Yes, it is a race issue.
Hollywood decides to recast Asian and Inuit characters with white actors in the live-action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I wasn't going to talk about this because honestly it isn't anything new for Western media to bypass anyone that isn't white. However, it is really fucked up that they would purposely recast the whole cast as white when the series itself made it very obvious that its leads were of Asian (mostly Chinese) and Inuit descent. That's all I'm going to say about it, in the meantime ciderpress have an awesome post on the issue.
During our early Christmas dinner this weekend, the oldest of the nephews, who is 13, brought up the subject of the incredibly white child actors that had been picked for the film version. The three of them were confused and disappointed but unable to articulate exactly why. Then the youngest, all of 7 years old, asked me whether this meant that he couldn't be Aang when he played Avatar with his friends from now on.
- ciderpress
Also, glockgal have an awesome post about the most commonly-seen kneejerk racist responses. Read it if your automatic response to this post is 'It isn't a big deal'.
So, yeah, anyone that thinks whitewashing the cast is OK and acceptable because it isn't a big deal please don't talk to me about it. There is such a thing as healthy argument/discussion than there is pressing on my hot buttons that set my wrath upon you. Or in other word, scream it in your own little fucking corner.
During our early Christmas dinner this weekend, the oldest of the nephews, who is 13, brought up the subject of the incredibly white child actors that had been picked for the film version. The three of them were confused and disappointed but unable to articulate exactly why. Then the youngest, all of 7 years old, asked me whether this meant that he couldn't be Aang when he played Avatar with his friends from now on.
- ciderpress
Also, glockgal have an awesome post about the most commonly-seen kneejerk racist responses. Read it if your automatic response to this post is 'It isn't a big deal'.
So, yeah, anyone that thinks whitewashing the cast is OK and acceptable because it isn't a big deal please don't talk to me about it. There is such a thing as healthy argument/discussion than there is pressing on my hot buttons that set my wrath upon you. Or in other word, scream it in your own little fucking corner.