Why Dictators Ban Books | Avatar: The Last Airbender

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[@HelloFutureMe]

Is this one of Avatar's best episodes? ~ Tim

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

YES! Loved it 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Aashbard01]

It was amazing, the episode feel like a cautionary tale of what can happen if you use knowledge for the wrong reasons This episode hits really hard though! It's one of my favourites

[@thecoconutman2646]

indeed

[@pyeitme508]

Yes

[@owlegrad]

Yes! My personal favorite sometimes.

[@jacovichstabs841]

There's a Minecraft server called "The Uncensored Library" where people from countries with censored internets can often still access the most successful videogame in the world: Minecraft. They're able to read and contribute otherwise censored documents via text to the library which is then recorded and reviewed by Reporters Without Borders. Really cool stuff.

[@CharlieQuartz]

An example of why you can never really ban a book in the modern world

[@iceblaster1252]

Alas even Americans are likely gonna need this when book bans start to become federal affairs and not state. Republican school board decisions don’t bode well if a republic controlled government (house, senate, president) emerges while the current BS culture war they’ve got going on is in their minds

[@ArneBab]

@@CharlieQuartz and yet the newspaper articles which form the basis of our perception of reality regularly get lost, because we can’t find them in search engines anymore or the links break because of a restructuring of the site.

[@NoWarInBaSingSe]

​@@CharlieQuartz You still can, but those who actively seek knowledge always find ways to earn what they yearn. Your average Joe will believe corrupt politicians, media, and religious leaders if easily accessible knowledge (books) gets banned.

[@smokedbeefandcheese4144]

@@CharlieQuartz laws or not about stopping a behavior but punishing it. The book will still get out people will still read it and they will still be punished for reading it

[@johannvonbabylon]

Video idea for you: Toph's parents and reflections on how parents desperately try to keep their kids innocent, even to their great detriment.

[@reneehunt5590]

Agreed. The Beifongs infantalized Toph because of her perceived helplessness, hired shady men to 'rescue' her when she ran away, and then Toph's father outright disown her when she wouldn't be his obedient daughter any more

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

Oooooh! Actually, I second this! Infantalization and Child Abuse by parents or parental figures in general as a video topic!

[@Nostripe361]

Especially with the growth of helicopter parents who can’t deal with their kids running into any difficulty; real or imagined difficulty

[@johannvonbabylon]

To this day, I'm genuinely grateful to my dad for saying things like "It's just a scraped knee, get back on the bike."

[@elkboy2538]

That's something I hate too, because being innocent and thrown into the real world is one of the worst experiences I've ever had.

[@arcahmwinters70]

Another thing libraries do is offer free entertainment. In a world where stories are increasingly locked behind subscriptions and pay-walls that you have to keep doing every single month, libraries offer stories without having to pay a big faceless corporation.

[@tammygant4216]

yes! I can't afford six different streaming platforms, yet with just a few exceptions, I have been able to find movies, etc at the library!

[@DeathofHeavens]

There is another way... yarr...

[@soccerandtrack10]

DVD s.

[@lisatroiani6119]

i’ve been saying this for years: libraries don’t just contain books, they contain information, entertainment and technology. all free to use.

[@jimmybopped1154]

Fun fact about this, some public libraries even allow people to loan off video game consoles and sports equipment for a window of time. I’ve had one person who would loan a game to try it out, if liked it; would beat it, then return it within that window. It’s cost effective and allows for people who didn’t have access to that stuff to enjoy all sorts of media. Gotta love public libraries.

[@singletona082]

Mistrust those who wish to ban or burn books. Mistrust those who seek to bar the flow of knowledge. For those that want an uneducated population want one that is easy to control.

[@rayeiswriting4372]

Don’t ban history books, or opinion books. That being said, some books be nasty. My mom is on a school board and there’s straight up teen porn in literary form out there. I think it’s a rule that we don’t ban non fiction books.

[@artobe4258]

Helen Kellers book was banned based on rules like those. If organised correctly all books should be available

[@Dachusblot]

@@rayeiswriting4372 Fiction should not be banned either. Some of the most valuable banned books are fiction. Books like "The Handmaid's Tale" or "1984" act as dire warnings for what society can become if we allow our freedoms to be stolen from us, and those warnings are most effective in the realm of fiction. Even "nasty" books shouldn't be banned, in my opinion, though it would be a good idea to make sure they are sorted in the right place and have proper labels letting people know what's in them. But honestly, teens already can find all kinds of nasty stuff on the internet.

[@Thoralmir]

​@Dachusblot I'm of the opinion that there are some books that cannot justify their continued existence. The works of Karl Marx, for instance, have led to more deaths and human suffering in the 20th Century alone than all the other religions or political ideas in all of human history combined. Despite the _MONUMENTAL_ failures of socialism and it's various branches, there are idiots today who _still_ want to implement it under the tired excuse of "well they simply didn't get it right; if we do it _this_ time, we'll succeed!" I'm sorry, but some ideas are just too demonstrably harmful to the human race to be allowed to continue.

