOUSLY? Crap, rambling again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 06:39 pm UTC (link)
To not spam AAW, this --

I feel like your forum should host a contest for the Just Doesn't Get It award and the Condescending Caucasian Ignorance award.

GOD. YES. OH GOD. The smug, offended, passive aggressive attitude displayed on that forum is embarrassing and disgusting. My ears started to flame red when I got to like, page 2 when they actually started making fun of racial discrimination. Oh. WOW. Just.

Anyway, I went over to read your post and thank GOD your eloquence has completely slammed that The Duke fool into sulky petulant mean-spirited submission. I love the "Well why not do something about it and stop trying to talk to people about it?" BZUH? DID YOU JUST SEE WHAT YOU SAID THERE? IT MAKES NO SENSE, DUMBASS.

HOLY GOD I AM SO ANGRY. But...but I will take a page from AAW's every lovely book of patience and smile and try to resist their anger-baiting. There's a lot of it going on.

I agree that a lot of these people probably haven't even begun to tap into the deeper, historical threads that run in the Hollywood machine. They live in a selective memory world that's got them convinced that white is the way it always was and is the way it still should be. And sadly, as [info]yeloson has pointed out, even with a history lesson, I severely doubt that some of these people will bother to care. It'll just be another "So what? What are YOU doing about it other than wasting my time?" because after all. Racial issues are things only privileged/embittered whites have the luxury to ignore.

God, I don't mind the ramble. It's making me get all teary-eyed, just a bit. Because I'm discovering new and wonderful ways that people are intent on resisting racial issues. People are more interested in discussing how much racism accusations hurt them, than in how racism can be prevented. Someone else said that MUCH better than me...I wish I could find the quote! Was it you? XD

I think it's awesome that you went to both the airbender.net and to Ali's DA account to spread the historical background. Given the high amount of ignorance, you'll have your speech written in perfect eloquence and clarity!

...and it'll likely just end up with responses like "Yeah, you make perfect sense, but I'm not gonna change my mind" and "Well, why aren't YOU doing something about it?" etc, but. I like to think that by then, you've already won the debate. So. Applause to you, bebe.

I wanna encapsulate the things you and Ali and other people say, man. I wanna just. Bronze it. Or something. Buy advertisement space and just let the works flow. *flaps*



Edited at 2009-01-10 06:45 pm UTC

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]ali_wildgoose, 2009-01-10 10:28 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]jedifreac, 2009-01-10 11:19 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 09:55 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-12 03:46 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-12 04:26 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-13 06:06 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-13 04:07 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]bossymarmalade, 2009-01-12 05:30 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]ali_wildgoose
2009-01-10 10:23 pm UTC (link)
Answer: WRITE MOAR ESSAYS <3

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 09:58 am UTC (Expand)

[info]jedifreac
2009-01-10 11:21 pm UTC (link)
Hold your horses.

How CAN we contact Beau Sia to ask him to speak about this? That would draw publicity.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 10:00 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]jedifreac, 2009-01-11 10:44 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 08:38 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]waywardradish
2009-01-10 06:05 pm UTC (link)
-- These crazy race-obsessed Avatar fans all hate these INNOCENT CHILD ACTORS. I pity the poor darlngs. I'm so magnanimous! WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Seriously?

I don't think I have the stamina for that sort of thing. In all honesty, this kind of shit entails less wank and is less brain-breaking (most of the time). No really, hats off ladyfriend, you're made of stronger stuff than most.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]waywardradish
2009-01-10 06:10 pm UTC (link)
Actually, upon reflection, it is clear to me that it's PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT ALLOW CHILD ABUSE TO HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU HATE CHILDREN AND YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS CRUEL, CRUEL WORLD LIKE I DO.

For fuck's sake.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-10 06:43 pm UTC (link)
Seriously? I have people I can lean back against and email and vent to and be like "SKDFJHSKFHDFKJDSHFOEJIREHIFDSKFJDKFH" so that when I get to talking to strangers, I can be polite and patient and perfectly PoC.

You surpass the strength I have, bebe and I really just hope you too have people and support on the side to help you fight your fight when you feel tired and beaten down by ignorance.

