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[Avatar: the Last Airbender]: you DO always come back!
Is anyone here a learned expert on the ins and outs of movie production? I mean, how much actual control and input does a director have on this sort of project?
Also, I do not mind any casting call mentioning race. The creators of films have certain ideas about what they want their characters to look like. What I am concerned about, however, is the reinforcement of the white=good, brown=bad stereotype.
He correctly pointed out that race in the show is ambiguous, and secondary. And he treated it that way, saying he casted people based first on their acting ability and chemistry and then established the world's ethnicity from there.
A claim that would have more credibility if it weren't for the casting notices.
You can't claim that you were going on acting ability and chemistry alone when your casting notices specifically show a preference for white people. That doesn't mean that acting ability and chemistry weren't in consideration, it simply means that racial bias played a part as well.
Look, America has a long history of businesses that discriminate against minorities. I'm sure that the vast majority of those businesses will say something along the lines of, "Oh, well we tried to hire more minorities, but dangit, none of them were qualified!" And the thing is, they might honestly believe it. That doesn't prevent them from being racially biased towards certain races. Especially when it says so in the casting notices.
No one has been able to explain why the casting notices are phrased the way they are. If they didn't have a specific preference for Caucasian actors, then why did they specifically ask for Caucasian actors in the casting notice?
What would the benefit of saying "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" instead of "Asian or any other ethnicity"?
I think that, despite fan theories*, the creators have actually said, "The show is called The Last Airbender".
*
One of those theories being that Aang could not only take bending away by bending energy, but give it to people who don't have it, and that way jumpstart the Air Nomads.
I just think it's odd that was deceptively mature for it's presentation wouldn't touch on the consequences of an entire bending art being wiped out. What happens to the Avatars now, the next time the cycle comes around again? Does it just skip from Fire to Water nation? Will future Avatars only learn three ways of bending, or will they somehow learn Air as well?
Also, I do not mind any casting call mentioning race. The creators of films have certain ideas about what they want their characters to look like. What I am concerned about, however, is the reinforcement of the white=good, brown=bad stereotype.
I don't mind casting calls specifying race in general. If the Harry Potter movies had a preference for white, British actors, then so be it.
However, I am bothered by the serious state of denial here, where people insist that "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" is supposed to be completely color blind and demonstrates absolutely no preference for Caucasians.
has no one thought that maybe Shamaylan is mixing things up and not conforming to stereotypes by making Zuko brown because he ends up as good guy?
Yes, a good guy vs. against the brown skinned fire nation.
It's like saying that the Wraith isn't the enemy on Stargate Atlantis, because they have Todd.
I have no idea what that second part means, but if a children's show on Nickelodeon can portray a nation as being the enemy because it's been mislead by it's leaders and not because the entire race is evil, then a Hollywood movie made by the original creators and a director who knows the source material well shouldn't have any problem doing so.
That's exactly my point, Schrodinger. For example, I caught myself in a racist moment when I had a brief negative reaction to the news of Mos Def playing Ford Prefect. But I quickly caught myself and asked, "well gee, is his race ever mentioned, or would it even matter?" And the answer to that is no, of course not. I promptly felt stupid and a little guilty.
This the sort of mental though process casting directors seem to have: white is the default, the basic universal race accepted by all as someone they can relate to.
I have no idea what that second part means, but if a children's show on Nickelodeon can portray a nation as being the enemy because it's been mislead by it's leaders and not because the entire race is evil, then a Hollywood movie made by the original creators and a director who knows the source material well shouldn't have any problem doing so.
Not all fire nation people are evil. However, it looks like pretty much all evil people are fire nation.
I guess you can include the plot about how some people from Earth Kingdom defected to Azula, but those characters will most likely be Chinese.
Schrodinger on
0
FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
I have no idea what that second part means, but if a children's show on Nickelodeon can portray a nation as being the enemy because it's been mislead by it's leaders and not because the entire race is evil, then a Hollywood movie made by the original creators and a director who knows the source material well shouldn't have any problem doing so.
Not all fire nation people are evil. However, it looks like pretty much all evil people are fire nation.
I guess you can include the plot about how some people from Earth Kingdom defected to Azula, but those characters will most likely be Chinese.
There were evil/corrupt Earth Nation dudes, and asshole Water Nation guys.
According to the casting people, Earth Kingdom will be heavily Chinese influenced. Which means that all of the evil Earth kingdom people will most likely be Chinese.
