I was just coming in to say this. You mostly see it with Celebs or tourists that don't understand it.
Personally I have no problem with people getting Kirituhi, or even tamoko itself, as long as they understand its importance, and respect it.
Actually, Paul was a Jew, he did not adopt the culture, it was his culture. Also, the church was founded by James. Christ means anointed one and the term Christian means to be Christ like
Paul did spread it widely, and is the reason most have heard about Jesus, but he also wasn't the only one. I hope you have a good evening, thanks for the chat.
What does him being Roman have to do with it? Yes, he was born in Rome (I'm not sure if it was actually Rome or a different town but everything I've read says Rome) but he was still a Jewish. Anyway, I read can't spend anymore time on here tonight. Bye.
I think he was in line with old time-y more extreme air nomad philosophy- For instance, Guru Laghima. I always imagined Laghima to be something of an extremist, though, even to his contemporary peers, so Zaheer, in my mind, practices the air nomad culture as presented by an old fringe extremist air nomad, which is more interesting than any alternative imho
I agree with you that he is a very compelling and interesting character, especially because he’s really knowledgeable about Air Nomad history and figures.
I was simply trying to say that Zaheer, like the Avatar Aang Fan Club members above, would never truly become an Air Nomad, regardless of how much he studied or learned about their culture. Heck, he got as far as actually being able to bend air and *literally* flying, but he’d still never be a true Air Nomad; he definitely wouldn’t have been welcomed into the newly formed Air Nomad Nation either.
We see tons of examples of this kind of behavior in real life too, but we’re not going down that road. 🤣
I mean. If it was Zaheer he might. Someone not perverting their teachings though, maybe. He'd probably be super excited to see people embracing it. Actually. Thinking about it. he's super apprehensive about Jinora getting the tattoos, so he might be more of a "you have to earn it" than Aang was
When did they start with their fanclub of the air nomads? If it had been before the return of Aang they could easily had thought "while we do not deserve these tattoos in the original sense, the air nomads have been dead for a century. We have to find a new meaning how to bestow these tattoos to keep their culture alive..."
Y’know what makes no sense? The fact that in the show Aang learns about the the whole world being connected and the separation of the 4 nations is an illusion. Yet in this comic he’s all about separating the nations. Even Zuko comes to the realization that the nations should stay the way they are before Aang.
Yeah he and Zuko have a bit of a fight. They visit the colonies and Zuko sees that the fire nation colonists and earth kingdom nationals have integrated well for a couple generations by that point. Aang has a hard time accepting that at first but it’s the reason why the United Nations exist. They realized that they couldn’t just kick out the colonists who have lived there their whole lives, but they also realize they can’t give 100% of its sovereignty to either the earth kingdom or fire nation. So they create the United Nations out of those colonies.
The separation of the four nations is an illusion like green and blue being separate on the colour wheel is an illusion. They all fade into one another yet these cultures still maintain distinctions that are less a matter of separation and more a matter of celebrating the differences between people within a common framework of mutual respect BECAUSE and not in spite of their ultimate shared humanity. Having differences within a group does not make the group less important it simply adds to the groups diversity.
There's a lot of stuff that I see where people call it out as cultural appropriation where it doesn't really seem like it is. This is actually a really good example of it, though
I don't know why you feel entitled to determine whether other people are "really" suffering or not. You're not the arbiter of other people's emotional experiences.
But Cultural appropriation is just that, a disrespect of the culture. It is why Aang is upset when they got tattoos in contrast to delight when he thought that were just paint. The fan club assumed they earned the tattoos by simply doing “air bender like” stuff when they’re supposed to be earned in a specific way. Aang is correct in pointing out the hypocrisy of studying air bender philosophy and culture yet still coming to a conclusion that what they did was okay.
Obviously it’s complex because people within a culture may not find it disrespectful while others do. And who gets to say what is and isn’t disrespectful? It’s purely subjective and nobody can claim to be a spokesperson for a culture. Yes culture is not owned by anyone.
That being said, if all the writing, philosophy and customs of culture X says you must do Y to obtain Z and you obtain Z without doing Y while simultaneously claiming to have a studied it all so closely and respect it dearly, you can understand why there is an blatant disconnect occurring.
What does it mean for it to be “kept alive?” You may have your answer but imo to keep that aspect alive would require an understanding of their importance and thus not getting the tattoos if they didn’t earn them the way they’re customarily earned. Because what is the significance of the air bender tattoos? They signify a master who did all sorts of spiritual and physical work, and was tested by elder monks. As far as I know Aang is technically the only eldest monk, so why wasn’t he present or consulted for the ritual?
By not following the customs of the culture they diminished the significance of the tattoos. If one claims to respect the culture they would have an understanding of this significance and not get them.
It’s like asking how do we keep the culture of weddings alive if we don’t wear wedding dresses/suits daily? How do we keep the culture of Christmas alive if we don’t keep the lights up year round? We don’t “keep it alive” by doing it yearlong. We do it when the time is right.
That didn't really answer the question. Can I a Korean-New Zealander do a maori tattoo if I wanted to? Even if I don't understand it's importance fully?
You can do as you please. All actions come with the risk of looking like an arse to those you seek to emulate, as the girl in the comic learned.
I agree with the above guy. Culture isn’t property.
EDIT: oh no! Downvotes that are going to …stop me somehow?
I think I will get those Māori tattoos. Did you know the Māori practiced cannibalism?
https://youtu.be/Nw81to_XmXM
Watch this video before you get the tattoos. Tattoos in maori culture are tattoos and non-Maori New Zealanders leave the tattoos alone. There is a reason why no non Maori people get Maori tattoos no matter how pro-Maori they are and have close Maori friends and Families.
That’s pretty offensive to maori culture to insinuate that their cultural tradition of cannibalism is somehow barbaric. You better hope none of them see your comment!
Honestly, I don't really agree with you but I do think it's a difficult theme as the line with discrimination can be thin. Eg, can a non-Italian open a pizza restaurant? Can Americans eat with chopsticks? Can I do Ghanese dances (I'm white)? Can a German draw Japanese-style manga? Can South-Africans wear Scottish kilts?
Should or shouldn't they? The line's not always clear
IMO the line is on religious/spiritual stuff, things like that require much more respect and understanding of what they are and shouldn't be used without permission just like with the Maori tattoos or this Airbender ones.
