ANNOYED
Reposted and edited from deviantart. I just need to vent some more. This is a conversation I've been having with a user on deviantart, ~Xtrasuperscourgegirl. She thinks that The Last Airbender is not racist. I disagree. Here's the link to our conversation:
http://xtrasuperscourgegirl.deviantart.com/art/Racebending-Movement-is-crap-160193269?offset=50#comments
~minime41191:
What's your defense when the white people who were cast under the "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" casting call turn out to be horrible actors (I'm looking at you, Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz)?
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl:
I doubt they will be horrble. I have confidence in them, just like I do with ALL the other actors. And why only mention the 'white' people? See, this is what I mean with you boycotters. You ONLY focus on the white people being the 'bad actors', why? You got a problem with them? Or are YOU guys racist towards THEM?
If you're looking for a procaster to start a pathetic 'racebending' argument with, you're talking to the wrong person. I have already said all I have to say about it in the comments above. I'm not wasting my time talking about this because the casting is done, over. The first casting sheet was made by a third party who made up the 'caucasian or any other ethnicity' line without the permission of Frank Marshall. (whether you believe this or not I don't care). Get over it and don't judge by race.
~patzo3000
:D Wow! *Claps* Well said. Racebenders need to see that we don't care about race. It's the acting and the essance of the character that matters. Jackson, and Nicola are very similar to Sokka and Katara.
Dev Patel is really just a great acter and captures Zuko's essance down to T.
NoAh A. RiNGer is Aang's twin for all we know.
Aang can be any race and still save the world. Heck Mnight doesn't even know Noah's ethnicity. He was pickedbecause he looked 'mixed'. Which makes a whole lot of sense that Avatar and the Air nomads are mixed since they are basically the peacful people.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
Definitely :D, I just don't understand why they can't see that. They will be great for Sokka and Katara. And also Dev Patel looks great too! Noh Ringer is perfect!!! Of course, that line of theirs "Aang can stay Asian..." is racist to me. Shyamalan saw Noah as a mixed kid, which is why he casted as such for the airbenders, which I think is an awesome idea! Anybody could become a race, that's why airbenders (or air nomad monks) seem much better as a mixed people to me. The air nomads also judge a person by how he/she is, NOT because of race, and I hope the boycotter realize this.
~minime41191
If the actors had been able to carry the characters better, I wouldn't mind as much. However, as the reviews have proved, Jackson and Nicola simply have not been able to do a very good job.
I am very excited for Dev Patel- although we've only seen him in Slumdog Millionaire, he was excellent in that movie and I have high expectations for him.
I am also looking forward to Noah Ringer. I don't think he looks like Aang, but out of all the principles, Aang was the most ambiguous. I am very happy that Ringer was practiced in martial arts, because that will definitely add to his performance. I am upset that they've made him so serious, but that's a writing issue, and not an acting one. With what he's been given and what we've seen in the trailers, I am happy with Ringer.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
I'm glad to see you actually excited (a little) about the movie. But why always such low expectations on Jackson and Nicola (AKA the main 'white' actors)? They have been redoing some of their scenes so I'm sure they'll fix up all their sucky parts. And they both kinda sound like the characters they're trying to act as in the theatrical trailers.
I'm also glad to see you're not complaining about Dev (as Zuko) not being a good cast for Zuko just because of his race and that you feel lots of confidence for Noah (though I highly disagree with your statement of him not looking one bit as Aang).
~minime41191
I'm focusing on the white actors at this point because they were chosen under the "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" casting call, which was unfair. Supposedly these are the best actors, but they have proven to be less than desirable.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
It should have been just as racist if the casting call was 'Asian or any other ethnicity' or 'African or any other ethnicity'. But you wouldn't mind those, now would you? Because they don't say 'caucasian' in them right? That's the same level of offence but people don't notice that because they think white people are supposedly accused for 'stealing' the parts for people of other races that were meant to get those parts and that they deserve this bad-mouthing more than the other races. THAT mentality is racist and wrong. That's total bull and sticking to the 'caucasian' thing is total bull as well. They still have the 'other ethnicity' part in the casting right? So why complain? And why judge by race? Maybe they put the 'caucasian' part in the casting because they thought since this was an Asian-BASED storyline that they wouldn't accept whites, have you though of that? But they also worded the casting to allow all races, which is very fair. You don't know how the final result of their (Nicola and Jackson's) acting will be, so stop judging them now and wait until the movie ACTUALLY comes out. They re-did some of their scenes from the last time you saw a bad review on them. You should drop the caucasian deal and move on, it's not worth your time or any stress.
~minime41191
I'll just reply to everything here.
1. I am not excited for Jackson and Nicola because their acting has been criticized in more than one review. I won't make any final judgments on Nicola because I've never seen her in anything, but I hated Jackson in Twilight and have no hope for him.