I think if anything, when I get tired, you are one of the people I think of to inspire me. I love your bravery, like. So much.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]waywardradish, 2009-01-10 06:46 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]glockgal, 2009-01-10 09:26 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-11 10:29 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]waywardradish, 2009-01-11 01:25 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]waywardradish, 2009-01-11 01:32 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]katho
2009-01-11 10:54 pm UTC (link)
I have been watching this mostly from the sidelines, but:

If hollywood REALLY WERE colourblind in the "good" sense and there were a higher proportion of people of varied races cast in non-race-specific roles -- or cast in roles that might have been intended as "white", then MAYBE it MIGHT be reasonable to argue that SOME white main characters in this would be SOMEHOW ACCEPTABLE. but this seems like people saying "we won't let non-whites play most roles, and when there are Asian* roles, we won't let non-whites play THEM either" it's just absolutely insane. Things like Flower Drum Song, with a mostly Asian cast, was in 1961! And it's not free from exoticization of the Asians in it*, but at least they didn't cast white people in the key Asian roles.

It might have been stupid for me to hope this, but could one have thought that M Night Shyamalan might be enthusiastic about promoting the visibility of other cultures in the US ... ? I guess not ... ? I also bet there has been a lot of comment on that.

*i can't even talk about people arguing that they aren't Asian or fictionalized Asian.

*as an outsider, I think Flower Drum Song is one of the films / cultural products that is racially well-meaning but dogged by some of the problems that often come up when well-meaning white people make up cultural products about / based on the work of (or both) people of other races ...

(Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-12 03:32 am UTC (link)
Ahahah what is this crazy dreamworld where racial representation exists in Hollywood and there is no issue with white-washing non-white characters?! Can I go there?

The only explanation we have surmised for Shyamalan (after the initial WTFery) is that he was completely overruled by Paramount's concern for marketability and their conviction that PoC leads do not make money. Which, for many many directors, creators, actors etc, is par the course. But not right.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-12 04:41 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]jedifreac, 2009-01-12 09:13 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-12 09:26 am UTC (Expand)

[info]bossymarmalade
2009-01-12 05:12 pm UTC (link)
Sequential Tart editorial to add to your links! There should be an article coming as well, but I'm not sure when the writer's submitting it. :/

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-13 04:07 pm UTC (link)
HURZAYZ!!! I'm gonna keep this to link to when I make my next Avatar post. XD XD

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]jedifreac, 2009-01-14 09:40 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]vejiicakes
2009-01-14 12:34 am UTC (link)
http://www.airbender.net/forums/index.php?topic=2696.60

Uh oh. I feel myself losing patience. Does this show in my language use? I'd hate to come across as the least bit critical and then have this guy start crying that I'm out lynching whites or something.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]glockgal
2009-01-14 12:52 am UTC (link)
Don't worry, looks like it's only 13. And hell; when I was 15? I was like "ZOMG ABORTION IS ALWAYS BAD, ALWAYS, PRO-CHOICE IS EVUL". My then-brilliant pro-life 'solution' was "Why not have the baby, see if parents want to keep baby; and if they don't, THEN kill it?"

Thank goodness that mum and sister laughing themselves stupid at me made me realize that I was just being, well. A fooled fool.

Besides, I'm fairly sure 13-year old will likely utilize the Will Smith Factor and think it's made a valid point that negates everything you've said. Good thing is Sarah the Mod is adding to your argument with a softer, gentler view, hehehe.

Ohh to be that volatile and emo-hurt again! XD

(On the downside, I find it reeeaaalllly scary that a kid that young already has such damning, bitter speeches about race issues. Yikes.)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)
(no subject) - [info]vejiicakes, 2009-01-14 01:13 am UTC (Expand)
FRINGE
(Anonymous)
2009-12-01 12:27 am UTC (link)
I LOVE THE SHOW FRINGE, I HOPE IT DOESN'T GET CANCELED. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE SHOW IS THEY MOVED IT TO THURSDAY, THE RATINGS WERE GOOD UNTIL IT MOVED. I RUN 2 VCR'S AND A DVD TO WATCH EVERYTHING ON THURSDAY NIGHT. PLEASE KEEP IT OR MOVE IT TO ANOTHER NIGHT. BARBARA TINDELL 776 CROSS ST. EVANSVILLE, IN. 47713 812-453-3757

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