And keep in mind that these movies are only 2 hours long. I don't even know if someone like Jet will be included in the final cut.
According to the casting people, Earth Kingdom will be heavily Chinese influenced. Which means that all of the evil Earth kingdom people will most likely be Chinese.
You forgot that much of the Earth Kingdom will be African as well, apparently.
My take on all this is this: if MNS had to play fast and loose with ethnicity to get all the leads to work, fine. But if that's the case, then why bother making the nations a single ethnicity? Why not just make ALL the casting decisions on talent over race, rather than enforcing race on the secondary characters and extras?
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
According to the casting people, Earth Kingdom will be heavily Chinese influenced. Which means that all of the evil Earth kingdom people will most likely be Chinese.
You forgot that much of the Earth Kingdom will be African as well, apparently.
My take on all this is this: if MNS had to play fast and loose with ethnicity to get all the leads to work, fine. But if that's the case, then why bother making the nations a single ethnicity? Why not just make ALL the casting decisions on talent over race, rather than enforcing race on the secondary characters and extras?
It breaks immersion?
I can buy several different races for Earth Kingdom since it's like 3/4 the landmass of the Avatar world. I have a hard time seeing a black person in the middle of a Russian-Norwegian ice culture. That just makes me think "token black guy."
According to the casting people, Earth Kingdom will be heavily Chinese influenced. Which means that all of the evil Earth kingdom people will most likely be Chinese.
You forgot that much of the Earth Kingdom will be African as well, apparently.
My take on all this is this: if MNS had to play fast and loose with ethnicity to get all the leads to work, fine. But if that's the case, then why bother making the nations a single ethnicity? Why not just make ALL the casting decisions on talent over race, rather than enforcing race on the secondary characters and extras?
It breaks immersion?
I can buy several different races for Earth Kingdom since it's like 3/4 the landmass of the Avatar world. I have a hard time seeing a black person in the middle of a Russian-Norwegian ice culture. That just makes me think "token black guy."
You say that as if Hollywood isn't already lousy with token black guys.
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
The other problem is that it could even further reinforces the idea that "white people are special." i.e., if the Air Nomads are pre-dominantly Asian except for Aang, then that's not a very positive message for Asian audiences.
The other problem is that it could even further reinforces the idea that "white people are special." i.e., if the Air Nomads are pre-dominantly Asian except for Aang, then that's not a very positive message for Asian audiences.
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that if you don't cast in relation to race for the mains, then why cast in relation to race for any of the nations? Make the individuals of the air nomads whatever race.
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
You can't claim that you were going on acting ability and chemistry alone when your casting notices specifically show a preference for white people.
It absolutely did not say "white people preferred."
No one has been able to explain why the casting notices are phrased the way they are. If they didn't have a specific preference for Caucasian actors, then why did they specifically ask for Caucasian actors in the casting notice?
What would the benefit of saying "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" instead of "Asian or any other ethnicity"?
I already offered an explanation. If you don't accept it, it's still a long jump from there to "they preferred to cast white people."
More generally, I think life would go a lot smoother for all of us fellow travelers on Planet Earth if less people spent so much time looking for racism.
What would the benefit of saying "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" instead of "Asian or any other ethnicity"?
I already offered an explanation. If you don't accept it, it's still a long jump from there to "they preferred to cast white people."
Your "explanation" doesn't make any sense.
You make the assumption that "Any ethnicity" somehow equals "Caucasian people need not apply" unless the word "Caucasian" is specifically mentioned. Despite the fact that this is an industry where Caucasian actors already dominate.
Which would somehow imply that Caucasian is not an ethnicity.
The only reason to specifically mention Caucasian in the casting call and refer to everyone else as "other" would be to demonstrate a preference for Caucasians. Period.
More generally, I think life would go a lot smoother for all of us fellow travelers on Planet Earth if less people spent so much time looking for racism.
We don't have to look for it, it finds us on its own.
Not really picking sides on the race front, but I think it's funny that they're like "no, no, we picked the best actors for the part!" when every review I've read has been like "this is some seriously shitty acting, here."
"Any ethnicity" could very easily be misread to not include caucasians. When 99% of people hear the word "ethnic" they don't think of Todd Michaels, the WASP up the street.
It's poorly and confusingly worded, I agree. But it's not the smoking racism-gun you're making it out to be.
You make the assumption that "Any ethnicity" somehow equals "Caucasian people need not apply" unless the word "Caucasian" is specifically mentioned. Despite the fact that this is an industry where Caucasian actors already dominate.