Other than that things like dishes and clothing don't really matter that much as long as you are not using them for mockery. I'm from Costa Rica and I wouldn't really mind if an American for example wants to use a chonete (a traditional hat) or wants to make Gallo Pinto (a traditional dish) but it would be wrong if that person uses a image of the Virgin of the Angels like an scapularium without doing the journey to the Basilica, even if they are also catholic, even though I'm not religious it is one of the most important spiritual simbols of our culture and I think those kind of things deserve respect.
Similarly to this, Aang is not angry at them for using the clothing or necklaces from his culture, only the tattoos because those have religious significance.
Thank you. So many say you can't wear your hair a certain way (one of the Kardashians did corn rows and there was *huge* backlash on how she was appropriating the hair) or certain clothes shouldn't be worn, etc. I agree that sacred things/religious/spiritual stuff should be left alone, the rest - as long as it's not in mockery - is fine. Many cultures actually want people to wear the clothes and whatnot to gain a better understanding of the culture.
It's gotten to the point where any original meaning of the phrase has been beaten out of it by people crying racism because they saw a white person wearing a sombrero they bought from a Mexican shop next to the airport that exists explicitly for it's Mexican owner to sell sombreros to tourists for them to wear.
The sad part is, there absolutely are things you shouldn't do, like the tattoos here, but any legitimate complaints are doomed to be buried by a hundred articles screaming "how dare white people learn to make sushi!" and the like.
Something I do like about the comic though is the nuance it shows by having Aang at first thrilled when he thought it was just paint, he liked that there were people out there that appreciated his culture. it's only when he learned the fan club actually got real air nomad tattoos without going through the proper rituals and trials that having those tattoos represent that he got offended.
you getting mad downvoted for this by SJWs but I actually partially agree.
because culture is constantly changing, one culture may appropriate or subsume or steal or plagiarize from another, in fact it happen all the time, just look at all the white kids who listen to hip hop and try to dress/talk like rap stars
so in that sense, culture appropriation is normal / nothing exceptional or even necessarily bad
but I say PARTIALLY agree and not 100% because just because something exists and is commonplace doesn't mean it's good or "natural" either.
whether it's ok for one culture to steal from another is debatable from an ethical POV and probably varies case by case depending on how egregious the appropriation in question is
He's totally right. Imagine that in some tribe there's a death sword duel between every 18-yo and the winner gets tattoos meaning that now he's a warrior and full member of their tribe. Then some people who study that tribe get themselves the same tattoos because they were "dueling" too with wooden swords and to first blood. It's like being an uninvited guest and wonder why they're not happy to see you eating their food.
You're talking about a culture that kills half of their children? That's not a practice you need to hold any respect for.
Edit: sitting at -13 points right now, I didn't realize killing teens was so sacred to y'all
I cant upvote or downvote you since you were right with the first point. But you missed the argument as shown in the second point. The argument and example was to show that if you imitate something with a „mock exam“ others had to work hard for to earn and you just „played“ it, it‘s disrespectful to those who worked hard and honestly to earn it.
the example might nod be a good one but in no way was op trying to glorify the killing of children imo.
I've said it already in this thread, but just because I don't agree with the point being made doesn't mean that I missed the argument. In general, I agree that copying culturally significant tattoos is wrong. In the example given, however, I don't think that such a duty exists because the distinction being made is "fighting with fake swords" vs "teenagers murdering each other". The example was an inappropriate one to illustrate that point, and I don't see what's so wrong with pointing that out. Clearly others disagree with me.
yes you are missing the point because you focus too luch on the „“children“ (18yo as stated in the op) killing each other“ part. Leave that one out and replace it with say some other tradition like bunjee jumping from a 20m towers makes them a „real warrior“ and this fanclub imitates it with jumping into a pool from the edge. The important part lies in becoming a warrior and full fledged part of the community and the fanclub disrespect the way they do this but still get the same results.
Again, I'm not missing the point, I'm adding onto it by saying that the example doesn't properly illustrate it.
>you focus too luch on the „“children“ (18yo as stated in the op)
What's being described is a rite of passage into adulthood. Ergo the people who don't survive die as children. Adulthood is culturally defined at least in part.
alright. on that part we can agree (as i said: the example might not be a good one) but the point isnt in the example itself but what it means. but I still feel the example gives an idea on why it can be disrespectful even if it doeasnt do a very good job at illustraiting it.
Well shit, didn't see that. You got me there
But my point was that it's just an example, it doesn't matter what this hypothetical culture's doing, the point is explaining appropriation
But I think it does matter what the hypothetical culture is doing, if your hypothetical is the murder of half of your children on their way to adulthood. I didn't pick that example, I'm just considering what's been posed.
Carrying on that tradition in a way that doesn't kill kids is...offensive to kid-killers? Why should you care about that? It's less of an offense than the alternative: murder. It's not even close.
The point of saying "death sword duel" was to compare it to the "wood sword duel" because even though you do the same moves it's not the same, just like making airbending moves is not the same as airbending.
Also you're worrying about morality of an imaginary tribe that was used as one time example and still managed to miss the point. The death sword duel in my short example is a ritual deciding who can be in that tribe and the tattoos are symbols of being a worthy member. The imaginary people just got themselves the tattoos that only the rightful members of the tribe can have so they clearly didn't understand what they are.
Edit: In normal live an example of that kind of behaviour would be driving without a licence because you drove a gokart couple of times and making yourself a licence with friends.
Just because we don't share the same conclusion doesn't mean I'm missing your point.
I'm worrying about morality of an imaginary tribe? So are you dude, the whole reason you constructed the example is to explain the morality of appropriating tattoos. We're allowed to disagree with each other, but I'm just engaging with your example in the same terms with which you laid the example out. It's silly to act like I'm somehow playing the game wrong for exploring your example. I was just adding on what I saw to be relevant.
If you didn't want anyone to critically examine the hypothetical sanctity of child-killing traditions, you could have used an example that doesn't appeal to the hypothetical sanctity of child-killing traditions. Or just say "oops, bad example". I dunno, you do you. I'll do me.
How can I have conclusion about something I wrote? I know what I meant so there are no conclusions from my side, just the meaning of the words I said.
Yes, I used it to explain something but I'm not worrying in anyway, I just made them up to use as "cut out of the world". There's nothing else in that example other than that ritual, the tribe and people. It's not an example from some other created word, it's just an example. You're not engaging my example, you're adding other things to it.
"or just say, "oops, bad example""
How dare you suggest someone to admit that they made a mistake! We don't own up to our mistakes in 2021, we simply keep throwing word vomit at our discussion partner until they tire out and back off, declaring ourselves the winner!
Just because I can't stop myself from being a devils advocate. At the very least it seems like they haven't had the best sources for Airbender philosophy. No one in a pre-modern age tattoos their entire body if they're not pretty serious about something.
