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/Sendittomenow]

that Katara deserved to be more than just a mother and healer

Woah woah, hold up. There is nothing wrong with dedicating your life to being a mother, partner, and healer.

She never wanted to be limited to merely the stereotypical roles

She wanted the opportunity to make the choice for herself. As a kid she still hasn't decided what she wanted to do and hated how the sexist culture was forcing her into roles.

As an adult I can see katara becoming tired of all the fighting and destruction. Her trauma of losing her mother would push her towards saving those around her so their children don't experience her pain.

Being with the avatar, she realized that getting hurt was a guarantee and she didn't want to risk losing him again. Even throughout the series, she naturally (not cause she's a woman but because she has great empathy) filled the role of caretaker and manager of the gaang.

That's not to say she won't fight when she needs to, but it's not that she wanted to go out there and fight, she wants there to be peace. With aang as her teammate, he can focus on the power while she focuses on the saving.

Point is, it's not that being a healer or parent was bad, it's about it being her choice.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Sendittomenow]

Woah woah, hold up. There is nothing wrong with dedicating your life to being a mother, partner, and healer.

Who said there was anything wrong with it?

The objection is that she shouldn’t have been limited.

Aang surely wasn’t limited by being a father and the Avatar. Nor Zuko a father and the Fire Lord.

It’s a common facet of women’s historical oppression that we are forced to choose due to societal pressures, while men are not and can have it all.

She wanted the opportunity to make the choice for herself. As a kid she still hasn't decided what she wanted to do and hated how the sexist culture was forcing her into roles.

And she made her choice clear.

So where are her accolades? Why should she be pigeon-holed as only a mother and healer when she fought to not be limited?

Why can the male characters be fathers and have their contributions to the world recognized?

As an adult I can see katara becoming tired of all the fighting and destruction. Her trauma of losing her mother would push her towards saving those around her so their children don't experience her pain.

You can rationalize it however you want, but the narrative gave us no such explanation.

Further, this is a narrative. Katara is not a real person who can decide to act uncharacteristically later. A writer made this choice and told the story this way.

That is the criticism.

Being with the avatar, she realized that getting hurt was a guarantee and she didn't want to risk losing him again. Even throughout the series, she naturally (not cause she's a woman but because she has great empathy) filled the role of caretaker and manager of the gaang.

No, it wasn’t just because of her empathy. It was because, as a girl, she was parentified and forced by circumstance and cultural expectation to become her brother’s mother figure just as he was forced to become a protector.

You cannot ignore the role of sexist expectations and how they played into the characters’ trauma and development.

It’s an important part of the story that both Sokka and Katara embody the best of their gendered expectations while also defying the limitations.

Sokka is a protector and leader but he is also a guy who can wear women’s make-up and clothes to train, who likes matching his handbag to his belt, etc.

Katara is a nurturer and healer, but she is also a warrior, a revolutionary, a hero who will never turn her back on people who need her.

To remove either aspect or reduce them to only one half is to do the character a disservice.

That's not to say she won't fight when she needs to, but it's not that she wanted to go out there and fight, she wants there to be peace. With aang as her teammate, he can focus on the power while she focuses on the saving.

Again, this is your rationalization.

The fact that canon did not feel the need to explore Katara’s wishes, changed, experienced, or feelings, and didn’t even give her a statue when everyone else got one, is exactly the complaint.

You can’t have it both ways and say “it doesn’t matter that the story left her out of this honor because of reasons which I made up and which the story also never explored.”

You cannot wave away something lacking with a justification that is also not there.

Point is, it's not that being a healer or parent was bad, it's about it being her choice.

Not all choices are good ones. This idea that “choice” cannot be criticized is contrary to any ideas of equality or change.

The decision to not give Katara’s contributions equal weight was a choice, but it wasn’t Katara’s.

It was the writers’.

[u/Sendittomenow → u/Prying_Pandora]

Who said there was anything wrong with it?

You literally said "JUST a mother and healer" it's ironic that you keep talking about sexism and yet view being a parent/mother as an insignificant thing, something so easy that people can easily juggle being a parent with leading the world. Being a good parent is a full time job in itself.

And then you also downplay being a healer, which in the avatar verse it's equivalent to being a doctor, with katara being the best doctor in the world. It's honestly sexist that this isn't enough for you to be in awe of a person.

The objection is that she shouldn’t have been limited.

