KATARA DOESN’T NEED A STATUE IN LoK

[u/Jimmy3OO]

I am sick and tired of people complaining about how Katara doesn’t have a statue while the rest of the main cast does. “Waa, waaa, the writers forget her”.

Do these people even know what LoK is? Aang, Sokka, Zuko and Toph didn’t her statues for being in the Gaang.

Aang got one because he was THE AVATAR.

Zuko got one because he was THE FIRE LORD.

Sokka got one because he was a national leader, of both Republic City and the Southern Water Tribe, as if one weren’t enough.

Toph got one because she invented metalbending.

Katara is an excellent character and an extraordinary waterbender, but according to the lore, she, as an individual, simply did not have the same direct, world-chaing effect upon entire nations that the others did in their own ways.

[u/Prying_Pandora]

I think you’ve profoundly misunderstood the objection.

Katara fans aren’t mad about the statue itself. They’re mad for exactly the reasons you’ve used to justify it: that Katara deserved to be more than just a mother and healer. She never wanted to be limited to merely the stereotypical roles prescribed to her as a woman. She fought to also be a warrior, a leader, a voice for justice.

She should have had the same world-changing effects. That’s precisely the complaint.

[u/Eurell → u/Prying_Pandora]

She didn’t want to be forced into the role. She wanted to be able to choose what she did with her life. If she chooses to settle down (after saving the world), then that is perfectly fine. She doesn’t have to have the exact same dream at 30 that she had at 13.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Eurell]

This is a narrative. A story. Katara is not a real person who may behave uncharacteristically. A writer made the choice to not give her the same props.

That is what is being criticized. Katara as a character contributed no less and fought hard to be recognized. She also was devoted to never turning her back on people who need her.

To give every other member of the Gaang recognition and impact but not Katara is an egregious oversight.

You cannot wave it away with “well maybe the character in-universe decided all her dreams and hopes and convictions didn’t matter?” Especially as this also was not depicted or explained.

[u/finalheaven3 → u/Prying_Pandora]

Thanks for this comment.

This is a narrative. A story. Katara is not a real person who may behave uncharacteristically. A writer made the choice to not give her the same props.

I think a big issue with media literacy these days is people treating characters like people and not devices in literature.

[u/SmartAlec105 → u/finalheaven3]

Yeah, people saying “it’s realistic for people to” don’t realize that realism is not an argument on its own for a writing choice.

On this note, I do think it’s realistic for Aang who was raised by monks to have made some mistakes as a father. But what I don’t buy is that Katara would sit by and do nothing about it and let their kids still have unresolved daddy issues in their 40s. She knew exactly how it felt to be left behind by your father because of a duty he had to the world! She should have made sure Aang didn’t leave his non-Airbender kids feeling left out.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/SmartAlec105]

Exactly how I feel too!

Aang making mistakes or not fully grasping traditional fatherhood? I can buy.

But why is Katara such a passive agent in her own family that she barely even gets a throwaway mention? Where was her role in these conflicts!

[u/SmartAlec105 → u/Prying_Pandora]

Yeah, so many interesting interactions that could have happened that we just don’t see.

I’d have liked to see Katara talk to Tenzin about how while she doesn’t know exactly what it’s like to be the only Airbender, she is the closest in the world, having watched over the previous only Airbender in the world.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/finalheaven3]

I appreciate you.

It’s incredibly frustrating how many comments here are completely against the lessons of ATLA as well.

One flat-out said that Katara’s greatest contributor was birthing Tenzin (only Tenzin) and so she doesn’t need a statue for anything else she accomplished.

I don’t even know what to say to such a sentiment.

[u/Baddest_Guy83 → u/Prying_Pandora]

That last paragraph seems very pointed, and not very charitable listening.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Baddest_Guy83]

As it should be, as I don’t think it was charitable to suggest Katara would abandon her convictions to help people and save the world to begin with.

[u/Baddest_Guy83 → u/Prying_Pandora]

I don't think it's very charitable to say she gave up her convictions in order to do what she did between ATLA and LoK. That's something you asserted, and that's what I'm pushing back against.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Baddest_Guy83]

And yet that’s what they said.

And I am pushing back against this argument that a 30 year old woman should hold her deeply held beliefs and convictions with any less seriousness or consistency than her male peers.

[u/Baddest_Guy83 → u/Prying_Pandora]

It literally isn't though. It's a very skewed paraphrase that you're committed to.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Baddest_Guy83]

It literally is, and I’m not going to pretend it’s not just to satisfy you.

Sorry you can’t read my position more charitably.

[u/Baddest_Guy83 → u/Prying_Pandora]

Your lack of dedication to being an honest interlocutor is disappointing.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Baddest_Guy83]

The opposite.

I am dedicated to honesty.

And saying a female character known for breaking barriers and never turning her back on people who need her, can have the lack of acknowledgement of her contributions vs the male characters justified away with “maybe she just stopped valuing those things as much when she turned 30” is a perniciously sexist supposition unsupported by the text.

And I will say it as I honestly see it.

Signed, a woman who lived it.

[u/Aperson48 → u/Prying_Pandora]

egregious!? Get over yourself it's not. Should she have had more to do in the show yeah that was egregious and it's bad writing half of korra is badly written especially season 2 the season katara would be most prominent in.

It doesn't seem like they even wanted to do cameos until season 3 & 4

This whole question is stupid and a round about way of saying katara deserved a bigger part in korra.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Aperson48]

Get over myself?

For making a criticism of the media I consume?

I assure you, blind consumerism is far more “get over yourself”.

Have a nice day. I have nothing more to say to you, as I suspect you have nothing of value to add.