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this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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Idunno, Sokka can be given other character growth opportunities. Fact of the matter is I don't think anyone sets out to create a vibrant fantasy world, where combat is performed with magic, and still retain boring sexist conventions from our reality. I think that was an incidental worldbuilding element that can easily change.
I just see it as a chance for them to reboot this fantasy world, keeping the elements that count. Sexism never comes up as a serious issue through the show outside of Sokka and maybe Toph so it's easy to accept that sexism just doesn't have to exist in this world.
Why not? We have supercomputers that can manifest our thoughts into photos at an instant speed. What’s stopping a magical society from being sexist?
If something bad shouldn’t exist because of some other fantastical element existing in its world, then what’s the point of any story, especially Avatar, a story about resisting imperialism and redemption?
Katara’s bending teacher was an old misogynistic guy who thought it was improper for women to bend lol. Without his change of mind, things would’ve been a lot worse for everyone. And it wasn’t even just his own view, it was the view of the society they lived in. She defied it and saved everyone’s asses multiple times.
I mean metaphor, fantasy, and social issues go hand in hand but I suppose Avatar isn’t the best at it… Except for all the imperialism metaphors… But I mean maybe not the best at the misogyny metaphors, I dunno
I agree that Sokka can grow in other ways. But the worldbuilding argument doesn't seem right to me.
Bending is more than combat for one, more like an extension of real human abilities (though within believed human abilities of our world ie. we also have magical thinking if not magical reality).
The world can change if we can actually, materially shape the world with magic rather than manipulate other people. So yes, a world with bending with be a materially different world. But everything prior to action is still relevant. What I mean is that people still manipulate or exploit action, magical or not. Eg. there could still be patriarchy to exploit women for reproductive labor, exclude them from the warrior class who solely gets sanctioned to do violence, etc.
The fact that woman can bend as well as men doesn't need to make them socially equal, just like in our world they are socially oppressed nonetheless
Fantasy fiction that somehow lacks prejudice outside of the single specific issue causing the featured conflict is boring.
Societies and the people in them are the product of their material conditions, and unless the magic present changes those material conditions in a way that would prevent such prejudices from developing, including flaws shared by own current and historical societies makes them more interesting, not less.