Which would somehow imply that Caucasian is not an ethnicity.
The only reason to specifically mention Caucasian in the casting call and refer to everyone else as "other" would be to demonstrate a preference for Caucasians. Period.
Everyone in this thread assumed that the main protagonists of the show were Asian. It is entirely reasonable, based on that assumption, to therefore assume "well I'm white so I shouldn't bother applying for that role."
Sticking "Caucasian" in the cast notice could ameliorate this.
Now, maybe the casting director who put out that motive was actually a racist who hates Asians and Eskimos! Who knows! But it is absurd to suggest, as you have, repeatedly and based on nothing more than your own assumption of intent, that this is an open and shut case of racism and reject out of hand any simpler, less "people are evil" definition.
You've made it pretty clear in all of your comments that you are emotionally invested in believing that the casting of this movie was some vile racist plot, and I wish you would get over it. There are legitimate criticisms to be made about the racial elements of the casting; yours are simply distracting.
We don't have to look for it, it finds us on its own.
Not if you give people the benefit of the doubt and assume good faith as most of us on the thread are willing to do. If you assume the worst of people, you will find the worst.
You make the assumption that "Any ethnicity" somehow equals "Caucasian people need not apply" unless the word "Caucasian" is specifically mentioned. Despite the fact that this is an industry where Caucasian actors already dominate.
Which would somehow imply that Caucasian is not an ethnicity.
The only reason to specifically mention Caucasian in the casting call and refer to everyone else as "other" would be to demonstrate a preference for Caucasians. Period.
Everyone in this thread assumed that the main protagonists of the show were Asian. It is entirely reasonable, based on that assumption, to therefore assume "well I'm white so I shouldn't bother applying for that role."
Sticking "Caucasian" in the cast notice could ameliorate this.
I was under the impression that thanks in part to the racially ambiguous design of Aang and others, folks generally projected race onto the main characters. ie: white viewers saw the gAang as white, while viewers from other ethnicities saw the gAang as being "ethnic".
Personally I would not go so far as to make this out into some sort of insidious perpetrated intentionally by the production company, but it certainly is disconcerting to see an overarching practice of cultural appropriation and whitewashing that seems so common in media folks don't even notice it for the most part. Because of this we get crap such as the Earthsea movie adaptation, 21, Forbidden Kingdom, and the Dragonball Z debacle.
The Last Airbender was a fantastic opportunity to showcase some talent that would otherwise most likely not have a chance to display themselves otherwise. To see what happened was not surprising, but definitely disappointing.
"Any ethnicity" could very easily be misread to not include caucasians. When 99% of people hear the word "ethnic" they don't think of Todd Michaels, the WASP up the street.
Seriously?
That's only because "white" is usually considered to be the default ethnicity to begin with.
By the same token, we have a black history month and a woman's history month. But there's no white male history month. So if someone tells you, "Today we're going to learn about general history," do you automatically rush to assume that white male people are going to be excluded from the narrative?
You're trying to have it both ways.
You're trying to argue that "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" is completely all inclusive and race neutral, but that "Asian or any other ethnicity" somehow actively excludes white people.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Moreover, your argument is completely devoid of reality. You're trying to pretend that there is absolutely no discrimination against Asians actors while also pretending that white actors feel unwelcome unless their whiteness is specifically requested in casting calls.
You make the assumption that "Any ethnicity" somehow equals "Caucasian people need not apply" unless the word "Caucasian" is specifically mentioned. Despite the fact that this is an industry where Caucasian actors already dominate.
Which would somehow imply that Caucasian is not an ethnicity.
The only reason to specifically mention Caucasian in the casting call and refer to everyone else as "other" would be to demonstrate a preference for Caucasians. Period.
Everyone in this thread assumed that the main protagonists of the show were Asian. It is entirely reasonable, based on that assumption, to therefore assume "well I'm white so I shouldn't bother applying for that role."
You didn't address my point at all.
See bold portion.
If I'm opening a new Chinese restaurant with a sign saying, "New chef wanted, any ethnicity," would a white chef who specializes in Asian cuisine think, "Oh, that must not include me?" Would the Chinese restaurant have to specifically say, "New chef wanted, Caucasian or other"?
And keep in mind that these casting calls go out to agents, and not to the children directly. How many agents are going to misread the phrase "any ethnicity"? Especially when their entire job is to find work for their client?