[@Kitt_the_Katt]

​​@@Thoralmir I have to disagree. There is no way Karl Marx has caused more strife than the Bible, Koran, or any other religious text has when misused. Also, we have yet to see an actual socialist country uncorrupted by greedy rulers afraid of losing their power. I doubt we ever will given human nature.

[@be-noble3393]

That episode exposes the two ways knowledge dies. It can be destroyed (the more common version) or it can be buried. Wan Shi Tong wants to protect his knowledge but guarded knowledge is just as dead as if it was burned.

[@entropino9928]

Yep Pinochets autobiography comes to mind

[@CharlieQuartz]

Unless you’re Jinora and can access the spirit world at will, then knowledge is for the powerful

[@matthewmoran1866]

​@@entropino9928can you elaborate please

[@entropino9928]

@@matthewmoran1866 Its a book they tried very hard to bury

[@giulianoaaronfrancoynsfran4858]

​@@CharlieQuartz Does Wan allow her in his library? The last time he appears he still doesn't like humans especially those that are related to the avatar

[@theBlankScroll]

One of the things people forget about libraries is that they are one of the few public places you can go with no expectation of you paying to justify your being there. Almost anywhere else the first thing they'll ask you is if you're a customer

[@christopherb501]

BRING BACK THIRD PLACES

[@tiph3802]

​@@christopherb501what's third places?

[@hezekiahthompson6817]

​@@tiph3802Places outside of home, work and school, where you can engage on social activities and casually build networks, or just enjoy other leisurely things, like bars, clubs, malls, cafes, churches, libraries, etc

[@troysinnovations4858]

HAVING FUN ISNT HARD, WHEN YOUVE GOT A LIBRARY CARD

[@dandyman7819]

WHO'S DEWEY?!

[@Catlover-ee3ub]

Real >:D

[@tiph3802]

LOUDER!!!

[@KrimsonRogue]

This is actually part of the reason why my personal library is as big as it is. Every time I hear about another book being censored or altered, I try to get my hands on a copy. Physical media is a great way to cement not just multiple and diverse ideas, but also it helps show us what the past was really like. The history books I collect do a great job of showing how perspective has changed over the last century and it's fascinating to observe. Also, yes, support your local libraries. That just makes information more available to everyone.

[@Thoralmir]

Be very careful of your reactionary practices. You may just preserve a toxic idea that was better left to the pyre. Learn _why_ people are trying to censor something. Don't be like one of those foolish activists that opposed the forced extinction of the smallpox virus.

[@tticusFinch]

YES! This is exactly me. Same thing. History books, science books, (auto)biographies, the social sciences. Crazy how things change and are either omitted or just fall through the cracks of time.

[@lainiwakura1776]

Most of the time when a book sis being censored or not allowed in a library, it's usually pertaining to school libraries.

[@silverhawkscape2677]

Like books aimed at School Children that have sex stories in them?

[@naturalist10000]

Hey Krim

[@yuvalne]

this is Avatar's worldbuilding at its peak. the fact Netflix essentially cut this episode before they even reached the season where it happens proves how little they understand about the genius of AtlA.

[@Sly-Moose]

*I'm still mad about that.*

[@932ForeverLove]

Where/when did they say that?

[@break1146]

I don't think they 'don't understand', I think they have purposefully hindered Avatar's message. They understand and wish to profit of the franchise without spreading it's message.

[@intergalactic92]

Who says they’ve cut it?

[@yuvalne]

@@intergalactic92 they put Won Shi Tong in season one and changed Zhao's discovery of the water spirits to not be in the library. it's pretty obvious they've cut it. or at the very least, they shot themselves in the foot really badly.

[@Midorikonokami]

Remember Churchill? Remember during WW2 when they said told him he should take the funding out of the arts to increase the pockets of the war effort. Remember what he answered? Probably not, but I'll tell you. Paraphrased, he said "then what the f*ck are we fighting this war for?!" And that sums everything up. Knowledge, the arts, that is the entirety of your culture. If you are ready to go to war against another human being, and even if you aren't, then remember why your decision matters.

[@dylanmiller6169]

An observation i noticed when i first watched the episode was that Wan Shi Tong does not value practical knowledge. When Sokka presented him with a knot Wan called Sokka stupid. We know that isn't the case, but because he wasn't presented with a book or scroll on theory or thoughts he dismissed Sokka as an idiot.