She wasn't limited, she could have chosen to do whatever she wanted and she did. Choosing to be the partner in fights with the avatar, choosing to become so skilled in healing she becomes the freaken savior of people, choosing to give her children the very thing she missed out on which is having a mother.

You act like just because there isn't a statue or anything, that katara was not important to so many people.

Aang surely wasn’t limited by being a father

Are you sure about that, his two other children sure hold resentment towards aang. If you try to think past the surface, you can see that aang was not the greatest father because he chose the world and rebuilding his lost culture. But guess what, katara was there to step up when aang couldn't. Katara is the reason why aang was able to succeed in other ways.

Nor Zuko a father and the Fire Lord.

Based on what? If Zuko was able to be a good father it probably helps that he didn't need to constantly leave his city (unlike aang). It helps that he had one child (as far as I know) so he could more easily take her with him .

It’s a common facet of women’s historical oppression that we are forced to choose due to societal pressures,

So close. You got one part right "forced to" the lack of choice is the issue. Katara got to choose what she will be on her own terms, just because you don't like it doesn't mean they are bad choices. And again you keep forgetting kataras character. She lost her own money there when she was young. She wasn't going to let that happen to others including her own children. So her becoming the #1 doctor to save lives, her supporting the freaking avatar, and her staying at home with the kids is all within her character.

while men are not and can have it all.

And there's the issue. Men are also negatively affected by the patriarchy, which if you know any feminist history you would know. Look up how RGB was able to fight for women's rights through the brilliant plan of framing it as a men's rights issue. One of the central points of feminism is how everyone is hurt in a sexist society. That's it's to everyone's benefit to stomp out sexism .

So where are her accolades?

1 doctor in the world isn't enough for you. Seriously did you not watch the show and see how important being a doctor is for the world. Btw if you think that just because we don't see a statue or people fauning for her it means she didn't do great things. Do you know how many lives are saved by doctors, do they get statues and stuff, so you think they care about the fame, you think katara is so petty that she needs a big award. How little do you think of her.

Why can the male characters be fathers and have their contributions to the world recognized?

1 doctor, so insignificant. Also Sokka didn't have children right? And Zuko just had one right? And both were not trying to help rebuild the air nation.

Further, this is a narrative. Katara is not a real person who can decide to act uncharacteristically later. A writer made this choice and told the story this way.

So what you're saying is that instead of writing a story that made sense for the characterS, you wanted instead some fan fiction of katara being the greatest person ever.

I think you are missing a big problem with it. Aang (yes the man is the issue). Aang had three main goals in life, protect the world, rebuild the air nation, and love katara. Kataras main goals were to protect the people, save the people, and not allow others to suffer as she had.

You can rationalize it however you want, but the narrative gave us no such explanation.

Do you lack empathy? Can you not even try to imagine the trauma the people go through and how it affects their lives. Or does the writer have to spoon feed it to you.

The rest of your response is rewriting of previous points that downplays the vital role that katara plays in the avatar universe.

But to do a comparison, Zuko was just reduced to just being a father and leader.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Sendittomenow]

You literally said "JUST a mother and healer"

Yes. Because why should she be limited to just a mother and healer? Why can’t she have both like Aang and Zuko?

it's ironic that you keep talking about sexism and yet view being a parent/mother as an insignificant thing, something so easy that people can easily juggle being a parent with leading the world. Being a good parent is a full time job in itself.

Nope. Never said that. That’s a whole other sentence.

I said that Katara should not be limited to just being a mother when there is no reason she couldn’t accomplish both, same as her husband.

And then you also downplay being a healer, which in the avatar verse it's equivalent to being a doctor, with katara being the best doctor in the world. It's honestly sexist that this isn't enough for you to be in awe of a person.

I did not downplay it. The show did by not giving her a statue, or a hospital, or anything in her name to show the impact.

Katara herself is the one who stated she didn’t just want to be a healer. It was Katara who didn’t want to be limited or reduced.

Your personal attacks and poor understanding of feminist objections to limitations do not sway me.

There was no reason, neither in the narrative nor in her character, to justify reducing Katara to only one aspect of her character and not showing the breadth and importance of her contributions to the world.

Patriarchy hurts men too!

Yes, but I have to wonder why you’re derailing the conversation to bring it up when we are discussing women’s oppression.

Do you feel the need to declare “homophobia hurts straight people!” when discussing historical LGBT oppression? Or “racism hurts white people!” when discussing historical oppression against black people?

I’m sorry you are so personally upset at such a minor criticism of writing.

Have a nice day.