why racebending slowly kills my dreams.
There's a cartoon on Nickelodeon called "Avatar: The Last Airbender". As a twenty-year-old who has lost all lingering hopes of maturity, I of course was interested in the show. The show follows Aang, a 112-year-old airbender, as he travels the world while attempting to master the other three elements. Aang is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the Earth in human form.
From the very beginning, it is clear that it is based in an Asian-influenced world. It's an ancient, fantastical Chinese world, with peoples of the four nations (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) influenced from East Asian, Japanese, and Chinese cultures. The Water tribe is based off of eskimos/Inuits. Their clothings, tools, housing, and even hairstyles reflect Inuit traditions. Both the Earth and Fire tribes are based off Chinese traditions. The Air nomads live in temples and dress like Shaolin Monks. The creators decided that they weren't going to show signs or writing in the show, but if necessary, they were to be in Chinese with the proper translations with subtitles. The art, mythologies, and martial arts styles (each tribe has a different way of fighting that goes along with their element.) are all Asian-influenced.
So the show becomes a huge success and a highly rated program on Nickelodeon. Along comes Paramount who deicdes to make a live-action adaptation of the film. M. Night Shyamalan is chosen to be the director. He said in an interview that he came across Avatar when his daughter wanted to be Katara (a waterbender who accompanies Aang on his journey) for Halloween. He is drawn in by largely by the Buddhist and Hindu philosophy that is ingrained in the show. Then here comes the kicker, the three main protagonists, Aang, Katara, and Sokka (Katara's brother) are all... white. And the main antagonist, Zuko? He's played a dark, south Asian actor. I think you've heard of him before, does the name Dev Patel ring a bell?
I know it may not seem like a big deal to others, but to me, it means a lot. The fact that the main protagonists and their tribes who are so obviously Asian are portrayed by Caucasians takes away a lot of opportunities for upcoming Asian-Americans who want to work in the entertainment industry, especially those who want to act. When the casting call for the four leads are worded "Caucasian or any other ethnicity", what does that imply? Other casting calls are either very specific or ambiguous. Although I may not want to be in front of a camera, it hurts me personally because I want to work in that industry. It amuses me how Paramount, after fan outcry, casts Dev Patel as Zuko, the prince from the Fire Nation. He's an Indian actor playing a Chinese-influenced character. It's a bit of a stretch, don't you think? I'm sure these actors can play their parts well, but when a Korean American actor, Isaac Jin Solstein, who is experienced in martial arts and could have played Aang just as well as Noah Ringer could, is only cast as an "Earthbending boy"... well, I just lose faith in the film industry's ability to see past race and color.
I think Derek Kirk Kim said it best when he wrote: "What if someone made a 'fantasy' movie in which the entire world was built around African culture? Everyone is wearing ancient African clothes, African hats, eating traditional African food, writing in an African language, living in African homes, all encompassed in an African landscape…but everyone is white."
This continues on in Extraordinary Measures too. As much as I adore Harrison Ford, the fact that they changed the race of the scientist he plays, despite the fact that it's based on a true story... no, just no. You do not get my support; it doesn't matter who you are. Screw common sense in Hollywood. Read about all of that here.
People talk about how we have equal opportunities here. Yeah, we do. But not everywhere. Watch this video & pay close attention to the questions at the end. Think about it real hard too. Do you think this is right?
Click to viewEDIT
Roger Ebert, you are one legit BAMF.
Q. Regarding the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan vehicle "The Last Airbender," what do you think about the whitewashing of the production so that all of the original Asian cultural landmarks, architecture, philosophy, and costume design are being retained while they cast white kids to play the main characters?
Arlene C. Harris
A. Wrong. The original series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.
source.