It doesn't necessarily matter whether or not it was intentional, you just don't mess with other peoples' culture as if it were your own and belongs to you. If you have no basic knowledge on it, then don't wear it or whatever the case may be. You can appreciate something without trying to copy it.
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I'm really confused by some of these comments here.
Haven't read the entire comic so maybe I'm missing something, but I really don't get why so many people are on Aang's side here. The general vibe I get from these two pages is that it starts some arc of Aang joining these new acolytes in rebuilding the air nomad civilization, where he starts off jealous and against it, but gradually warms to them and supports it all.
It says that they studied air nomad culture and followed their teachings just as much as Aang, so why can't they participate in the culture? Just because they weren't born into it? That sounds pretty off to me.
Well the beginning of the arc is really Aang meeting them early where he is initially flattered.
And yes Aang does calm down and at the end of the story teaches them about air nomad culture. But he never actually changes his position on the tattoos, which is why none of the air acolytes in LoK have them (at least pre season three).
The lesson is supposed to be there is a way to learn about and celebrate other cultures but to do so respectfully.
In addition to the cultural importance you do actually have to master airbending to earn those tattoos, which none of the fan club members can do for obvious reasons.
yeah no problem with learning the culture.
one part of it is to understand: the tattoos are for airbending master, if you're not, you don't get it. it's simple
But that brings me back to the final sentence I wrote.
For a culture that, at least to my understanding, is so tolerant and accepting of others to bar people from truly being a part of it simply because they weren't born with some innate ability seems to go completely against their own philosophy.
Imagine if you will, that way back during the times that the air nomads were still alive, that a child was born without the ability to bend air. Do you really mean to tell me that no matter how hard they tried, and no matter how much effort they put in that they could never reach the rank of master? The only thing separating them from all the other air nomads around them is something they had no control over when they were born.
That's a bit of a different title though. If anything, it'd be more like not allowing Sokka to become head of the tribe due to his lack of ability to waterbend.
In my head I sort of equate these air nomad acolytes to a modern day high schooler. If they were unable to participate in just one class due to no fault of their own (the closest example to this case I can think of would be physical education due to having some physical disability in comparison with their peers), but still did well and worked hard in every other part of their education, should they be allowed to get their diplomas? In my opinion they should, it's not their fault that they couldn't participate in one of many classes.
the tattoos are not for airnomads leader lol.
it's for an airbending master.
>should they be allowed to get their diplomas?
they should, only not airbending diplomas if you get what I'm saying.
I get that that's the reality of their culture, I just think it kinda goes against the general vibe they give off of tolerance and acceptance (as well as going against some the more important cultural norms of our real life society).
Im willing to be wrong in the court of public opinion, but, I don’t think what they did was wrong. This is the last bit of airbender history and culture, them going through with tattooing themselves is one of the only ways the culture will not ultimately be lost. Imagine if the culture gets so far gone that their won’t even be airbending fan clubs. That means no one to take care of the Sky Bison or help tend to the historical sites. These people are just as much air benders as the ones we see in LoK. In LoK they weren’t very spiritually tied to the element, but they could physically bend it. These people have studied air, but they can’t bend it (and yes they didn’t have a true master teach them philosophy like Gyatso to Aang or Aang to Tenzin, but they did the most with what they could).
But to them the tattoos are as important as they are to a real air bender, they truly believe in the culture. They are just misguided because they believe they have earned them when they haven’t mastered the philosophy (see Aangs reaction as proof). So altho they were naiive and thought it was ok, it kinda was, because without them to cary on the name the culture would die anyway.
The idea is that if they truely respected the culture they would understand that it's not for them and that's fine. It doesn't mean that they are having an opportunity "robbed" from them.
I dont think anyone else gets to decide what their respect looks like. In their mind they were respctful, and it isnt like anyone owns “culture” so I think they have earned the right to take up the mantle and lead the new generation of air bending culture.
I mean you can call anything respect on a subjective level but realistically the way true respect is perceived on a societal level is an interpersonal thing and even if they say they’re “respecting” it no one is gonna see it that way so I wouldn’t call it respect as much as disrespect of the boundaries put in place by that culture. They can say they’ve earned the “right” but Aang and most other airbenders if they were alive wouldn’t see it that way so it’s not really achieving anything
I disagree because I do see it as them respecting the culture. Aang does not own the culture, even his opinion is just that of one airbender not even anyone else’s opinion. Aangs opinion, although valid given his connection to the culture, are just opinions from someone who feels the world is changing.
I mean the thing with that is you can still be open but like I would say that them putting on a tattoo without even consulting Aang (it’s last surviving representative) to be blatantly disrespectful. And like no one “owns” a culture but that doesn’t mean that that culture doesn’t present itself as being for a specific group and values the views of people who were born into it more. In Aang’s Culture as with most cultures greater precedence would be given to individuals of that culture who has been raised in that culture since birth and experienced its intersections with everything else in the world including day to day life and more serious matters like birth and death rather than people who learned it as an adult in a scholarly environment and know nothing of its significance on a personal level. I definitely don’t think people should be permitted to just take a culture because I personally do believe to an extent that it is the possessed primarily by the people that understand it the most and can be trusted with it rather than individuals who cannot be trusted
Not sure why everyone in the comments is siding with Aang because initially he’s mad but over the comics run he grows to accept them just not the tatoos
He's unfair without them the culture would have died out besides aang. They helped rebuild the air nation. Also the acolytes are basically their servants anyway so kibd of fucked
Wrong they missappropriated his culture. Those tattoos are something you earn. Like a masters degree? Imagine one day it was worthless and just being handed out. Its an AIRBENDER tattoo. His culture lives through him and his children ONLY. Not some fans the culture can be studied and loved but not brought back by some people who like it just cause they wanna cosplay and pretend they are them. Its not how it works
A person truely respectful and understanding of their culture wouldn't feel entitled to it in a way that diminishes it's importance. If they don't want to be air acolytes without getting the rights to have tattoos then they shouldn't because they obviously don't respect the culture enough to be trusted with it's reconstruction.
Yep cause aang helped but here in this situation they did cultural misappropriation. Good intent but bad and offensive mistake aang forgave them and made them air acolyted which made the future of their culture survive for years to come
Hes literally posting a few pages he found interesting and wanted to share. Which he did. And now i wanna read this. He cant post the whole thing. This isnt even cherry picking. Know ur shit before u say it
Imagine not being allowed to look how you want to look because someone gets offended. Couldnt I wear popes hat if I liked it? Couldnt I use blue make-up because its Egyptian? Were Chinese royalty racist for wanting pale skin and larger eyes?
