Post by vicelin on Mar 7, 2009 0:54:05 GMT -5
I first read about this issue several months ago on a Livejournal blog. At the time I knew what the popular Nickelodeon TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender was, but I had never watched it.
In a nutshell:
Several months ago, M. Night Shyamalan, the director of the upcoming (2010) The Last Airbender live-action movie, casted the following actors with the following characters. I don't even need to post names, just look at the f**king pictures:
All I have to say is.
WHAT THE f**k, SHYAMALAMALAMADINGDONG?
The main cast of Asian-influenced/Inuit-influenced/PoC characters have all been WHITEWASHED.
The whole counter-argument to this basically said, "but the characters DO look caucasian!"
Except...NO! THEY f**kING DON'T!
And then others are like, "but it's a fantasy-based world, just because everything else is Asian-influenced doesn't mean the characters are!"
Except, SINCE WHEN WAS THE DEFAULT RACE FOR FANTASY, WHITE!?
So anyway, this casting from several months ago resulted in a complete fanbase s***storm directed at Paramount and Shyamalamalama. Several companies such as the MANAA and EWP got involved.
And it worked...kind of.
Jesse McCartney ended up dropping the role of Zuko due to "scheduling conflicts" (even though only a week before MTV had interviewed him and he was already excited about learning martial arts, hmm.)
And replacing him was...Dev Patel.
Well, I'm trying to think positive here. At least it's progress!...Kind of...
Now that I am actually watching Avatar: The Last Airbender in my spare time, I can honestly say that Shyamalan is a douche. I can't even tone that down. Not at all.
Dev Patel doesn't have a "Zuko" feel, at all. His looks and natural charisma actually fits more with Sokka.
It kind of feels like Shyamalan just picked him up and threw him in to say "hey, look, you guys have no right to complain now!"
Fans are still pissed. Now some are even boycotting the movie entirely. They refuse to go see it in theaters when it comes out.
And then, most recently, Shyamalan and his casting crew have released the following line-up for the various elemental kingdoms in the Avatar universe:
These are people of the water tribe. DO THEY LOOK f**kING CAUCASIAN!?
I actually had one person on another forum say the following to me:
So by this logic, only white people live in the USA!
Wow. That kind of makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
You know what really irks me? What irks me the most? That Deedee Rickets and the rest of the casting crew are out there at these casting calls, looking specifically for Asians/Inuits/PoC extras, in order to fill all four of the kingdoms to in their words be "ethnically and culturally diverse".
...But the three main heroes are played by white actors/actresses. Way to put those non-whites in their place, Paramount!
But honestly. The entire casting issue has just been f**king ridiculous. All of us who have actually watched the show know that the people of the various water tribes are -THE- darkest skinned characters in the show. Yet in Shyamalans version, the water tribe will be white. All. White.
DOES HE LOOK WHITE TO YOU?
And the Air nation, which by watching the show you will realize is based heavily on Chinese culture, is also white-washed. 'Cause we all know that old Monk Gyatso is obviously white. Obviously. Right?
See? He just screams "caucasian!"
OMFGWEGINEWINHWIAORHNEBGERDBGSNERF^&$E%RWQA
f**k YOU, SHYAMALAN. f**k YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON.
No way in hell am I going to spend any money to see this movie when it comes out in 2010. No-f**king-thank you.
In a nutshell:
Several months ago, M. Night Shyamalan, the director of the upcoming (2010) The Last Airbender live-action movie, casted the following actors with the following characters. I don't even need to post names, just look at the f**king pictures:
All I have to say is.
WHAT THE f**k, SHYAMALAMALAMADINGDONG?
The main cast of Asian-influenced/Inuit-influenced/PoC characters have all been WHITEWASHED.
The whole counter-argument to this basically said, "but the characters DO look caucasian!"
Except...NO! THEY f**kING DON'T!
And then others are like, "but it's a fantasy-based world, just because everything else is Asian-influenced doesn't mean the characters are!"
Except, SINCE WHEN WAS THE DEFAULT RACE FOR FANTASY, WHITE!?
