A:TLA Live Action Who's on the hate train?

On the train?

Yes	39.0%	[ 46 ]
No	19.5%	[ 23 ]
Staring at the ticketbox undecided.	41.5%	[ 49 ]
Total Votes:			[ 118 ]

[Ororo Iqadi]

L~CORP

Ororo Iqadi

In going from an all-white cast to an all-white plus one minority, they made thing worse because now the minority presence in the film is EVIL!

Zuko may be presented as "evil" in the first season, but on top of the fact he represents that people aren't always what they first seem to be (as the series goes on), if you ask around, you will find he is very possibly the most popular character in the entire show. So, are you going to tell me it is a bad thing the most popular character is a minority?

Now, I am not saying he was my first choice for Zuko. I am not saying it was a good idea to make Katara and Sokka white. I am just saying, give the movie a chance. At least wait for a real trailer to come out before you go around slashing it to bits.

It's not a bad thing for the most popular character (although I'm not sure it's Zuko) to be a minority. By making him a minority with the rest of the cast all-white, him and every other fire nation person is a minority and the bad element in the movie. It's not just Zuko who changes, the face of the fire nation relative to all the other nations is a bad one. So, even though Zuko might become good, the rest of the fire nation doesn't. They get defeat. Other white heroes and minority traitor basically stamp out the bad minority element. That's the image I'm against in the movie.

Whether the movie is good or bad, that's still going to be the image that's portrayed. White people are superior to others, join us or get stomped down. It's the image that's wrong.

[GilAskan]

Quote:

In going from an all-white cast to an all-white plus one minority, they made thing worse because now the minority presence in the film is EVIL!

You're looking for evidence to support your opinion, rather than looking at the facts to shape your opinion.

[Ororo Iqadi]

GilAskan

Quote:

In going from an all-white cast to an all-white plus one minority, they made thing worse because now the minority presence in the film is EVIL!

You're looking for evidence to support your opinion, rather than looking at the facts to shape your opinion.

Those are the facts. The main characters, the core, is Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Noah Rider, and Dev Patel. Dev Patel is fire nation, therefore everyone in the fire nation is Indian. The main scourge of the show is the fire nation, which is brought down through Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Zuko (respectively in the order of the actors listed above). The show follows these main people as they try to take down the fire nation. Three white people and one minority who was turned, albeit from his evil ways.
Yes, the directors say they are trying to diversify the cast by making each nation a different nationality, but when the story is centered around these characters the extras become nothing more than a backdrop.
Not only does it put minorities (or Indians because that's going to be the fire nation) in a bad light, but the mere presence of these actors undermines the cultural significance and the diversity that made this show so popular.
What facts have I missed? I'm not looking for evidence because it's already there.
I care about this. I care about the marginalization of minority actors in Hollywood. I care about the integrity of this show. I care about the images that are being shown to our children, our little sisters and brothers. Don't you?
It's not just a movie when so many people have already spoken out about the abuses of it. Nowadays, movies and T.V. are part of what shapes our world, and our world is not mostly white. Also, I'm partly ashamed that Americans feel the need to whitewash their own shows just because they think it'll appeal to a wider audience when in fact it's only ostracizing them.
Don't confuse this with a flame because I am really upset by this. I'm not writing this in a mood, but merely with the intent to hopefully express how I feel, how many people feel, and to probably bring this issue to attention to those who don't know about it.
It matters. Whether the movie is good or bad. It matters.

[La_Bella_Luna]

I just reviewed the cast list, and the only one that I was disappointed in was Shaun Toub as Uncle Iroh. Normally I don't care if the actor or actress doesn't look exactly like their character, but this is a bit of an extreme. Part of Iroh's personality is based on his weight, and Toub is just way too skinny. He looks like he would need to gain about 60 pounds before filming to remotely pass for Iroh.

[Briar Flame12]

Why is everyone so mad that most of the cast happen to be white? Really, what is the problem? So the guy who plays Zuko isn't white. Have you seen everyone's skintone in the cartoon. Besides Katara, Sokka, and Jet, everyone is pretty pale.

Besides, if you're going to hate a movie because of the cast, and what "Color" they are, that is really sad.

Here, if it makes anyone feel better, I found a video of the cast. And guess what, not all of them are white. And actually the actress for Yue is really pretty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RE8QKbf5TM

[Orphan_Shadow]

I'm not going to watch it and will only recognize the cartoon's exsistence. That and as an artist/writer viewing the production, this worries me as to the future of my works and characters should I dare tangle with a movie idea...

Briar Flame12

Why is everyone so mad that most of the cast happen to be white? Really, what is the problem? So the guy who plays Zuko isn't white. Have you seen everyone's skintone in the cartoon. Besides Katara, Sokka, and Jet, everyone is pretty pale.

Besides, if you're going to hate a movie because of the cast, and what "Color" they are, that is really sad.

