AN: This review contains spoilers for season 1 of “The Legend Of Korra”.

This show is a little hard for me to watch right now, especially considering the political climate. I see so many parallels between the events of the first season and the real world. And while the level of corruption, discrimination and police brutality depicted in the show is relatively tame (in comparison with what’s happening right now), it still hits me pretty hard.

Don’t get me wrong. The show does a pretty good job of depicting the real world consequences of corruption, discrimination and police brutality. However, being a kids show, it can’t possibly depict the extent. Yes, referees take bribes, non benders are subjected to discriminatory laws and are unlawfully imprisoned. However, that’s only a fraction of what’s actually happening right now. People are being killed as a result of police brutality. Minorities have to live in fear because the consequences faced by a police officer improperly imprisoning someone and even killing them is practically nonexistent (in some countries).

I get it though. The reality of the situation is hard to process. Traumatic even. And shows like these don’t have the liberty of depicting the full extent of the problem. But even mildly censored, I was impressed with the way this show dealt with these real world problems.

Note: “Legend of Korra” is fiction. While it is inspired by reality, it is not a reflection of reality. If you would like to be educated on the reality of discrimination, please don’t base it off a fictional show, please go watch the news or crack open a history textbook. Amon is not real and he certainly does not represent the majority of activists.

Corrupt Governing and Authoritative Bodies

The referees of the bending matches taking bribes is the tip of the iceberg. Even within the government, there are council members who care more about gaining power and authority than they do about the lives of innocent people. This corruption is what allows benders to get away with terrorising their non bender counterparts. This is what started the whole conflict of the first season.

Unfortunately for non-benders, the corruption extends even to groups meant to fight for their rights. The Equalists may may be fighting for the greater good but their leader, Amon, is only interested in power. He is yet another corrupt leader using the political climate in order to gain control of the masses. He does not care about bender suppression or equality. In fact, the only reason he takes away peoples’ bending is to ensure that he is the only one with this power.

Neither Tarrlok nor Amon care about their people. For them, this is simply a fight over power.

How A Corrupt Government Leaves A Nation Vulnerable To Power Hungry Vigilantes

As much as I hate the Equalists. I don’t hate all the people supporting the group or its ideology. Yes, it is deeply flawed but it is rooted in the trauma caused by oppression.

A group like the Equalists could never have gained majority support if it hadn’t been for the corrupt and biased nature of the government. In the government prioritising the needs of the benders at every turn and actively discriminating against and oppressing non benders, they created an opening for this group to take over.

While Amon is certainly in the wrong, the people who support him are not. To the non benders who had suffered under bender suppression, Amon is a ray of light. While their governments have done little to manage corrupt benders, Amon has a way of taking away the bending of those who pose the most threat to society. While he is certainly in the wrong, he is also the first person to provide a solution.

The government’s failings when it comes to handling corrupt benders causes non benders to lose their trust in the government. This, in turn, allows Amon a platform in which to speak. In the absence of a competent leadership, non benders have only Amon to depend on.

At their core, these people are terrified. They cannot trust their government or law enforcement to protect them. Of course they would rather trust a vigilante group. It may be the only way for them to achieve any freedom.

Some of these people have lost family members to corrupt benders. Amon may be interested in gaining power but his followers only care about survival. People are dying because of corrupt benders. Amon’s followers are not stupid. They’re desperate.

Police Brutality

The police, being metal benders, have the power to terrorise the non bender citizens in wholly new ways. And yes, some of them are good but that doesn’t matter. When it really comes down to it, they are an integral part of oppressing and unlawfully arresting innocent citizens. Their job is to protect and serve and yet they do the opposite and the only people they serve are corrupt, power hungry leaders.

Maybe they’re simply following orders. Maybe they have no control over the situation. Or maybe they do it of their own volition and actually enjoy the experience.

Their intentions and the feelings they hold in their hearts don’t actually matter in this situation. They’re still the oppressors in this situation. Whatever their reason, they are enabling a corrupt government to remain in power and suppress the most vulnerable of its citizens.

Propaganda

Propaganda is quite clearly a major aspect of the first season. Both Councilman Tarrlok and Noatak (Amon) use propaganda to suit their political aspirations. It is quite clearly a very effective tool.

And I know that it’s easy to become frustrated with mob mentality but I would urge you to not see these citizens as unintelligent people. No matter how intelligent someone is, it is easy to be swayed by propaganda. That’s why it’s such a dangerous tool. And these people are doubly vulnerable because they have been oppressed for so long.

Their oppression brings with it a lack of opportunities which often means a lack of resources and therefore a lack of knowledge. Many of them have had to live their lives in terror of being hurt or even killed. They cannot rely on their government and law enforcement. They need someone to believe in. So of course most of them would turn to Amon.

They’re vulnerable people but do not mistake vulnerability for stupidity. Or assume that the people who realise Amon’s platform is based on lies are inherently smarter. Few people are above being swayed by propaganda. There’s a reason for it being so commonly used by corrupt governments or during wartime in order to manipulate the masses.

And if you consider yourself superior and therefore incapable of falling prey to something like propaganda, I’d encourage you to look up Cambridge Analytica. Or even just look up how advertising works. I’d argue that is also propaganda.

Let’s Just Stop Making Assumptions About Republic City

Republic City is not a part of the real world. It is an echo of the real world, yes, but it isn’t a reflection. So it’s not fair to assume that the world of Republic City is identical to the real world. Or even that it’s identical to the US. I’m sorry Americans but not everything is about you or your nation. And having a statue of a historical figure is not something that America invented.

I don’t really like people hating on Asami because she’s rich. We have no way of knowing whether or not she paid her workers well. We also don’t know how strict labor laws are. There’s definitely reason to believe that there are inequalities existing between benders and non-benders but other than that, the other aspects of this world isn’t really discussed.

For all I know, Asami pays her workers well, pays all her taxes and supports numerous charities. I don’t know. It isn’t discussed so don’t be ashamed if you like her. You can like her, she’s not a real person. And all we’ve seen of her is her protecting people. There’s no canonical proof that she utilizes her wealth to exploit people. Therefore, let’s just assume she doesn’t (since she’s not real).

Final Thoughts

“Legend of Korra” is able to stand on its own. It’s different enough from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” that liking one show doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like the other. I’m not going to say which one I prefer since they’re fundamentally different shows with different genres. I enjoy both, that’s really all there is to it.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. Doesn’t really matter whether or not you’ve seen or even like “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. You can hate that show and still love this one. You can love that show and yet hate this one. They’re fundamentally different, with only a few common characters. So yeah, feel free to watch this show if you haven’t already.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.