Who do I have to blow to get some representation around here??

[vejiicakes]

Core cast for live-action Avatar movie revealed

ಠ_ಠIs there some way I can call M. Night Shyamalan a race traitor or something without sounding like a crazy Asian nazi? I want to use it. No, I actually really really don't care if these kids do a phenomenal acting job. And is it okay if I claim that it's not just a geek thing? Because it isn't

Comments

[plotbunny_tiff]

*stares*

The hell. I...really can not find appropriate words right now to truely express how utterly appaling this is. Just...I'm going to link you in my LJ if that's alright, because you pretty much said how I feel on this whole thing.

[cloud_wolf]

That was some great righteous ranting, I love it.

Gah, I so agree. I'm not exactly SE Asian (more Middle East) but this is just horrible. I would so love to see more mainstream non-white actors and this is what they give us. I'm quite sure all the Avatards I know here in the Netherlands (most of whom also happen to be white, it's not like they can't handle non-white people) will be confused by these casting choices. wtf.

[jbramx2]

you could check this link and at least do your small part and raise awareness on all forums and journals you may visit.
http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com/

[vejiicakes]

Whoa, I hadn't even heard about a live-action Akira movie! (It's live-action, not.. like a CGI adaptation or something?)

I can see where you'd be hesitant, and I appreciate the sensitivity. Just because you can't speak from the perspective though, does not mean that you can't speak (1) from your own and (2) with understanding of the situation at hand. I mean, you don't even have to be a person of any color to understand that racism exists, and to understand what makes something racist--you just have to have a working brain. Well, and consciousness of culture. tl;dr--Speak up, speak out, speak often!

Incidentally, I'm curious why you think wishing people "Happy Holidays" is bullshit (unless you already know for a cold fact that they celebrate Christmas). After all, Christmas is not the only holiday being celebrated by people around that time of year, and Jewish people aren't the only ones not celebrating it (Buddhists, atheists, Hindus, etc.) [/tangent]

[delux_vivens]

This whole thing really has me amazed, and I thought I was too jaded to feel that again about hollywood and POC.

[vejiicakes]

I thought so too!! People crop up here and there going, "Well, I kind of expected this," and it's like.. I would have too, I really would have.... if it weren't a movie based off this series.

(I mean good lord, even WITH Hollywood politics, martial arts -using roles are pretty much the only thing Asians can still get without question!)

[suzycat]

*found via friends list-linkage of linkages*

I would just like to say that I am a) a big whitey, b) not a proper fan of Avatar but someone who's enjoyed it when I've seen it, and I was totally under the DELUSION that it was set in, you know, China or Tibet or somewhere. In fact when I first saw it I assumed it was a dubbed anime of some kind. How WRONG I was! Obviously all those Asian language characters and Asian culture clothes and Asian architecture and backgrounds are just... coincidental.

In conclusion, some very big fail. I feel sad for Avatar fen.

[vejiicakes]

Yep! It's all pulled together from Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Tibetan--pan-Asian basically--arts, architecture, costume, written language (actually it's just flat out Chinese... accurate Chinese, so they were doing their homework!) with some Inuit and Indian thrown in.

So of course it makes total sense that they wouldn't cast a single person descended from anywhere near those regions in the core cast. So much sense. *cry*