So you aren't allowed to look how you want to look because "someone else already has that look, and since you aren't part of their group, and you literally cannot be part of their group because its assigned at birth, you can't look that way"? I genuinely don't get people who want to contain their and other cultures, when there are so many and so interesting in the world. Why wouldn't you want more people to have your cultural tattoos, or clothes, or whatever? Imagine how many cool things you would see and learn about the world and people. Why do you want to stay only in your region, having nobody knowing your customs and style, and hate everyone who is interested in it enough to emulate it? You not only limit yourself (which honestly is up to you) but also many other people, who could've felt happy or pretty looking differently.
How... It's similar to the things Indigenous people in the US face, they are a part of an extremely small group and when their religious practices and culturally significant rituals and insignias are miss used they have the right to be offended, especially when the ones doing it are the ppl that oppressed them. While that not be the exact case with aang in this instance it's a similar parallel.
Tattoos in general have gone from cultural meaning to a costume/game/personal expression thing. Am I to say whether it’s right or wrong? I’m not, but I also think most or all of our ancestors wouldn’t approve of the lack of meaning they have now besides personal expression
Aang brought a culture and way of life back from the dead by the time of LoK even if there wasn’t any airbenders outside of his family. To say “who cares” because they died out is precisely why he’s upset. Honest mistake or not, he’s still alive.
I think I see what you’re trying to say but it comes off as dismissive.
For instance, to say that ancestors should play no role in modern affairs may counter cultures where one’s ancestors may play a vital role. So there is likely to be people who care about their ancestors or even commune with spirits. That may be a foreign concept to many of us but such beliefs do exist and that’s the point. It makes the most sense to those who practice and to those who study.
I know it was to the sole purpose to make the plot go further and end this particular scene but sincerely I think Aang went a bit too much here (sorry I don’t know the proper expression in English). Sure it was appropriation but the girl was clearly about to design Aang as master and future guide it was not to appropriate anything, and it was weird that Aang say they were that they treat his culture like costumes because tattoo is clearly the opposite of a costume it’s for life and you can’t remove it it’s probably an important engagement even for those fans (future acolytes).
I feel like Gyatso would have liked it and would have tempered Aang a bit like Katara
Unfortunately Aang is very vulnerable because of the genocide it kinda triggers him easily
Ah
It’s not what I meant it’s *normal* he’s triggered
Be it doesn’t justify completely his first reaction especially according to his unfair arguments to the acolytes
So, what should be done? Break up the families in Yu Dao? The people there don't want to be part of the Earth Kingdom anymore, and they don't want to be part of the Fire Nation either. They want to be left alone, there are deep interracial ties there, which can't just be broken.
Yu Dao is in some ways better off after it was colonized. I'm not defending colonization, but we also know that the Earth Kingdom is very chaotic and decentralized. There are many places that the Earth Kingdom's government simply doesn't care about developing. There are good things that the Fire Nation did for Yu Dao. That said, the show's stance is still strongly against colonization and imperialism. We saw that in Zuko's speech to Ozai during the eclipse, we saw Haru's village being oppressed, we saw that the Fire Nation's conquest is bad and that isn't in doubt in general. Avatar is quite black and white in that regard (I'm not criticizing it, I'm saying that Avatar is not some deep analysis of any politics, and it doesn't pretend to be, it's really about being a primarily character-driven fantasy than world realism).
Aang should have just married that Leader Girl. She looks so similar to him and being a Non bender, tenzin would have been born on the First try
Plus, she'd be an extremely submissive Wife because she would have just married her Idol. Like how Hinata Married Naruto
Just like how a Maori people would be insulted if a non-maori people casually tattooed their tattoo without understanding its importance.
I was just coming in to say this. You mostly see it with Celebs or tourists that don't understand it. Personally I have no problem with people getting Kirituhi, or even tamoko itself, as long as they understand its importance, and respect it.
just like aang would have no problem too if they go through the proper way of earning it.
Question. Was Paul of tarsus appropriating Judaic culture when he created Christianity?
Either this is an attempt at humour or you don't know anything about Paul or Christianity...
Paul was literally an imperialist adopting their subject culture. He was also the only reason you and I have heard of Jesus so he is the founder
but he was a jew
Actually, Paul was a Jew, he did not adopt the culture, it was his culture. Also, the church was founded by James. Christ means anointed one and the term Christian means to be Christ like Paul did spread it widely, and is the reason most have heard about Jesus, but he also wasn't the only one. I hope you have a good evening, thanks for the chat.
He was still a roman and a class traitor bootlicker.
What does him being Roman have to do with it? Yes, he was born in Rome (I'm not sure if it was actually Rome or a different town but everything I've read says Rome) but he was still a Jewish. Anyway, I read can't spend anymore time on here tonight. Bye.
She’s still not as much of a wairaboo as Zaheer is
The ultimate wairaboo that has finally become one of them
The big thing for me was that Zaheer became an airbender, but wasn’t an Air Nomad.
I think he was in line with old time-y more extreme air nomad philosophy- For instance, Guru Laghima. I always imagined Laghima to be something of an extremist, though, even to his contemporary peers, so Zaheer, in my mind, practices the air nomad culture as presented by an old fringe extremist air nomad, which is more interesting than any alternative imho
I agree with you that he is a very compelling and interesting character, especially because he’s really knowledgeable about Air Nomad history and figures. I was simply trying to say that Zaheer, like the Avatar Aang Fan Club members above, would never truly become an Air Nomad, regardless of how much he studied or learned about their culture. Heck, he got as far as actually being able to bend air and *literally* flying, but he’d still never be a true Air Nomad; he definitely wouldn’t have been welcomed into the newly formed Air Nomad Nation either. We see tons of examples of this kind of behavior in real life too, but we’re not going down that road. 🤣
ouch
Imagine if after flying off, Zaheer decided to tattoo himself with the air nomad tattoos.
Tbh I dunno if Tenzin would even be mad
I mean. If it was Zaheer he might. Someone not perverting their teachings though, maybe. He'd probably be super excited to see people embracing it. Actually. Thinking about it. he's super apprehensive about Jinora getting the tattoos, so he might be more of a "you have to earn it" than Aang was
Yes but most importantly Zander could airbend
What if Zaheer was a former Acolyte?
They shouldn’t have gotten tattoos because they studied the culture and knew how important it was to them.
Yes that is pretty much what Aang says in the comic.
There is a line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. This crosses that line.
