tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post7964252885336156051..comments2023-07-10T10:52:14.660-04:00Comments on Animated Discussions: AtLA Monday: Sokka's Sexism and Aang's EgoFroborrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08782366056731381450noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post-22199466395914017312010-04-22T07:32:03.750-04:002010-04-22T07:32:03.750-04:00You are probably correct.
I note I made a mistake...You are probably correct.<br /><br />I note I made a mistake in the post, too: Roku was born about 150-200 years before the first episode, not before Aang.Froborrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08782366056731381450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post-23923709158051443042010-04-21T17:32:17.024-04:002010-04-21T17:32:17.024-04:00I'm pretty sure it is official that Kiyoshi di...I'm pretty sure it is official that Kiyoshi did in fact live to be over 200 years old. (It's a kung-fu world, and one common trope in kung-fu films is that people with powerful chi can live a LONG time if nobody kills them.)Consumer Unit 5102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post-18951272416118023582010-04-20T20:34:24.106-04:002010-04-20T20:34:24.106-04:00Hm, I take your point, but I think in the context ...Hm, I take your point, but I think in the context of the 80s I still see it as a step in the right direction. I once read a comment (on women of colour in fantasy) that I thought put it quite well: "We might be the exception in the room, but we are *in the room* now." I haven't been watching much kids' TV of late, but hopefully most of them have moved on from there. Avatar certainly has.Ebbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post-75980975592758498732010-04-20T12:19:44.683-04:002010-04-20T12:19:44.683-04:00Personally, I don't like girl power episodes, ...Personally, I don't like girl power episodes, because they're usually anvilicious and formulaic, and the formula is counterproductive: Start with a series that has a lot of casual sexism. Make one character suddenly blatantly, rather than casually, sexist. Introduce a female character, have her defeat the sexist in a competition. Sexist admits he was wrong. Next episode, return to the status quo, and never reference the girl power episode again. All it really does is reinforce the notion that female power is aberrant.<br /><br />What makes the Avatar episode great is how it subverts this formula. Sokka does not become suddenly sexist; he has been portrayed since the first episode as a chauvinist. And we don't revert to status quo after this episode, and Suki and the Warriors of Kyoshi come back later. It's all much better integrated into the arc of the show than your typical girl power episode, and that makes it stronger, I think.<br /><br />As to your other point, most of the earthbenders we see over the course of the series are Dai Li or wrestlers, both of which do appear to be all or mostly boys' clubs. But we do see unaffiliated female earthbenders, most notably Toph and assorted background characters (one stands out just a couple of episodes from now, because she's a grayhaired old woman). We also have women in positions of authority (the leader of the "slob" faction in "The Great Divide") and other important, not traditionally female jobs (the customs agent that Iroh flirts with). Not to mention the Kyoshi Warriors themselves, of course!<br /><br />But yeah, the Fire Nation seems to be the most egalitarian of the four nations, at least when it comes to gender. As you say, these are human cultures -- none is completely evil or completely good.Froborrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08782366056731381450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705216410906868562.post-51979495977214888352010-04-20T08:02:09.245-04:002010-04-20T08:02:09.245-04:00Ah, girl power episodes, how I love thee. Especial...Ah, girl power episodes, how I love thee. Especially when past this point, the show acts like it's a given that girls can and will fight (sadly, we have no Toph, Azula, Mai or Ty Lee to emphasise this point at the moment), to the point that it becomes a problem once the kids reach the North Pole, and are informed that Katara cannot be allowed to learn how to defend herself and others effectively. Heresy. <br /><br />Actually, now that I think about it, Sokka learned well from what Suki smacked into him here. Sokka tries to treat his next love interest like a capable person - though he seems very aware of her social status, and that might well play a part in his respectful behaviour. It's still contrasted with, and a definite step up from, the way Yue's fiance seems to view her. Progress!<br /><br />Seems like the patriarchy is very much a Water Tribe thing in Avatar-world. I'm less sure of gender roles in the Earth Kingdom, but we don't see female Earth Kingdom soldiers, or many female earthbenders. Political and economic power in the Earth Kingdom also seems to rest with men - though we see working women, they're mostly doing physical labour or bureaucratic form-approving. <br /><br />The Fire Nation really do seem progressive by contrast. Not just technologically, but socially. Even though they're waging a war of imperialism, there's something to like in Fire Nation society - and even though the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes are the good guys, they seem to deny opportunities to their female populations. Just like the characters are human, the societies they come from have good and bad points.Ebbynoreply@blogger.com