Written by Kate McHargueThe media we consume directly informs our worldview. This has been proven time and time again with studies geared towards everything from sports fans and aggression to infants and cognitive development. We may not learn everything from the media we consume, but we obviously learn something. As such, the content of the TV shows we choose to watch can subconsciously impact our opinions. Which characters are given a voice and agency? Who is shown as good? Who is shown as bad? What actions are praised and encouraged? What actions are punished or denounced? How a TV show presents it’s world can influence how we see our own. The creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender were aware of the power of media and put it to good use, examining difficult topics and real life issues from the lens of many different identities to provide an inclusive picture of what it means to have empathy and to do good. In my first post, I discussed the way in which ATLA allows for diverse heroism. In my fourth, I looked at the way ATLA examines the good and bad in all things. To finish up this series, I’d like to praise the way ATLA combines its diversity and balance to not only entertain, but to teach valuable lessons on how we choose to treat our fellow man. Much like other successful franchises that have bridged the gap between the intended child audience and the elusive adult audience (Harry Potter, for example), ATLA ‘s plot includes terrible, real world issues like racism, imperialism, terrorism, war, etc. and presents all of it in a way that is accessible to any viewer, young or old. While adult viewers may understand the finer points of these complex issues, the younger viewers are given all of the gritty and unpleasant realities of these horrors through the familiar tale of good vs. evil. But the show does not sugar-coat or downplay these issues. It presents them exactly as they are and provides an intersectional view of the people affected. When I say intersectional, I mean that ATLA doesn’t just show us the hero’s point of view and leave it at that. We do see the hero’s journey but along the way we see the journey of innocent people affected by the war. We see the people who have reformed and found redemption. We see people who have been indoctrinated into dangerous modes of thinking. We see good people who have been tortured, coerced, or otherwise changed and resort to terrible things. We see people who feel justified in their actions, regardless of the harm it does to others. At first glance, ATLA is like any other fantasy quest to stop the bad guy. Yet it is along the way to stopping the bad guy that we understand the true effects of these evils. It is in the journey that we find the power of human compassion and learn that 'goodness' is something that must be actively practiced and shared. As I’ve said before, it was a stroke of truly great storytelling that we learn about ATLA’s world and how to 'save' it along with our heroes. When they are confronted with their own biases, misconceptions, and weaknesses, we too are compelled to examine these faults in ourselves. In 'The Blue Spirit' (1.13), when Zuko saves Aang from Admiral Zhoa and Aang in return saves Zuko, they share a moment and Aang talks about his friend Kuzon. He tells Zuko, 'He was one of the best friends I ever had, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?' In this seemingly innocent question we see the way this war and the 100 years of enmity that has grown between the nations has placed these children on opposite sides. They are products and victims of this war; forced into the role of enemies. In 'The Serpent’s Pass' (2.12) we watch as these same children find themselves in the middle of a refugee crisis. Zuko, the Crown Prince of the nation waging this war, is forced to confront the real life people whose lives have been upended, homes destroyed, and families torn apart. Aang, the hero who can barely save himself, faces those who suffered in his 100 year absence, but finds hope in the way they continue to survive, even in the face of impossible odds. In season three 'Book Three: Fire', it becomes clear that blanket hatred and ignorant assumptions are exactly what allow this evil to thrive. Zuko wrestles with the realization that he was both complicit and an active participant in the horrors of this war. Aang sees the way in which young and good-hearted children in the Fire Nation are taught to perpetuate dangerous ideologies and become unwitting cogs in a destructive system. We begin to understand how easy it is for good people to do bad things, how a culture of fear and violence only serves to continue the cycle. We grow with the characters as they learn more about themselves, each other, and the world around them. And we recognize that, if working together to promote understanding and compassion is the way to bring peace to ATLA’s world, then just maybe the same could work for our own. Every story that has ever been told has its morals and its lessons to be learned. ATLA is no different. Yet the lesson it teaches us is a subtle and multi-faceted approach to simple ideas; respect and acknowledge differences, find common ground, let those in power be beholden to those without, and let empathy replace ignorance in all that we do. These are lessons to be learned by all and ATLA uses its platform as popular media to teach them to anyone and everyone who will listen. Good art inspires. Great art challenges. This show does both and it is for this final reason that I reassert my claim that Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best show ever.
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