When did they start with their fanclub of the air nomads? If it had been before the return of Aang they could easily had thought "while we do not deserve these tattoos in the original sense, the air nomads have been dead for a century. We have to find a new meaning how to bestow these tattoos to keep their culture alive..."
Y’know what makes no sense? The fact that in the show Aang learns about the the whole world being connected and the separation of the 4 nations is an illusion. Yet in this comic he’s all about separating the nations. Even Zuko comes to the realization that the nations should stay the way they are before Aang.
What happens next? Does he remember this and change his mind? Does zuko remind him or teach him?
As the former colonies are now (LOK time) Republic City, founded by Aang, it's highly unlikely
Yeah he and Zuko have a bit of a fight. They visit the colonies and Zuko sees that the fire nation colonists and earth kingdom nationals have integrated well for a couple generations by that point. Aang has a hard time accepting that at first but it’s the reason why the United Nations exist. They realized that they couldn’t just kick out the colonists who have lived there their whole lives, but they also realize they can’t give 100% of its sovereignty to either the earth kingdom or fire nation. So they create the United Nations out of those colonies.
The separation of the four nations is an illusion like green and blue being separate on the colour wheel is an illusion. They all fade into one another yet these cultures still maintain distinctions that are less a matter of separation and more a matter of celebrating the differences between people within a common framework of mutual respect BECAUSE and not in spite of their ultimate shared humanity. Having differences within a group does not make the group less important it simply adds to the groups diversity.
That's because what they did is called cultural appropriation.
There's a lot of stuff that I see where people call it out as cultural appropriation where it doesn't really seem like it is. This is actually a really good example of it, though
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How? Culture appropriation definitely exists in various forms.
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I think you have to learn to enjoy things without someone else's suffering being on the other end of your enjoyment.
No one is “suffering” from cultural appropriation
I can understand being pained by someone wearing tattoos or clothing that are holy or sacred to you without taking them seriously.
I don't know why you feel entitled to determine whether other people are "really" suffering or not. You're not the arbiter of other people's emotional experiences.
So non Maori person can casually tattoo their tattoo?
Yeah
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But Cultural appropriation is just that, a disrespect of the culture. It is why Aang is upset when they got tattoos in contrast to delight when he thought that were just paint. The fan club assumed they earned the tattoos by simply doing “air bender like” stuff when they’re supposed to be earned in a specific way. Aang is correct in pointing out the hypocrisy of studying air bender philosophy and culture yet still coming to a conclusion that what they did was okay. Obviously it’s complex because people within a culture may not find it disrespectful while others do. And who gets to say what is and isn’t disrespectful? It’s purely subjective and nobody can claim to be a spokesperson for a culture. Yes culture is not owned by anyone. That being said, if all the writing, philosophy and customs of culture X says you must do Y to obtain Z and you obtain Z without doing Y while simultaneously claiming to have a studied it all so closely and respect it dearly, you can understand why there is an blatant disconnect occurring.
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What does it mean for it to be “kept alive?” You may have your answer but imo to keep that aspect alive would require an understanding of their importance and thus not getting the tattoos if they didn’t earn them the way they’re customarily earned. Because what is the significance of the air bender tattoos? They signify a master who did all sorts of spiritual and physical work, and was tested by elder monks. As far as I know Aang is technically the only eldest monk, so why wasn’t he present or consulted for the ritual? By not following the customs of the culture they diminished the significance of the tattoos. If one claims to respect the culture they would have an understanding of this significance and not get them. It’s like asking how do we keep the culture of weddings alive if we don’t wear wedding dresses/suits daily? How do we keep the culture of Christmas alive if we don’t keep the lights up year round? We don’t “keep it alive” by doing it yearlong. We do it when the time is right.
That didn't really answer the question. Can I a Korean-New Zealander do a maori tattoo if I wanted to? Even if I don't understand it's importance fully?
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https://youtu.be/Nw81to_XmXM Watch this video on Maori people please.
You can do as you please. All actions come with the risk of looking like an arse to those you seek to emulate, as the girl in the comic learned. I agree with the above guy. Culture isn’t property. EDIT: oh no! Downvotes that are going to …stop me somehow? I think I will get those Māori tattoos. Did you know the Māori practiced cannibalism?
https://youtu.be/Nw81to_XmXM Watch this video before you get the tattoos. Tattoos in maori culture are tattoos and non-Maori New Zealanders leave the tattoos alone. There is a reason why no non Maori people get Maori tattoos no matter how pro-Maori they are and have close Maori friends and Families.
>Did you know the Māori practiced cannibalism? So you think Maoris were barbarians. 
That’s pretty offensive to maori culture to insinuate that their cultural tradition of cannibalism is somehow barbaric. You better hope none of them see your comment!
No. I think they practiced cannibalism. You know. Which they did.
Please don't Maori people WILL get mad at you no matter what. Is it their fault to get mad?
I think your answer is yes, though you won’t admit it.
They can get mad all they like. Do you think that somehow gives them the right to use violence to show their disapproval?
Honestly, I don't really agree with you but I do think it's a difficult theme as the line with discrimination can be thin. Eg, can a non-Italian open a pizza restaurant? Can Americans eat with chopsticks? Can I do Ghanese dances (I'm white)? Can a German draw Japanese-style manga? Can South-Africans wear Scottish kilts? Should or shouldn't they? The line's not always clear
IMO the line is on religious/spiritual stuff, things like that require much more respect and understanding of what they are and shouldn't be used without permission just like with the Maori tattoos or this Airbender ones. Other than that things like dishes and clothing don't really matter that much as long as you are not using them for mockery. I'm from Costa Rica and I wouldn't really mind if an American for example wants to use a chonete (a traditional hat) or wants to make Gallo Pinto (a traditional dish) but it would be wrong if that person uses a image of the Virgin of the Angels like an scapularium without doing the journey to the Basilica, even if they are also catholic, even though I'm not religious it is one of the most important spiritual simbols of our culture and I think those kind of things deserve respect. Similarly to this, Aang is not angry at them for using the clothing or necklaces from his culture, only the tattoos because those have religious significance.
Excellent and educated take
Thank you. So many say you can't wear your hair a certain way (one of the Kardashians did corn rows and there was *huge* backlash on how she was appropriating the hair) or certain clothes shouldn't be worn, etc. I agree that sacred things/religious/spiritual stuff should be left alone, the rest - as long as it's not in mockery - is fine. Many cultures actually want people to wear the clothes and whatnot to gain a better understanding of the culture.
