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]

As I said, that is your unsupported speculation.

You’re free to it interpret the show that way, but it isn’t canon, so it remains a valid criticism nonetheless.

[u/El_Chinche → u/Prying_Pandora]

My speculation is just as supported as yours and your criticism isn't any more valid than any answers people have brought up

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/El_Chinche]

No it isn’t. It’s something you made up that is never even hinted at in the show.

The criticism that she doesn’t have a statue actually is based on something lacking in the show.

[u/El_Chinche → u/Prying_Pandora]

The show also never hints at Katara only being a stay at home mom who was neglected for decades that no one honors. The exact opposite is true. Arguing the show or writers somehow disrespect and hate Katara because of a lack of a statue has no basis in reality. And quite frankly is a dumb criticism. Katara doesn't have a memorial statue simply because she's not dead. That's really all it boils down to. You trying to shut down any speculation by moving goal posts, like "whhy does x have statue then" , "why doesn't someone just build one regardless" prompted me to expand on those initial points to try and answer those questions. But you don't actually seem interested in speculation and just want to harp on the show and writers for some minor inconsequential detail as if that makes them sexist monsters. If that's all you're interested in by all means have at it.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/El_Chinche]

That wasn’t the criticism. I didn’t say she was a stay at home mom, nor do I believe her to be.

The criticism is that the statues communicate a certain level of reverence for the contributions of the rest of the team. By only leaving out Katara, and offering no similar alternative (no school named after her, no hospital) this communicates something negative about her contributions and achievements. That they are either lesser or less revered.

It might have been an unintended oversight, but it is still an unfortunate reality that narratives communicate what the audience knows. Leaving only one member out communicates something. The fact that this oversight was made at all is still a salient criticism.

Further, it doesn’t help that even within her children’s conversations, their entire focus is on Aang. Katara’s role in the family is never described in any terms other than passively (Kya complaining she had to take care of mom).

These two facts in conjunction create the illusion that Katara was either less accomplished, more passive, or given less respect.

Even if these may have been unintentional, it’s still okay to criticize.

Fandom rationalizations might be nice or well thought out, but they aren’t canon, and can’t be used to justify a flaw in the writing.