2. "Asian or any other ethnicity" can be racist, but in this instance I would argue that it is less so. The culture of ATLA is almost completely Asian-influenced. This is why we racebenders feel that the movie would be more authentic with Asian actors. A parallel- the fabulous LOTR movies. They are set in a European medieval-inspired world. Would a casting call of "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" be racist? Yes, but in this context it makes sense. What I'm trying to say is that you have to put things in perspective. When Asian actors are not given a fair chance to be a part of a movie based on a TV show that is overwhelmingly Asian, that is not fair.
3. "so stop judging them now and wait until the movie ACTUALLY comes out" By defending this movie, you're doing the same thing, so I'll stop when you do.
4. "You should drop the caucasian deal and move on, it's not worth your time or any stress." Standing up for what I believe in is not worth my time or stress?
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
1. Ok I see what you mean about them here, but just because Jackson was bad in the twilight movies doesn't mean his acting will be bad in this movie. They're two completely different movies, that's it. Example, someone might do well in one movie but not in another, it's just how some people are sometimes. I have never been interested in the twilight movies, so therefore I don't care about them.
2. It's the same level of racism, whether you believe it or not is not what I care. If YOU guys over at RB think putting 'Caucasian' is bad then why is it not bad if they would've put 'Asian', hmm? Shouldn't you guys ALSO say that that's ALSO favoring one race over another? See, this is what I mean when I say you guys are hypocrites, because you guys ONLY care for racism towards Asians most of the time, but never towards white people! It won't be more authentic putting ONLY Asian actors, it'll actually be MORE unrealistic. This is NOT an exact copy of the show, so stop expecting it to be. I have seen bocotters use the LOTR argument ALL THE FREAKING TIME and it's very annoying! Blame the director of that movie for not putting 'many' races in his LOTR adaptation, but don't compare this movie to that one OR DBE just because it doesn't fall under you boycotters' 'expectations' (like people actually care what you guys think, honestly...). At least in this movie, MANY races will be in it, and not just one or two different ones.
3. I'm not defending this movie because I want to, I'm defending it because there is nothing wrong with it racially (and race should not matter). And you'll stop what, being against it?! You should be more specific with your wording there genius. I don't care about what you think of it, I'm only responding to you because you're too stubborn to see the light and always need to find something wrong with the movie, it's just so annoying with all you boycotters saying these arguments over and over and picking out the littlest things that bugs you guys the most from what you have seen so far! Just shut up and leave us movie goers alone!
4. What you're standing up for is a lost cause, because the casting and movie have already (almost) been done and your movement is full of hypocrites who always need to find something wrong with this movie, just because all you guys want are Asians (and Inuits) in it ONLY. That, to me, reminds me of a bunch of whinny kids who did not get what they wanted and are now crying their eyes out and screaming their lungs out until they get it. No reason to get your health ruined and cry over something as ridiculous as this.
~minime41191:
1. Here's a youtube video of Jackson in Big Stan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dOUMOAF73Q
I thought his acting was very awkward here as well. If I see him display an example of good acting I will retract my statements, but until that day, I will hold to my belief that he is not a good actor.
2. "you guys ONLY care for racism towards Asians most of the time, but never towards white people!"
Asian actors only make up 2.6% of regular primetime actors on American television ( http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2495573&page=3 ). White actors as a general whole are *not* being discriminated against.
"This is NOT an exact copy of the show, so stop expecting it to be." I don't want an exact copy of the TV show; however, why is it such a big deal to have Asian actors portraying characters inspired from Asian culture? If the costumes and sets will be Asian inspired, why can't the actors be Asian?
I have no problem with Peter Jackson's choice of actors in LOTR because it worked for his source material. We racebenders feel that the same cannot be said for TLA, for reasons I have already mentioned.
There could be more than one race in this movie if the casters only used Asian actors. You could hire actors from China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Mongolia, Burma, or Thailand, to name a few. No, the people don't all look the same. You could have had plenty of diversity with these types of actors.
3. "race should not matter" If race should not matter, then why does it matter if there are Asian actors in the leading roles?
I can admit I'm stubborn, but I'm stubborn in standing up for what I believe in. I believe that racism is wrong, so I will not stop fighting it, no matter where I see it.
4. The racebending movement is far from over. You say it's over because the casting is done; the only reason our movement exists is because of the (racist) casting. Like my fellow racebenders, I will not be supporting this movie with my money. We will let the box office speak for our opinion on the whole situation.
I do not appreciate your comparison of me to a child throwing a tantrum. I am doing all I can to argue my case in an adult manner, and I would appreciate your doing the same.