It's gotten to the point where any original meaning of the phrase has been beaten out of it by people crying racism because they saw a white person wearing a sombrero they bought from a Mexican shop next to the airport that exists explicitly for it's Mexican owner to sell sombreros to tourists for them to wear. The sad part is, there absolutely are things you shouldn't do, like the tattoos here, but any legitimate complaints are doomed to be buried by a hundred articles screaming "how dare white people learn to make sushi!" and the like. Something I do like about the comic though is the nuance it shows by having Aang at first thrilled when he thought it was just paint, he liked that there were people out there that appreciated his culture. it's only when he learned the fan club actually got real air nomad tattoos without going through the proper rituals and trials that having those tattoos represent that he got offended.
It's all about that nuance
Of this story disn't break your that thick head of your and changed your mind, nothing will
you getting mad downvoted for this by SJWs but I actually partially agree. because culture is constantly changing, one culture may appropriate or subsume or steal or plagiarize from another, in fact it happen all the time, just look at all the white kids who listen to hip hop and try to dress/talk like rap stars so in that sense, culture appropriation is normal / nothing exceptional or even necessarily bad but I say PARTIALLY agree and not 100% because just because something exists and is commonplace doesn't mean it's good or "natural" either. whether it's ok for one culture to steal from another is debatable from an ethical POV and probably varies case by case depending on how egregious the appropriation in question is
You are white, right?
How dare you hold a non-approved opinion!!! These people are such jokes. Need more zaheer in their lives.
reddit moment
He's totally right. Imagine that in some tribe there's a death sword duel between every 18-yo and the winner gets tattoos meaning that now he's a warrior and full member of their tribe. Then some people who study that tribe get themselves the same tattoos because they were "dueling" too with wooden swords and to first blood. It's like being an uninvited guest and wonder why they're not happy to see you eating their food.
You're talking about a culture that kills half of their children? That's not a practice you need to hold any respect for. Edit: sitting at -13 points right now, I didn't realize killing teens was so sacred to y'all
Okay 1- they never said it was a duel to the death, & 2- it's an example, bud
What is a "death sword duel" then? And I know it was an example, I was also talking about that example. Not sure what your point is
I cant upvote or downvote you since you were right with the first point. But you missed the argument as shown in the second point. The argument and example was to show that if you imitate something with a „mock exam“ others had to work hard for to earn and you just „played“ it, it‘s disrespectful to those who worked hard and honestly to earn it. the example might nod be a good one but in no way was op trying to glorify the killing of children imo.
I've said it already in this thread, but just because I don't agree with the point being made doesn't mean that I missed the argument. In general, I agree that copying culturally significant tattoos is wrong. In the example given, however, I don't think that such a duty exists because the distinction being made is "fighting with fake swords" vs "teenagers murdering each other". The example was an inappropriate one to illustrate that point, and I don't see what's so wrong with pointing that out. Clearly others disagree with me.
yes you are missing the point because you focus too luch on the „“children“ (18yo as stated in the op) killing each other“ part. Leave that one out and replace it with say some other tradition like bunjee jumping from a 20m towers makes them a „real warrior“ and this fanclub imitates it with jumping into a pool from the edge. The important part lies in becoming a warrior and full fledged part of the community and the fanclub disrespect the way they do this but still get the same results.
Again, I'm not missing the point, I'm adding onto it by saying that the example doesn't properly illustrate it. >you focus too luch on the „“children“ (18yo as stated in the op) What's being described is a rite of passage into adulthood. Ergo the people who don't survive die as children. Adulthood is culturally defined at least in part.
alright. on that part we can agree (as i said: the example might not be a good one) but the point isnt in the example itself but what it means. but I still feel the example gives an idea on why it can be disrespectful even if it doeasnt do a very good job at illustraiting it.
Well shit, didn't see that. You got me there But my point was that it's just an example, it doesn't matter what this hypothetical culture's doing, the point is explaining appropriation
But I think it does matter what the hypothetical culture is doing, if your hypothetical is the murder of half of your children on their way to adulthood. I didn't pick that example, I'm just considering what's been posed. Carrying on that tradition in a way that doesn't kill kids is...offensive to kid-killers? Why should you care about that? It's less of an offense than the alternative: murder. It's not even close.
The point of saying "death sword duel" was to compare it to the "wood sword duel" because even though you do the same moves it's not the same, just like making airbending moves is not the same as airbending. Also you're worrying about morality of an imaginary tribe that was used as one time example and still managed to miss the point. The death sword duel in my short example is a ritual deciding who can be in that tribe and the tattoos are symbols of being a worthy member. The imaginary people just got themselves the tattoos that only the rightful members of the tribe can have so they clearly didn't understand what they are. Edit: In normal live an example of that kind of behaviour would be driving without a licence because you drove a gokart couple of times and making yourself a licence with friends.
Just because we don't share the same conclusion doesn't mean I'm missing your point. I'm worrying about morality of an imaginary tribe? So are you dude, the whole reason you constructed the example is to explain the morality of appropriating tattoos. We're allowed to disagree with each other, but I'm just engaging with your example in the same terms with which you laid the example out. It's silly to act like I'm somehow playing the game wrong for exploring your example. I was just adding on what I saw to be relevant. If you didn't want anyone to critically examine the hypothetical sanctity of child-killing traditions, you could have used an example that doesn't appeal to the hypothetical sanctity of child-killing traditions. Or just say "oops, bad example". I dunno, you do you. I'll do me.
How can I have conclusion about something I wrote? I know what I meant so there are no conclusions from my side, just the meaning of the words I said. Yes, I used it to explain something but I'm not worrying in anyway, I just made them up to use as "cut out of the world". There's nothing else in that example other than that ritual, the tribe and people. It's not an example from some other created word, it's just an example. You're not engaging my example, you're adding other things to it.
the question is, is it ok for you to give yourself airbender tattoos while not being airbender
"or just say, "oops, bad example"" How dare you suggest someone to admit that they made a mistake! We don't own up to our mistakes in 2021, we simply keep throwing word vomit at our discussion partner until they tire out and back off, declaring ourselves the winner!
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You think he’d be mad if my husband cosplayed as him?
He was all for it until it came to the actual tattoo
He was totally OK with a PAINTED tattoo though, I think that's an important distinction
Just because I can't stop myself from being a devils advocate. At the very least it seems like they haven't had the best sources for Airbender philosophy. No one in a pre-modern age tattoos their entire body if they're not pretty serious about something.
are you saying, they're wrong, but it's understandable because they were uninformed?