Now, maybe the casting director who put out that motive was actually a racist who hates Asians and Eskimos!
"Any ethnicity" could very easily be misread to not include caucasians. When 99% of people hear the word "ethnic" they don't think of Todd Michaels, the WASP up the street.
Seriously?
That's only because "white" is usually considered to be the default ethnicity to begin with.
By the same token, we have a black history month and a woman's history month. But there's no white male history month. So if someone tells you, "Today we're going to learn about general history," do you automatically rush to assume that white male people are going to be excluded from the narrative?
You're trying to have it both ways.
You're trying to argue that "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" is completely all inclusive and race neutral, but that "Asian or any other ethnicity" somehow actively excludes white people.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Moreover, your argument is completely devoid of reality. You're trying to pretend that there is absolutely no discrimination against Asians actors while also pretending that white actors feel unwelcome unless their whiteness is specifically requested in casting calls.
So it's not just the people making the movie. You like to project your own warped view of reality onto anybody and everybody that has the misfortune of crossing your path.
I didn't say 99% of the shit you're claiming I did. Knock it the fuck off, and come back to reality where the rest of us are.
You're claiming that "Any ethnicity" doesn't somehow include white people in an industry dominated by white people.
Moreover, you are claiming that it would be read that way by professional talents agents who understand the industry and who are employed to fight for their clients.
Frankly, I wouldn't mind if the casting director made it absolutely clear that they WOULDN'T hire any Caucasian actors, at least for the lead roles. Why shouldn't they look exclusively for Asian or Inuit actors for Asian and Inuit roles? How is it different from any other transition from TV or another format to movies? It's not like they try to change the race of those characters. What ethnicity has every James Bond been? Every Superman and Batman? Every other superhero from Spiderman to Iron Man to the Fantastic Four? Of the massive number of characters in Harry Potter, how many of them stayed white when the movies got made? At this point, we should be lucky Cho Chang wasn't a blond, I guess. About the only exception I could think of was when they changed Kingpin's race, and people complained about that, too.
SethTheHuman on
You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
According to the casting people, Earth Kingdom will be heavily Chinese influenced. Which means that all of the evil Earth kingdom people will most likely be Chinese.
And keep in mind that these movies are only 2 hours long. I don't even know if someone like Jet will be included in the final cut.
So the Earth kingdom (predominantly good guys), which MNS stated will be the major focus of the second movie, will be of East Asian and African decent. Which means Toff, one of the most important and beloved hero characters in the show will likely be of East Asian or African (my bet is on East Asian) decent. But M. Night is a self-loathing white supremacist who will only cast white people as the good guys and brown people as the bad guys because he's obviously racist? o_O
"I love the [Twilight] series, and Catherine [Hardwicke's] movie, it was one of my favorite movies of that year," he said. "Really, I thought tonally, it was a perfect movie. I called her up after I saw 'Twilight' and was like 'That was amazing.' So I'm a big fan."
Um. I saw Twilight -- with the Rifftrax, thank god -- and I promise you it is not a perfect movie. And I'm not talking about the subject material; it's that the movie is 40 minutes too long and the acting is hilariously overwrought and OH MY GOD IT'S JUST LIKE AN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN MOVIE. HE HASN'T CHANGED, WE'RE DOOMED DOOOOOOOMMMEEEDD
Also there's a Japanese trailer with more bending if you're interested.
So the Earth kingdom (predominantly good guys), which MNS stated will be the major focus of the second movie, will be of East Asian and African decent. Which means Toff, one of the most important and beloved hero characters in the show will likely be of East Asian or African (my bet is on East Asian) decent. But M. Night is a self-loathing white supremacist who will only cast white people as the good guys and brown people as the bad guys because he's obviously racist? o_O
A lot of these casting decisions seem to be in response to the controversy.
Zuko starts off as a white dude. Then backlash. Suddenly, the actor is "unavailable" and replaced by a brown dude. And suddenly, the rest of fire nation is composed of brown dudes as well.
So the Earth kingdom (predominantly good guys), which MNS stated will be the major focus of the second movie, will be of East Asian and African decent. Which means Toff, one of the most important and beloved hero characters in the show will likely be of East Asian or African (my bet is on East Asian) decent. But M. Night is a self-loathing white supremacist who will only cast white people as the good guys and brown people as the bad guys because he's obviously racist? o_O
A lot of these casting decisions seem to be in response to the controversy.