And the reason I couldn't post the last reply was because she blocked me. Blocked me! I'm really upset that she did so because I feel like it was an immature move. I'm just trying to defend my views, and she gets all huffy and refuses to play. Pathetic.
http://xtrasuperscourgegirl.deviantart.com/art/Racebending-Movement-is-crap-160193269?offset=50#comments
~minime41191:
What's your defense when the white people who were cast under the "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" casting call turn out to be horrible actors (I'm looking at you, Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz)?
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl:
I doubt they will be horrble. I have confidence in them, just like I do with ALL the other actors. And why only mention the 'white' people? See, this is what I mean with you boycotters. You ONLY focus on the white people being the 'bad actors', why? You got a problem with them? Or are YOU guys racist towards THEM?
If you're looking for a procaster to start a pathetic 'racebending' argument with, you're talking to the wrong person. I have already said all I have to say about it in the comments above. I'm not wasting my time talking about this because the casting is done, over. The first casting sheet was made by a third party who made up the 'caucasian or any other ethnicity' line without the permission of Frank Marshall. (whether you believe this or not I don't care). Get over it and don't judge by race.
~patzo3000
:D Wow! *Claps* Well said. Racebenders need to see that we don't care about race. It's the acting and the essance of the character that matters. Jackson, and Nicola are very similar to Sokka and Katara.
Dev Patel is really just a great acter and captures Zuko's essance down to T.
NoAh A. RiNGer is Aang's twin for all we know.
Aang can be any race and still save the world. Heck Mnight doesn't even know Noah's ethnicity. He was pickedbecause he looked 'mixed'. Which makes a whole lot of sense that Avatar and the Air nomads are mixed since they are basically the peacful people.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
Definitely :D, I just don't understand why they can't see that. They will be great for Sokka and Katara. And also Dev Patel looks great too! Noh Ringer is perfect!!! Of course, that line of theirs "Aang can stay Asian..." is racist to me. Shyamalan saw Noah as a mixed kid, which is why he casted as such for the airbenders, which I think is an awesome idea! Anybody could become a race, that's why airbenders (or air nomad monks) seem much better as a mixed people to me. The air nomads also judge a person by how he/she is, NOT because of race, and I hope the boycotter realize this.
~minime41191
If the actors had been able to carry the characters better, I wouldn't mind as much. However, as the reviews have proved, Jackson and Nicola simply have not been able to do a very good job.
I am very excited for Dev Patel- although we've only seen him in Slumdog Millionaire, he was excellent in that movie and I have high expectations for him.
I am also looking forward to Noah Ringer. I don't think he looks like Aang, but out of all the principles, Aang was the most ambiguous. I am very happy that Ringer was practiced in martial arts, because that will definitely add to his performance. I am upset that they've made him so serious, but that's a writing issue, and not an acting one. With what he's been given and what we've seen in the trailers, I am happy with Ringer.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
I'm glad to see you actually excited (a little) about the movie. But why always such low expectations on Jackson and Nicola (AKA the main 'white' actors)? They have been redoing some of their scenes so I'm sure they'll fix up all their sucky parts. And they both kinda sound like the characters they're trying to act as in the theatrical trailers.
I'm also glad to see you're not complaining about Dev (as Zuko) not being a good cast for Zuko just because of his race and that you feel lots of confidence for Noah (though I highly disagree with your statement of him not looking one bit as Aang).
~minime41191
I'm focusing on the white actors at this point because they were chosen under the "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" casting call, which was unfair. Supposedly these are the best actors, but they have proven to be less than desirable.
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
It should have been just as racist if the casting call was 'Asian or any other ethnicity' or 'African or any other ethnicity'. But you wouldn't mind those, now would you? Because they don't say 'caucasian' in them right? That's the same level of offence but people don't notice that because they think white people are supposedly accused for 'stealing' the parts for people of other races that were meant to get those parts and that they deserve this bad-mouthing more than the other races. THAT mentality is racist and wrong. That's total bull and sticking to the 'caucasian' thing is total bull as well. They still have the 'other ethnicity' part in the casting right? So why complain? And why judge by race? Maybe they put the 'caucasian' part in the casting because they thought since this was an Asian-BASED storyline that they wouldn't accept whites, have you though of that? But they also worded the casting to allow all races, which is very fair. You don't know how the final result of their (Nicola and Jackson's) acting will be, so stop judging them now and wait until the movie ACTUALLY comes out. They re-did some of their scenes from the last time you saw a bad review on them. You should drop the caucasian deal and move on, it's not worth your time or any stress.
~minime41191
I'll just reply to everything here.
1. I am not excited for Jackson and Nicola because their acting has been criticized in more than one review. I won't make any final judgments on Nicola because I've never seen her in anything, but I hated Jackson in Twilight and have no hope for him.