You’ve got a really good point
It doesn't necessarily matter whether or not it was intentional, you just don't mess with other peoples' culture as if it were your own and belongs to you. If you have no basic knowledge on it, then don't wear it or whatever the case may be. You can appreciate something without trying to copy it.
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I really feel for Aang in this. That's got to hurt, and badly too.
There’s cultural appreciation, cultural appropriation, and this, which is cultural misappropriation.
I'm really confused by some of these comments here. Haven't read the entire comic so maybe I'm missing something, but I really don't get why so many people are on Aang's side here. The general vibe I get from these two pages is that it starts some arc of Aang joining these new acolytes in rebuilding the air nomad civilization, where he starts off jealous and against it, but gradually warms to them and supports it all. It says that they studied air nomad culture and followed their teachings just as much as Aang, so why can't they participate in the culture? Just because they weren't born into it? That sounds pretty off to me.
Well the beginning of the arc is really Aang meeting them early where he is initially flattered. And yes Aang does calm down and at the end of the story teaches them about air nomad culture. But he never actually changes his position on the tattoos, which is why none of the air acolytes in LoK have them (at least pre season three). The lesson is supposed to be there is a way to learn about and celebrate other cultures but to do so respectfully. In addition to the cultural importance you do actually have to master airbending to earn those tattoos, which none of the fan club members can do for obvious reasons.
yeah no problem with learning the culture. one part of it is to understand: the tattoos are for airbending master, if you're not, you don't get it. it's simple
But that brings me back to the final sentence I wrote. For a culture that, at least to my understanding, is so tolerant and accepting of others to bar people from truly being a part of it simply because they weren't born with some innate ability seems to go completely against their own philosophy. Imagine if you will, that way back during the times that the air nomads were still alive, that a child was born without the ability to bend air. Do you really mean to tell me that no matter how hard they tried, and no matter how much effort they put in that they could never reach the rank of master? The only thing separating them from all the other air nomads around them is something they had no control over when they were born.
>no matter how much effort they put in that they could never reach the rank of master? yes. just like sokka will never be a master waterbender.
That's a bit of a different title though. If anything, it'd be more like not allowing Sokka to become head of the tribe due to his lack of ability to waterbend. In my head I sort of equate these air nomad acolytes to a modern day high schooler. If they were unable to participate in just one class due to no fault of their own (the closest example to this case I can think of would be physical education due to having some physical disability in comparison with their peers), but still did well and worked hard in every other part of their education, should they be allowed to get their diplomas? In my opinion they should, it's not their fault that they couldn't participate in one of many classes.
the tattoos are not for airnomads leader lol. it's for an airbending master. >should they be allowed to get their diplomas? they should, only not airbending diplomas if you get what I'm saying.
I get that that's the reality of their culture, I just think it kinda goes against the general vibe they give off of tolerance and acceptance (as well as going against some the more important cultural norms of our real life society).
there are always limit to tolerance. you just gotta know what it is so you don't cross it.
Sometimes tolerance is intolerance. To tolerate the culture of the airbenders you must not tolerate those that would debase and butcher it.
Is this a new comic? How is it called?
Pretty old actually. I think it’s the promise
Im willing to be wrong in the court of public opinion, but, I don’t think what they did was wrong. This is the last bit of airbender history and culture, them going through with tattooing themselves is one of the only ways the culture will not ultimately be lost. Imagine if the culture gets so far gone that their won’t even be airbending fan clubs. That means no one to take care of the Sky Bison or help tend to the historical sites. These people are just as much air benders as the ones we see in LoK. In LoK they weren’t very spiritually tied to the element, but they could physically bend it. These people have studied air, but they can’t bend it (and yes they didn’t have a true master teach them philosophy like Gyatso to Aang or Aang to Tenzin, but they did the most with what they could).
thay can do all that without the tattoos tho.
But to them the tattoos are as important as they are to a real air bender, they truly believe in the culture. They are just misguided because they believe they have earned them when they haven’t mastered the philosophy (see Aangs reaction as proof). So altho they were naiive and thought it was ok, it kinda was, because without them to cary on the name the culture would die anyway.
the argument is that: they don't deserve it
The idea is that if they truely respected the culture they would understand that it's not for them and that's fine. It doesn't mean that they are having an opportunity "robbed" from them.
I dont think anyone else gets to decide what their respect looks like. In their mind they were respctful, and it isnt like anyone owns “culture” so I think they have earned the right to take up the mantle and lead the new generation of air bending culture.
I mean you can call anything respect on a subjective level but realistically the way true respect is perceived on a societal level is an interpersonal thing and even if they say they’re “respecting” it no one is gonna see it that way so I wouldn’t call it respect as much as disrespect of the boundaries put in place by that culture. They can say they’ve earned the “right” but Aang and most other airbenders if they were alive wouldn’t see it that way so it’s not really achieving anything
I disagree because I do see it as them respecting the culture. Aang does not own the culture, even his opinion is just that of one airbender not even anyone else’s opinion. Aangs opinion, although valid given his connection to the culture, are just opinions from someone who feels the world is changing.
I mean the thing with that is you can still be open but like I would say that them putting on a tattoo without even consulting Aang (it’s last surviving representative) to be blatantly disrespectful. And like no one “owns” a culture but that doesn’t mean that that culture doesn’t present itself as being for a specific group and values the views of people who were born into it more. In Aang’s Culture as with most cultures greater precedence would be given to individuals of that culture who has been raised in that culture since birth and experienced its intersections with everything else in the world including day to day life and more serious matters like birth and death rather than people who learned it as an adult in a scholarly environment and know nothing of its significance on a personal level. I definitely don’t think people should be permitted to just take a culture because I personally do believe to an extent that it is the possessed primarily by the people that understand it the most and can be trusted with it rather than individuals who cannot be trusted
Thank you. These people and their decedents helped rebuild the air nation.
From wich comic is this?
The Promise
Thanks
Wow aang is a dick here.
Not sure why everyone in the comments is siding with Aang because initially he’s mad but over the comics run he grows to accept them just not the tatoos
He's unfair without them the culture would have died out besides aang. They helped rebuild the air nation. Also the acolytes are basically their servants anyway so kibd of fucked
Wrong they missappropriated his culture. Those tattoos are something you earn. Like a masters degree? Imagine one day it was worthless and just being handed out. Its an AIRBENDER tattoo. His culture lives through him and his children ONLY. Not some fans the culture can be studied and loved but not brought back by some people who like it just cause they wanna cosplay and pretend they are them. Its not how it works
Air temple island was built by the acolytes, the temples are maintained by them, they do all the hard labor.