So anyway, this casting from several months ago resulted in a complete fanbase s***storm directed at Paramount and Shyamalamalama. Several companies such as the MANAA and EWP got involved.
And it worked...kind of.
Jesse McCartney ended up dropping the role of Zuko due to "scheduling conflicts" (even though only a week before MTV had interviewed him and he was already excited about learning martial arts, hmm.)
And replacing him was...Dev Patel.
Well, I'm trying to think positive here. At least it's progress!...Kind of...
Now that I am actually watching Avatar: The Last Airbender in my spare time, I can honestly say that Shyamalan is a douche. I can't even tone that down. Not at all.
Dev Patel doesn't have a "Zuko" feel, at all. His looks and natural charisma actually fits more with Sokka.
It kind of feels like Shyamalan just picked him up and threw him in to say "hey, look, you guys have no right to complain now!"
Fans are still pissed. Now some are even boycotting the movie entirely. They refuse to go see it in theaters when it comes out.
And then, most recently, Shyamalan and his casting crew have released the following line-up for the various elemental kingdoms in the Avatar universe:
- Water Tribe = White People
- Fire Nation = Indian People
- Earth Nation = "Asian" People
Which if rumors are correct, the final puzzle piece is:
- Air Nation = White People
And this is what it means:
-The two nations that contribute the three main heroes of the film are now (conveniently) white.
-Even when people disagreed about Aang's race, most people agreed that yes, Sokka and Katara are definitely darker-skinned characters and look to be Inuit-based. The Water Tribe was - on whole - the darkest-skinned characters in the show, and they were the heroes. Their nation has been completely white-washed.
-Oh! But guess who the dark-skinned ACTORS get to now play in the movie? THAT'S RIGHT, THEY ARE NOW THE VILLAINOUS NATION.
-This Asian-based fantasy world is now composed of: generic!Asian (periphery roles), South East Asian (villains) and two nations of generic!white (heroes).
- Fire Nation = Indian People
- Earth Nation = "Asian" People
Which if rumors are correct, the final puzzle piece is:
- Air Nation = White People
And this is what it means:
-The two nations that contribute the three main heroes of the film are now (conveniently) white.
-Even when people disagreed about Aang's race, most people agreed that yes, Sokka and Katara are definitely darker-skinned characters and look to be Inuit-based. The Water Tribe was - on whole - the darkest-skinned characters in the show, and they were the heroes. Their nation has been completely white-washed.
-Oh! But guess who the dark-skinned ACTORS get to now play in the movie? THAT'S RIGHT, THEY ARE NOW THE VILLAINOUS NATION.
-This Asian-based fantasy world is now composed of: generic!Asian (periphery roles), South East Asian (villains) and two nations of generic!white (heroes).
These are people of the water tribe. DO THEY LOOK f**kING CAUCASIAN!?
I actually had one person on another forum say the following to me:
If you are getting technical, this is an entirely American anime. Yes they based the characters off of Asian cultures but it is made in the USA.
So by this logic, only white people live in the USA!
Wow. That kind of makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
You know what really irks me? What irks me the most? That Deedee Rickets and the rest of the casting crew are out there at these casting calls, looking specifically for Asians/Inuits/PoC extras, in order to fill all four of the kingdoms to in their words be "ethnically and culturally diverse".
...But the three main heroes are played by white actors/actresses. Way to put those non-whites in their place, Paramount!
But honestly. The entire casting issue has just been f**king ridiculous. All of us who have actually watched the show know that the people of the various water tribes are -THE- darkest skinned characters in the show. Yet in Shyamalans version, the water tribe will be white. All. White.
DOES HE LOOK WHITE TO YOU?
And the Air nation, which by watching the show you will realize is based heavily on Chinese culture, is also white-washed. 'Cause we all know that old Monk Gyatso is obviously white. Obviously. Right?
See? He just screams "caucasian!"
OMFGWEGINEWINHWIAORHNEBGERDBGSNERF^&$E%RWQA
f**k YOU, SHYAMALAN. f**k YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON.
No way in hell am I going to spend any money to see this movie when it comes out in 2010. No-f**king-thank you.
