Mini ATLA rant
Jan. 17th, 2007 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockOn the character of Sokka, in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The fanon geniusization of Sokka bugs the hell out of me. Sokka's not a genius. If he were that smart he wouldn't do half the stupid things he does. He's smart, he's clever, and he's resourceful--- but he's not a genius. He's not frellin' Shikamaru or Kakashi from Naruto. He's just a bright kid. He'd be probably a grade above his peers IRL... or maybe he wouldn't and he'd just get high standardized test scores and be in GATE or something.
I don't just get annoyed because it stretches canon way past the point of supported evidence, but it bugs me because it denies Sokka his role as the Normal Guy, the Everyman. Sokka's always trying to prove that as a warrior and a tribesman he is the equal of the people with superpowers surrounding him. But by turning him into Super Boy Genius, you're just giving him his own superpower. He's not the normal one anymore; he's just the exception that proves the rule (if you don't have bending and/or super brain genius, you're inferior.) And that bugs me. Sokka (and Suki and Mai and Ty Lee) represent the characters who become powerful through work and talent and education, not through innate super-ability (in ATLA, innate super-ability=bending). To say he's great because he's a genius just cheapens that. [/end rant]
It's like every BTVS fanfic I read that gave Xander a superpower to make him "fit in". It's missing the entire point of his character purpose in the group dynamic, which is that you don't need a superpower to be of value.
The fanon geniusization of Sokka bugs the hell out of me. Sokka's not a genius. If he were that smart he wouldn't do half the stupid things he does. He's smart, he's clever, and he's resourceful--- but he's not a genius. He's not frellin' Shikamaru or Kakashi from Naruto. He's just a bright kid. He'd be probably a grade above his peers IRL... or maybe he wouldn't and he'd just get high standardized test scores and be in GATE or something.
I don't just get annoyed because it stretches canon way past the point of supported evidence, but it bugs me because it denies Sokka his role as the Normal Guy, the Everyman. Sokka's always trying to prove that as a warrior and a tribesman he is the equal of the people with superpowers surrounding him. But by turning him into Super Boy Genius, you're just giving him his own superpower. He's not the normal one anymore; he's just the exception that proves the rule (if you don't have bending and/or super brain genius, you're inferior.) And that bugs me. Sokka (and Suki and Mai and Ty Lee) represent the characters who become powerful through work and talent and education, not through innate super-ability (in ATLA, innate super-ability=bending). To say he's great because he's a genius just cheapens that. [/end rant]
It's like every BTVS fanfic I read that gave Xander a superpower to make him "fit in". It's missing the entire point of his character purpose in the group dynamic, which is that you don't need a superpower to be of value.
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Date: 2007-01-18 02:35 am (UTC)If he gets kicked in the head it's probabliy because he did something stupid to put himself in a position to get kicked in the head, and now he has to escape while complaining loudly about life and why the gods hate him so.
It's The Fortuneteller all over again. But then again, that's the joy of Sokka.
but people don't talk about how strategic she is
I know! I was SO happy in the finale when she was the one kicking so much butt with the generals and such.
They're totally setting her up to be Fire Lady. I mean, she's a powerful warrior in her own right, a talented leader, but also very empathetic. She was born to be a queen. I love her so much.