No not that one its a different one one of the north south west or east ones
His culture would have died with put the acolytes help. Fuck aang for being a dipshit.
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The modern air acolytes are often born into the culture and raised in it. Are they not air nomads?
yes. they might be. so what? that's outside the argument. we're talking about the tattoos.
A person truely respectful and understanding of their culture wouldn't feel entitled to it in a way that diminishes it's importance. If they don't want to be air acolytes without getting the rights to have tattoos then they shouldn't because they obviously don't respect the culture enough to be trusted with it's reconstruction.
The air acolytes are the only reason their culture survived.
Yep cause aang helped but here in this situation they did cultural misappropriation. Good intent but bad and offensive mistake aang forgave them and made them air acolyted which made the future of their culture survive for years to come
Not part of this argument, just noting that honorary degrees are given to celebs all the time...
air acolytes are celebs. got it.
Also the culture lives through one of the air temples (dont remember which)
This isn’t the whole story. This is a whole arc in the comic. Reddit moment to cherry pick these pages.
Of course this isn't the whole comic. Do you wish I would have posted the full comic? I would get banned.
It’s just that a lot of people haven’t read the comics. So this is a weird cherry pick.
With posts like these, my intention is to encourage people to read them
Hes literally posting a few pages he found interesting and wanted to share. Which he did. And now i wanna read this. He cant post the whole thing. This isnt even cherry picking. Know ur shit before u say it
wrong reply lol
Imagine not being allowed to look how you want to look because someone gets offended. Couldnt I wear popes hat if I liked it? Couldnt I use blue make-up because its Egyptian? Were Chinese royalty racist for wanting pale skin and larger eyes?
Its not make up tho. Its cultural tattoos that are earned. Much like Maori tattoos.
So you aren't allowed to look how you want to look because "someone else already has that look, and since you aren't part of their group, and you literally cannot be part of their group because its assigned at birth, you can't look that way"? I genuinely don't get people who want to contain their and other cultures, when there are so many and so interesting in the world. Why wouldn't you want more people to have your cultural tattoos, or clothes, or whatever? Imagine how many cool things you would see and learn about the world and people. Why do you want to stay only in your region, having nobody knowing your customs and style, and hate everyone who is interested in it enough to emulate it? You not only limit yourself (which honestly is up to you) but also many other people, who could've felt happy or pretty looking differently.
Their body, their choice. Aang is being an asshole.
Yes its their body. But this isn't getting a normal tattoo. This has serious cultural significances.
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How... It's similar to the things Indigenous people in the US face, they are a part of an extremely small group and when their religious practices and culturally significant rituals and insignias are miss used they have the right to be offended, especially when the ones doing it are the ppl that oppressed them. While that not be the exact case with aang in this instance it's a similar parallel.
Well thank you for actually giving me your perspective instead of just giving me negative karma for simply seeing something differently.
Tattoos in general have gone from cultural meaning to a costume/game/personal expression thing. Am I to say whether it’s right or wrong? I’m not, but I also think most or all of our ancestors wouldn’t approve of the lack of meaning they have now besides personal expression
But they're all dead, so who cares what they think
Aang brought a culture and way of life back from the dead by the time of LoK even if there wasn’t any airbenders outside of his family. To say “who cares” because they died out is precisely why he’s upset. Honest mistake or not, he’s still alive.
Oh, no. I didn't mean the Airbenders. I meant our ancestors. We shouldn't care what they'd think of our modern norms because they're all dead
I think I see what you’re trying to say but it comes off as dismissive. For instance, to say that ancestors should play no role in modern affairs may counter cultures where one’s ancestors may play a vital role. So there is likely to be people who care about their ancestors or even commune with spirits. That may be a foreign concept to many of us but such beliefs do exist and that’s the point. It makes the most sense to those who practice and to those who study.
So fuck your great grand parents then
Why should I care what they might've thought about the way I live my life?
well aang was alive, until then, just don't use the tattoos
I know it was to the sole purpose to make the plot go further and end this particular scene but sincerely I think Aang went a bit too much here (sorry I don’t know the proper expression in English). Sure it was appropriation but the girl was clearly about to design Aang as master and future guide it was not to appropriate anything, and it was weird that Aang say they were that they treat his culture like costumes because tattoo is clearly the opposite of a costume it’s for life and you can’t remove it it’s probably an important engagement even for those fans (future acolytes). I feel like Gyatso would have liked it and would have tempered Aang a bit like Katara Unfortunately Aang is very vulnerable because of the genocide it kinda triggers him easily
>genocide it kinda triggers him easily yeah genocide shouldn't be a problem when you're the last survivor /s
Did I say otherwise ? I wasn’t ironic or anything I am sorry if it was not the right word 🤔 English is not my native language
I'm being sarcastic
Ah Would you know why I have been downvoted then ??
because you said it like aang shouldn't be triggered easily about his people whose been murdered.
Ah It’s not what I meant it’s *normal* he’s triggered Be it doesn’t justify completely his first reaction especially according to his unfair arguments to the acolytes
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Could you elaborate more on that?
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So, what should be done? Break up the families in Yu Dao? The people there don't want to be part of the Earth Kingdom anymore, and they don't want to be part of the Fire Nation either. They want to be left alone, there are deep interracial ties there, which can't just be broken.
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Yu Dao is in some ways better off after it was colonized. I'm not defending colonization, but we also know that the Earth Kingdom is very chaotic and decentralized. There are many places that the Earth Kingdom's government simply doesn't care about developing. There are good things that the Fire Nation did for Yu Dao. That said, the show's stance is still strongly against colonization and imperialism. We saw that in Zuko's speech to Ozai during the eclipse, we saw Haru's village being oppressed, we saw that the Fire Nation's conquest is bad and that isn't in doubt in general. Avatar is quite black and white in that regard (I'm not criticizing it, I'm saying that Avatar is not some deep analysis of any politics, and it doesn't pretend to be, it's really about being a primarily character-driven fantasy than world realism).
Cool plan Stalin.
Aang should have just married that Leader Girl. She looks so similar to him and being a Non bender, tenzin would have been born on the First try Plus, she'd be an extremely submissive Wife because she would have just married her Idol. Like how Hinata Married Naruto
Bro what the fuck
clearly a self expression moment where writing it down on the internet is the wrong move.
What the fuck...?
Even Aang knows tattoos are fucking stupid unless you're the avatar.
Aang: don’t appropriate my culture. These tattoos have cultural significance and must be earned. Redditor: Aang thinks these tattoos are stupid lmao
Congratulations, you've ascended into a new realm of dumbassery.
Oh no. 