Zuko starts off as a white dude. Then backlash. Suddenly, the actor is "unavailable" and replaced by a brown dude. And suddenly, the rest of fire nation is composed of brown dudes as well.
So in this conspiracy, M. Night had originally cast the bad guys as white but so many people bitched about it that he created the cover-story that the original actor was unavailable. So he cast a non-white actor in that role (to appease all the people screaming about there not being enough diversity). And that means that he's racist for making the bad guys brown people?
Posts
Also, I do not mind any casting call mentioning race. The creators of films have certain ideas about what they want their characters to look like. What I am concerned about, however, is the reinforcement of the white=good, brown=bad stereotype.
A claim that would have more credibility if it weren't for the casting notices.
You can't claim that you were going on acting ability and chemistry alone when your casting notices specifically show a preference for white people. That doesn't mean that acting ability and chemistry weren't in consideration, it simply means that racial bias played a part as well.
Look, America has a long history of businesses that discriminate against minorities. I'm sure that the vast majority of those businesses will say something along the lines of, "Oh, well we tried to hire more minorities, but dangit, none of them were qualified!" And the thing is, they might honestly believe it. That doesn't prevent them from being racially biased towards certain races. Especially when it says so in the casting notices.
No one has been able to explain why the casting notices are phrased the way they are. If they didn't have a specific preference for Caucasian actors, then why did they specifically ask for Caucasian actors in the casting notice?
What would the benefit of saying "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" instead of "Asian or any other ethnicity"?
Yes, a good guy vs. against the brown skinned fire nation.
It's like saying that the Wraith isn't the enemy on Stargate Atlantis, because they have Todd.
I just think it's odd that was deceptively mature for it's presentation wouldn't touch on the consequences of an entire bending art being wiped out. What happens to the Avatars now, the next time the cycle comes around again? Does it just skip from Fire to Water nation? Will future Avatars only learn three ways of bending, or will they somehow learn Air as well?
I don't mind casting calls specifying race in general. If the Harry Potter movies had a preference for white, British actors, then so be it.
However, I am bothered by the serious state of denial here, where people insist that "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" is supposed to be completely color blind and demonstrates absolutely no preference for Caucasians.
I have no idea what that second part means, but if a children's show on Nickelodeon can portray a nation as being the enemy because it's been mislead by it's leaders and not because the entire race is evil, then a Hollywood movie made by the original creators and a director who knows the source material well shouldn't have any problem doing so.
This the sort of mental though process casting directors seem to have: white is the default, the basic universal race accepted by all as someone they can relate to.
Not all fire nation people are evil. However, it looks like pretty much all evil people are fire nation.
I guess you can include the plot about how some people from Earth Kingdom defected to Azula, but those characters will most likely be Chinese.
There were evil/corrupt Earth Nation dudes, and asshole Water Nation guys.
And keep in mind that these movies are only 2 hours long. I don't even know if someone like Jet will be included in the final cut.
You forgot that much of the Earth Kingdom will be African as well, apparently.
My take on all this is this: if MNS had to play fast and loose with ethnicity to get all the leads to work, fine. But if that's the case, then why bother making the nations a single ethnicity? Why not just make ALL the casting decisions on talent over race, rather than enforcing race on the secondary characters and extras?
It breaks immersion?
I can buy several different races for Earth Kingdom since it's like 3/4 the landmass of the Avatar world. I have a hard time seeing a black person in the middle of a Russian-Norwegian ice culture. That just makes me think "token black guy."
You say that as if Hollywood isn't already lousy with token black guys.
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that if you don't cast in relation to race for the mains, then why cast in relation to race for any of the nations? Make the individuals of the air nomads whatever race.
I already offered an explanation. If you don't accept it, it's still a long jump from there to "they preferred to cast white people."
More generally, I think life would go a lot smoother for all of us fellow travelers on Planet Earth if less people spent so much time looking for racism.
Your "explanation" doesn't make any sense.
You make the assumption that "Any ethnicity" somehow equals "Caucasian people need not apply" unless the word "Caucasian" is specifically mentioned. Despite the fact that this is an industry where Caucasian actors already dominate.
Which would somehow imply that Caucasian is not an ethnicity.
The only reason to specifically mention Caucasian in the casting call and refer to everyone else as "other" would be to demonstrate a preference for Caucasians. Period.
We don't have to look for it, it finds us on its own.
That must have been a very limited audition.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
It's poorly and confusingly worded, I agree. But it's not the smoking racism-gun you're making it out to be.
