Are the Avatar the Last Airbender Comics Liberal Cringe?
Are the Avatar the Last Airbender Comics Liberal Cringe?
I watched the show Avatar The Last Airbender for the first time in my life in 2019 on a friend's recommendation. I was somewhat bothered by it seeming appropriative and orientalist, and how it was basically a show about Western imperialism set in the exotic trappings of Eastern and indigenous cultures. Still, I enjoyed those trappings and the martial arts choreography.
But then early on it did anticolonial freedom fighters dirty yet that was portrayed as a good thing, and that bothered me. I chalked it up to children's cartoons in the mid-2000s having to follow certain tropes about violence and didn't just ragequit there. Then when they did the blood-bender dirty I rationalized it away with "well they're kids who haven't been imprisoned and tortured like she has, they haven't learned that you have to be merciless when fighting merciless colonizers." Then when Aang did some bullshit peace-policing and manipulated Katara into not taking the justified revenge she so clearly needed yet that was portrayed as a good thing, I figured hey, I wasn't raised Buddhist, I don't know how this spiritual system handles things, maaaaybe this is in character... (but it was still very shitty of him to get in her way). And I was very close to the end and wanted to see how this played out and I'd already excused a couple bits of lib shit so I kept going.
Despite those flaws, I persisted in watching and found it pleasant and enjoyable enough. When it ended I wanted more. But the very first episode of Legend of Korra was an utter disappointment -- the liberatory heroes of the first series had just implemented neoliberalism and the setting was some uninspired 1920s new world shit, and the political questions that were being set up seemed utterly boring. So I stopped watching and dropped the entire franchise like a hot potato.
Well, apparently the ATLA story gets continued in comics and I was wondering if they're at all good or not. I want to read them because I want them to be good -- there's enough fun stuff in the first series that it could be and there are questions the show left unanswered I think I would like to know. But at the same time the world-building and rank liberalism in some of the plots make me fear that I would just ruin what enjoyment I got out of the show the first time around. If they have even a drop more of liberal "killing your oppressors makes you worse than them" bullshit in it I feel like it would sour any positive feelings I had about the show.
I guess now that I've typed it out the answer is obvious: Don't bother, there's better shit out there to read that isn't written by politically illiterate culturally appropriative liberals. Still, I'd welcome any comrades' thoughts!
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Well, apparently the ATLA story gets continued in comics and I was wondering if they're at all good or not
The liberalism is still there. It's just liberals trying to do decolonization but failing every step of the way. It's mainly there for character driven stories and tie into LOK more.
But then early on it did anticolonial freedom fighters dirty yet that was portrayed as a good thing, and that bothered me.
It was certainly better than its peers. Katara's revenge I think was the best handled plotline regarding imperialist trauma.
southern raiders spoilers
I enjoyed that it was ultimately her choice in the end. They didn't have aang go with her but Zuko, someone who is intimately entwined with overwhelming feelings of revenge and abandonment trauma. The man who killed her mother turning out to be more of a waste of space compared to an average zionist I think is an important lesson for kids to have. That our abusers are not the same and not all abuse heals the same way. I don't see it as taking revenge makes you as bad as ur abuser. If only they actually killed the fire lord at the end.
The show's ending could have been handled much better. Very lib, just kill the fire lord and dismantle the fire nation lmao.
Legend of Korra is a complete garbage slopfest, ruined the entire series because of how badly it tanked so no exec wants to touch OC avatar material. But honestly avatar has overstayed its welcome past TLA.
if atla ended with aang listening to yangchen it would be so much better
The liberalism is still there. It's just liberals trying to do decolonization but failing every step of the way. It's mainly there for character driven stories and tie into LOK more.
That's going to be a hard pass from me then. I think the 'character driven stories' are what I wanted more of because those (and the martial arts) (and the SUPER CUTE CHIMERA ANIMALS) are the real strengths of the show. But I cannot watch libs butcher a decolonization narrative and the entire LOK setting seemed like shit so tying in with that means it'll necessarily be disappointing af.
Thank you for your thoughts. I disagree about the Southern Raiders episode but I would have to go watch it again to feel like I was speaking fairly and I'm not willing to do that so... yeah. Your take is valid even though I disagree.
I kind of thought Aang doing the "but I can't KILL because of my religion!" thing and then finding a nonlethal way to win was interesting from a religious perspective actually. Since it was framed more as a religious thing than some lib "killing oppressors is bad" thing.