You are absolutely correct. The casting for The Last Airbender isn’t racist. It’s not a long standing practice of institutionalized racism that keeps Asians, African Americans, Native Americans, as well as others out of movies. It’s that well they just don’t make money. I mean yeah the parts were ASIAN, but they don’t test well with the demographic with money.

I certainly hope that beautiful daughter of yours is white or if not lets pray that she has no aspirations of being an actress. Lord forbid she be told they would rather cast the little white girl next door than her. Lets be frank M. Knight has blatantly said that Acting wasn’t a primary concern for his actors as the kid playing Aang only had to be shipped off to acting school for a short while to fit the part. I mean yeah other movies and television shows use a stand ins to do difficult martial arts sequences while the actor actually, oh sheesh what’s that word? OH yeah ACT!!!

But what do I know… You’re absolutely correct. This isn’t racism. They aren’t substituting an entire freaking culture (yes culture Mike and Brian did research on the different cultures around the world placing them in the show. eg. the Inuit that you claim must be white because they have blue eyes, is completely based on Eskimo culture. Aang is based directly on the Shaolin monks. They even use traditional Korean garments for the earth kingdom.) with white people just remember that hey white people did create martial arts, It was a white person who created fireworks and gunpowder, hell two continents were found by white people… Completely uninhabited ya know.

My “hate” stems from a lack of respect and a system built upon hatred. MY “HATE” is the result of years of watching the media present people of color as poor ignorant bastards who can only aspire to be a rapper or a sports star. Growing up the only people that looked like me were on the Cosby show. So yes I’m pissed that Asians can’t play rolls for Asians. I’m pissed that ONCE AGAIN we are replacing Native Americans (Eskimo) with white people. I am ANGRY that a property that I care enough about to share with my entire family has been warped by such a simple decision is now something that I am ashamed of. Caucasians and other ethnicity. Why am I ashamed? Let me ask you this Ney, Why is it that light skinned people are defeating the brown skinned people? This reminds me of freaking BC where you have two white people leading an army of brown people because… what they’re white? I know what it is. This IS institutionalized racism. This is not one person sitting around with a white sheet and a burning cross. It is a system built upon ideals that are unacceptable and an audience that accepts it because they’ve become accustomed to it. Look I love my sister, and she unlike me, is white. I would not cast her as Cleopatra.

that argument is pretty much the worst comment ever. The fact that the creators of the series did their research on Asian and Native culture and put it in the show pretty much makes “WAHH THEY”RE NOT ASIAN” argument moot.

It’s like covering your ears and going “lalalalala” to the casting baloney.

They are taking away the chinese writing in Avatar.

They are making Toph a BOY

and people will just go to see this for the special effects. Not realizing this isn’t avatar. It will be like a Sci-fi Earthsea with bigger budgeted special effects.

Wow, you really think that Jackson Rathbone looks like Sokka? I know this is a subjective opinion and anything, but you lost whatever little credibility you had with that statement.

The show adopted Asian architecture, traditionally Asian-type costumes, Asian names (Toph BEI FONG… anyone?), Asian martial-arts styles, and oh yeah, they WRITE in CHINESE.

But for the film, they cast all White people in the roles of the brave, oppressed heroes (while still maintaining an Asian cultural background), while making the genocidal villains of completely unrelated yet indeterminate dark-skinned origins (Middle Eastern/East Asian/Latino/African)?

Um… how can you argue this isn’t racist, or at the very least painfully and awkwardly ethnocentric???

Also, M. Night Shyamalan completely blows as a director. He has an awful batting record of good films to bad, and all his good film(s?) were at the beginning of his career. Why would a studio even let him helm a major film after the crap that he’s made?

Aang: “Caucasian or any other ethnicity”
Katara: “Caucasian or any other ethnicity”
Sokka: “Caucasian or any other ethnicity”

Whatever happened to “Any ethnicity”? Now you tell me that singling out a race like that isn’t racism. I’ve nothing against the actors, but I’ve something against THIS. So YES, the people making, or at least charge of, this movie are racist. Not because the cast itself is racist, but the castING was racist.

But the impression I’m getting is that Shyamalan and Paramount are changing the story up a bit (well, the background of the story, anyway). So far, most of the Fire Nation actors are Indian or Middle Eastern. The Earth Kingdom will have all Chinese or Japanese actors. Water Tribe (at least the Southern Water Tribe) will be Caucasian. In a sense, they are making the story more universal. Suddenly, that doesn’t sound so bad.

The whole casting controversy is having the opposite effect on me than what is intended (and I’m sure I’m not the only one), in that its making me MORE curious and intrigued about the movie. Add a kick-ass teaser trailer, and I’m stoked. I understand where everyone is coming from, but let’s be fair. You can’t just put all of the blame on Shyamalan when most of Hollywood is guilty of this. Apparently, the powers that be don’t think that an all Asian cast would make as much of a profit. Hence, the casting. I could go on and on with this, including what would solve the problem (here’s a hint: going to the theaters in large numbers to see movies like Hero and The House of Flying Dagger will show Hollywood that there’s money to be had… Hollywood is nothing if not greedy), but my point is that, if you’re a fan of the show, and you don’t want the ATLA to just end with the series, and would like to see it as a movie, this is it. This is the only chance you are going to get. Hollywood will not revisit this if it fails.

Lastly, to all of the people who are knocking this movie because of Shyamalan is a director, all I can say is “hi hater, hi hater, you see me…”. Shyamalan’s failure are mostly due to his writing. As a technical director he is very good. That trailer only reminds me of how good he is. At least the people complaining about the casting have a legit gripe. The Shyamalan haters are just wasting my time. Count me as someone who is going to see the movie.

Racist? Let’s see, an Asian director fills up the principal cast of seven (and I’m looking at the credits from the teaser) with four Asians… how racist!

I guess that South Asians (and Maoris) don’t count as Asians. The non-racists just want to see the what they think are the proper Asians, and figure that Paramount has an obligation to fill the quotas to their liking in this $150 Million affirmative action program.

Just stop and read this blog and then come back and say that Hollywood was fair in the casting. http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL264.htm

The trailer has generated the appropriate response in my 5-year old daughter, and I am therefore looking forward to the movie next summer.