Sticking "Caucasian" in the cast notice could ameliorate this.
Now, maybe the casting director who put out that motive was actually a racist who hates Asians and Eskimos! Who knows! But it is absurd to suggest, as you have, repeatedly and based on nothing more than your own assumption of intent, that this is an open and shut case of racism and reject out of hand any simpler, less "people are evil" definition.
You've made it pretty clear in all of your comments that you are emotionally invested in believing that the casting of this movie was some vile racist plot, and I wish you would get over it. There are legitimate criticisms to be made about the racial elements of the casting; yours are simply distracting.
Not if you give people the benefit of the doubt and assume good faith as most of us on the thread are willing to do. If you assume the worst of people, you will find the worst.
I was under the impression that thanks in part to the racially ambiguous design of Aang and others, folks generally projected race onto the main characters. ie: white viewers saw the gAang as white, while viewers from other ethnicities saw the gAang as being "ethnic".
Personally I would not go so far as to make this out into some sort of insidious perpetrated intentionally by the production company, but it certainly is disconcerting to see an overarching practice of cultural appropriation and whitewashing that seems so common in media folks don't even notice it for the most part. Because of this we get crap such as the Earthsea movie adaptation, 21, Forbidden Kingdom, and the Dragonball Z debacle.
The Last Airbender was a fantastic opportunity to showcase some talent that would otherwise most likely not have a chance to display themselves otherwise. To see what happened was not surprising, but definitely disappointing.
Seriously?
That's only because "white" is usually considered to be the default ethnicity to begin with.
By the same token, we have a black history month and a woman's history month. But there's no white male history month. So if someone tells you, "Today we're going to learn about general history," do you automatically rush to assume that white male people are going to be excluded from the narrative?
You're trying to have it both ways.
You're trying to argue that "Caucasian or any other ethnicity" is completely all inclusive and race neutral, but that "Asian or any other ethnicity" somehow actively excludes white people.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Moreover, your argument is completely devoid of reality. You're trying to pretend that there is absolutely no discrimination against Asians actors while also pretending that white actors feel unwelcome unless their whiteness is specifically requested in casting calls.
You didn't address my point at all.
See bold portion.
If I'm opening a new Chinese restaurant with a sign saying, "New chef wanted, any ethnicity," would a white chef who specializes in Asian cuisine think, "Oh, that must not include me?" Would the Chinese restaurant have to specifically say, "New chef wanted, Caucasian or other"?
And keep in mind that these casting calls go out to agents, and not to the children directly. How many agents are going to misread the phrase "any ethnicity"? Especially when their entire job is to find work for their client?
Strawman. The issue here is bias, not hatred.
Are you even aware of the distinction?
So it's not just the people making the movie. You like to project your own warped view of reality onto anybody and everybody that has the misfortune of crossing your path.
I didn't say 99% of the shit you're claiming I did. Knock it the fuck off, and come back to reality where the rest of us are.
Moreover, you are claiming that it would be read that way by professional talents agents who understand the industry and who are employed to fight for their clients.
That's absurd.
So the Earth kingdom (predominantly good guys), which MNS stated will be the major focus of the second movie, will be of East Asian and African decent. Which means Toff, one of the most important and beloved hero characters in the show will likely be of East Asian or African (my bet is on East Asian) decent. But M. Night is a self-loathing white supremacist who will only cast white people as the good guys and brown people as the bad guys because he's obviously racist? o_O
Topless Robot has a quote from MNS that MTV picked up, and, well, I'll just keep the TR blog's commentary in:
Also there's a Japanese trailer with more bending if you're interested.
http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/03/some_good_airbending_news_and_some_bad_airbending.php
A lot of these casting decisions seem to be in response to the controversy.
Zuko starts off as a white dude. Then backlash. Suddenly, the actor is "unavailable" and replaced by a brown dude. And suddenly, the rest of fire nation is composed of brown dudes as well.
If you read the interview a few pages back, he stated quite explicitly that Toph will be Chinese.
Also, Twilight? Perfect movie? Either he's trolling, or this movie will suuuuuuck.
Oh, didn't catch it, I haven't really followed the progress since the 1st casting call :?
So in this conspiracy, M. Night had originally cast the bad guys as white but so many people bitched about it that he created the cover-story that the original actor was unavailable. So he cast a non-white actor in that role (to appease all the people screaming about there not being enough diversity). And that means that he's racist for making the bad guys brown people?