Here, if it makes anyone feel better, I found a video of the cast. And guess what, not all of them are white. And actually the actress for Yue is really pretty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RE8QKbf5TM

If you truly want to understand all the reasons why you should read what others have to say. You should google "racefail 2009" or "racebending"--hell, google them together. And if you ask questions, be prepared for people to bare their entire souls to you about the subject. They are there with legitimate opinions and concerns--try to not be dismissive and sweep them under the rug just because their differing outlook might inconvenience you.

[Demoni Nightmare]

I think doing a beautifully-animated movie, as part of the canon but its own separate story, would have been wonderful.

I think what they are doing is not, and the fact they initially hired an entirely Caucasian cast was pretty horrifying. Also, I distrust the director a great deal.

[Attack Asthma]

I'm going to wait to see the movie before judging.
At least they got a young kid who already knows karate.
*shrug* I could speculate all I want, but I wouldn't know at all how the real movie is going to turn out until I actually see it.

[Ororo Iqadi]

Briar Flame12

Why is everyone so mad that most of the cast happen to be white? Really, what is the problem? So the guy who plays Zuko isn't white. Have you seen everyone's skintone in the cartoon. Besides Katara, Sokka, and Jet, everyone is pretty pale.

Besides, if you're going to hate a movie because of the cast, and what "Color" they are, that is really sad.

Here, if it makes anyone feel better, I found a video of the cast. And guess what, not all of them are white. And actually the actress for Yue is really pretty:

]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RE8QKbf5TM

If you want to know one of the reasons why the race matters, read this blog about the story from an artist: New Day in Politics, Same Old Racism on the Silver Screen. This man makes a really good point. Many people have already read this post and agree with it.

This is his response to the introduction of Dev Patel: Advice Wanted.

This is a blog with a video explaining some of the negative things that are being portrayed in the movie: Thank You-Avatar-gate Update.

[Ororo Iqadi]

La_Bella_Luna

I just reviewed the cast list, and the only one that I was disappointed in was Shaun Toub as Uncle Iroh. Normally I don't care if the actor or actress doesn't look exactly like their character, but this is a bit of an extreme. Part of Iroh's personality is based on his weight, and Toub is just way too skinny. He looks like he would need to gain about 60 pounds before filming to remotely pass for Iroh.

I know. How are they going to show the huge transformation from tubby to built Iroh? It's the same as Zuko's scar. It had meaning and is part of the character's development, story, and understanding.

[Ororo Iqadi]

Sparkling Bliss

I'm going to wait to see the movie before judging.
At least they got a young kid who already knows karate.
*shrug* I could speculate all I want, but I wouldn't know at all how the real movie is going to turn out until I actually see it.

It's not so much about seeing the movie, as much as it is about the principle. Like I've said repeatedly, it's not even about whether the movie is good or bad anymore. It's about the principles expressed by the creation of the movie in such a way. Yes, some people won't see it just because they think it's going to be bad. However, others won't see it because it's very existence in this form is insulting and negative.

[Demoni Nightmare]

Ororo Iqadi

Sparkling Bliss

I'm going to wait to see the movie before judging.
At least they got a young kid who already knows karate.
*shrug* I could speculate all I want, but I wouldn't know at all how the real movie is going to turn out until I actually see it.

It's not so much about seeing the movie, as much as it is about the principle. Like I've said repeatedly, it's not even about whether the movie is good or bad anymore. It's about the principles expressed by the creation of the movie in such a way. Yes, some people won't see it just because they think it's going to be bad. However, others won't see it because it's very existence in this form is insulting and negative.

It would be like re-casting an all-black play or television series with entirely white characters.

[Demoni Nightmare]

Actually, I would like to add, I don't think I would be bothered half as much if they had gone with a completely color-blind casting, sine I think the acting talent is what's most important. The problem is, this is not what they were doing.

[TuckyX]

Sparkling Bliss

I'm going to wait to see the movie before judging.
At least they got a young kid who already knows karate.
*shrug* I could speculate all I want, but I wouldn't know at all how the real movie is going to turn out until I actually see it.

Ang's fighting/bending style is heavily based on Ba Gua. Ba Gua uses constant circular movements to redirect force. Ba Gua is totally different from Karate. Casting Noah Ringer, for his knowledge of Karate, only shows that the casting director did very little to research the fighting forms of the Avatar world.

[TuckyX]

Ororo Iqadi

Sparkling Bliss

I'm going to wait to see the movie before judging.
At least they got a young kid who already knows karate.
*shrug* I could speculate all I want, but I wouldn't know at all how the real movie is going to turn out until I actually see it.

It's not so much about seeing the movie, as much as it is about the principle. Like I've said repeatedly, it's not even about whether the movie is good or bad anymore. It's about the principles expressed by the creation of the movie in such a way. Yes, some people won't see it just because they think it's going to be bad. However, others won't see it because it's very existence in this form is insulting and negative.

Exactly!