2. "Asian or any other ethnicity" can be racist, but in this instance I would argue that it is less so. The culture of ATLA is almost completely Asian-influenced. This is why we racebenders feel that the movie would be more authentic with Asian actors. A parallel- the fabulous LOTR movies. They are set in a European medieval-inspired world. Would a casting call of "Caucasian: or any other ethnicity" be racist? Yes, but in this context it makes sense. What I'm trying to say is that you have to put things in perspective. When Asian actors are not given a fair chance to be a part of a movie based on a TV show that is overwhelmingly Asian, that is not fair.
3. "so stop judging them now and wait until the movie ACTUALLY comes out" By defending this movie, you're doing the same thing, so I'll stop when you do.
4. "You should drop the caucasian deal and move on, it's not worth your time or any stress." Standing up for what I believe in is not worth my time or stress?
~Xtrasuperscourgegirl
1. Ok I see what you mean about them here, but just because Jackson was bad in the twilight movies doesn't mean his acting will be bad in this movie. They're two completely different movies, that's it. Example, someone might do well in one movie but not in another, it's just how some people are sometimes. I have never been interested in the twilight movies, so therefore I don't care about them.
2. It's the same level of racism, whether you believe it or not is not what I care. If YOU guys over at RB think putting 'Caucasian' is bad then why is it not bad if they would've put 'Asian', hmm? Shouldn't you guys ALSO say that that's ALSO favoring one race over another? See, this is what I mean when I say you guys are hypocrites, because you guys ONLY care for racism towards Asians most of the time, but never towards white people! It won't be more authentic putting ONLY Asian actors, it'll actually be MORE unrealistic. This is NOT an exact copy of the show, so stop expecting it to be. I have seen bocotters use the LOTR argument ALL THE FREAKING TIME and it's very annoying! Blame the director of that movie for not putting 'many' races in his LOTR adaptation, but don't compare this movie to that one OR DBE just because it doesn't fall under you boycotters' 'expectations' (like people actually care what you guys think, honestly...). At least in this movie, MANY races will be in it, and not just one or two different ones.
3. I'm not defending this movie because I want to, I'm defending it because there is nothing wrong with it racially (and race should not matter). And you'll stop what, being against it?! You should be more specific with your wording there genius. I don't care about what you think of it, I'm only responding to you because you're too stubborn to see the light and always need to find something wrong with the movie, it's just so annoying with all you boycotters saying these arguments over and over and picking out the littlest things that bugs you guys the most from what you have seen so far! Just shut up and leave us movie goers alone!
4. What you're standing up for is a lost cause, because the casting and movie have already (almost) been done and your movement is full of hypocrites who always need to find something wrong with this movie, just because all you guys want are Asians (and Inuits) in it ONLY. That, to me, reminds me of a bunch of whinny kids who did not get what they wanted and are now crying their eyes out and screaming their lungs out until they get it. No reason to get your health ruined and cry over something as ridiculous as this.
~minime41191:
1. Here's a youtube video of Jackson in Big Stan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dOUMOAF73Q
I thought his acting was very awkward here as well. If I see him display an example of good acting I will retract my statements, but until that day, I will hold to my belief that he is not a good actor.
2. "you guys ONLY care for racism towards Asians most of the time, but never towards white people!"
Asian actors only make up 2.6% of regular primetime actors on American television ( http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2495573&page=3 ). White actors as a general whole are *not* being discriminated against.
"This is NOT an exact copy of the show, so stop expecting it to be." I don't want an exact copy of the TV show; however, why is it such a big deal to have Asian actors portraying characters inspired from Asian culture? If the costumes and sets will be Asian inspired, why can't the actors be Asian?
I have no problem with Peter Jackson's choice of actors in LOTR because it worked for his source material. We racebenders feel that the same cannot be said for TLA, for reasons I have already mentioned.
There could be more than one race in this movie if the casters only used Asian actors. You could hire actors from China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Mongolia, Burma, or Thailand, to name a few. No, the people don't all look the same. You could have had plenty of diversity with these types of actors.
3. "race should not matter" If race should not matter, then why does it matter if there are Asian actors in the leading roles?
I can admit I'm stubborn, but I'm stubborn in standing up for what I believe in. I believe that racism is wrong, so I will not stop fighting it, no matter where I see it.
4. The racebending movement is far from over. You say it's over because the casting is done; the only reason our movement exists is because of the (racist) casting. Like my fellow racebenders, I will not be supporting this movie with my money. We will let the box office speak for our opinion on the whole situation.
I do not appreciate your comparison of me to a child throwing a tantrum. I am doing all I can to argue my case in an adult manner, and I would appreciate your doing the same.
And the reason I couldn't post the last reply was because she blocked me. Blocked me! I'm really upset that she did so because I feel like it was an immature move. I'm just trying to defend my views, and she gets all huffy and refuses to play. Pathetic.