Here's the short version of what I'm trying to say [link]

For more detail keep reading.

(Just like that guy from the video I'd like to say for the record I'm white, I don't claim to know how it feels from an Asian or Inuit perspective, but enough people who are have expressed discontent to make me believe that these concerns are valid, so I'll pass the info on in hopes of continued change towards the outcome of this movie.)

So like a year ago I watched Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) and really enjoyed it, however I really didn't get into the Fandom and as a result I didn't contribute to that Fandom. That being said, a while ago ~bluemoon-lune came to me and said, "A while ago you watched Avatar and now I think you should show it to me!" I said sure and within two weeks we watched the whole series. In turn it re-kindled that appreciation for the show! (As can be seen by all the new Fanart I've started drawing)

On top of that it seems my renewed connection to ATLA has pointed me in the direction of the new live action movie coming out! Initially I was like YAY! Now I'm going HeadDesk! What happened to create this transition, have a look.

1) It seems that M Night has taken on the project, now I love his work with Cinematography, but I want to ensure the story...

2) Turns out they white washed the cast AND There defending it!

- Originally Jessie McCartney was going to play Zuko

- Now for no other reason than this Zuko Jessie McCartney will no longer be playing Zuko, he had scheduling issue with his concert dates... Not the blatant racism, it's the concert!

- Katara and Sokka where white washed and they're obviously the darkest characters in the show

- Sokka is getting played by Jackson Rathbone, he played Jasper in the Twilight movie! (Why Twilight? WHY?)

- What's worse is what Rathbone said in an interview “I think it’s one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan,” he said of the transformation he’ll go through to look more like Sokka. “It’s one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit.” You're kidding right? For Serious where is Nickelodeon's PR? This is Angering! Blatant whitewashing and nobody stopping it?

- So now Inuit inspired Sokka [link] has become a greasy haired white boy [link] and [link]

- Now as I mentioned Jessie McCartney left this was good, and They hired Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) This was also good! Until they cast him as Zuko... Why? Well you've got all white protagonists against the East Indian/Middle Eastern Fire Nation who portray the bad guys! This subtext is huge and being aimed towards young kids!

- Aang the main character is white! Aang is Monk! Based off of the Tibetan monks! And now he's a little white Texan kid!

- What really gets me about the casting is how much people defend the decisions made. Either through the fact that they claim "They look white in the show" or "I'll base it on their acting ability rather than their race" Because in these instances people forget certain fundamental facts about, not only the show, but also the subtextual racism present in North American Culture that is emphasized by these movies!

- Everything about Avatar is based off of Asian Culture or Inuit, while yes there are hints at Icelandic or Venetian cultures the hints are very minute and a part of the background setting. These characters are in fact Asian and Inuit.

- Even though ATLA was made in America, the drawing style was influenced by Anime. Think about it this way, Anime is from Japan, and the Japanese don't think of themselves in a stereotypical manner (ex Slanted eyes, yellow skin tone) just like how caucasians don't think of themselves in stereotypes. (Ex Large nose, large brow, fat) So the a lot of those things we assume are "white" Big Eyes, colourful hair, and pale skin tones are just apart of the drawing style not a defense for whitewash. Okay if you can't understand why this would mean that yes in fact Aang IS asian then watch this video. [link]

- Now the argument that "They're just choosing the "Best" actor for the job isn't a fair assessment either. Especially when the cast has been so heavily whitewashed. If they were really choosing based off of the "Best" actor for the job the casting would have blind casting and would have turned out more like this Cinderella movie which a different ethnicity for virtually every character [link]

- Furthermore to assume that all the best actors for these roles rules out the entire Asian and Native acting community as "Good." Looking at Asian Actors alone we see that the Chinese Film Industry is the Third largest in the world with most of their actors being fluent in both English and Cantonese (and a large amount also fluent in Mandarin)

- Putting the Chinese film industry aside North America has a huge Asian Acting community which seems to be neglected, aside from being used as extras or side characters.

- At this point even if Noah Ringer is a great Aang I still want an Asian Actor playing him, because this is about more than just "Best for the role" it's about the racism in North America which we refuse to A) Acknowledge and B) Change the conditions through which this occurs



- Deedee Rickets, the casting director for the film, said "We want you to dress in traditional cultural ethnic attire," she said. "If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If you're from Belgium, wear lederhosen."

Umm... I thought kimonos were Japanese and lederhosen were German.

For some more mockery at the casting call look here [link] or here [link] or here [link] (You get the idea...)

Now, I could go on but the fact, and originally I was going to go on to how Nickelodeon hasn't replied to any of these complaints, or how this effects kids, and how this is a real dis to the Asian Community in general. Unfortunately my frustration is making me hungry and tired. I'll write more later when I get a chance but for now I have some excellent sites to recommend on this matter.

Video

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Communities
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Articles and visual Essays

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