[@AtarahDerek]

That moment is particularly brilliant because one of the places the Water Tribes take inspiration from is Polynesia. Traditionally, Polynesian voyaging canoes are held together almost entirely by knotwork. If you wanted to be a wayfinder, you had to know how to tie knots so well that they could literally hold your boat together for a thousand miles in seawater. So for Sokka, knowing fancy knotwork is not just a basic survival skill, it's crucial to the advancement of his culture and society. And Wan Shi Tong either doesn't realize this or doesn't care. Like everyone else, he underestimates Sokka. And like most everyone else, he pays for it later.

[@declanmckenna6854]

Also he doesn't want his knowledge to be used. He values the idea of knowledge and the impressiveness of such a large stock but if you try to use it he locks it away. Granted the Gaang wanted information to defeat the Fire Nation but you could make the argument that anything learned in the Library can be used to either help or harm. The final piece that turns the tide in the war (The Lion Turtle) was learned about in the Library so if Aang had said "maybe I can try to find a Lion Turtle in the Spirit World and ask for help" would Won Shi Tong had sunk the Library

[@juliandacosta6841]

He didn't give him any way to learn from it. If I give you a chessboard, that's not really a piece of knowledge. But if I write down all the moves the pieces can make, and that the game ends when you take the king, then it's something that people can learn from. He was also not very impressed with aang's poster, because that's also more of an artifact that needs additional explanation. But he can just whip up a sign, and voila, a new artifact for his library. The other two are appreciated because libraries have multiple editions of written works. If he adds instructions to the knot, it's not going to be different than any records of that knot he has in the library and HE'D have to make it. But it's also a kid's show, and they need a joke. Plus they were put on the spot to come up with a contribution.

[@zidaryn]

I think Wan Shi Tong valued written knowledge. If Sokka had given him a book on knot making he'd likely have liked that way more.

[@dylanmiller6169]

@@zidaryn and yet he took the spoken words of jinora for how a radio work. Didn't even call her stupid.

[@AlexIs-hi7kh]

I really appreciate the comment on that no knowledge is a waste. As a drama student, and art-focused person, it is all too easy to watch others choose more “important” paths in life. And yet, I don’t want to leave mine.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

Yep look node deconstruction algoritms They seem useless But now they are playing a big part in helping figure out enzymes

[@satori2890]

Jacqueline Carrey has a motto in her books "All Knowledge is Worth Having"

[@aronthedev3074]

Ahh yes, the library that most said didn't even exist!

[@HelloFutureMe]

aS yOu kNow

[@antarath517]

Get on with it

[@cameronjadewallace]

I came to the comments for this exact comment, found it, smiled and looked for more. There were none. I'm glad you posted this.

[@ROZWBRAZEL]

@@cameronjadewallace why are you *actively* searching for reminders of the thing that doesn’t exist?

[@cameronjadewallace]

@@ROZWBRAZEL the void craves, man. It doesn't know what it really wants, so it just consumes

[@deandredukes95]

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.

[@DogsandPennies]

Does studying not count as a type of observation?

[@knightofsvea604]

Ah yes the What is Intelligence vs Wisdom argument

[@TheRibottoStudios]

​@@DogsandPenniesthink of it more like....being aware of your surroundings. Studying helps you learn book smarts. Being observant helps with street smarts. Both are important.

[@mitchbandes2245]

There is a knot and it loosens.

[@trinefanmel]

I read a paraprosdokian recently (think "Where there's a will... I want to be in it.") that is actually quite profound: "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Make of that what you will.

[@Aashbard01]

2:45 Maya Angelou wrote a book like this that spoke to women who had experienced SA or R*** to speak out against it and open society's eyes to 2 of the world's darkest truth Often the most powerful books are the ones that are silenced because the government and most of society is fearful of seeing "I know why the caged bird sings"

[@CharlieQuartz]

The only books that can truly say they were silenced are the ones we don’t even know about.

[@solsystem1342]

​@@CharlieQuartz Silence isn't a yes/no property. Accessibility of art is a scale from easily freely available to totally lost

[@TheGamingSpartanA113]

I love the Library episode. Books should never be banned. I don't trust anyone who wants to ban books and keep knowledge, no matter how seemingly insignificant it is, from the hands of others.

[@AegixDrakan]

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who want to repeat it for the sake of power, eagerly want that knowledge to be lost. It's really upsetting.

[@hanzquejano7112]

When the son of our former dictator was running for presidency, tons of videos about how his father's oppressive rule was a lie by left-wing historians popped up online. That unfortunately worked and he's now our current president, we literally now recite his campaign slogan as a pledge before the flag.

[@smokedbeefandcheese4144]

Man makes history not as he wants but within his own limits. if you know your ship is sinking but you also know there’s no way to fix the hole and you also see that you have no lifeboats what benefit is the knowledge to you? There is no guarantee that any of the history you look at Will even be applicable either. Way better to look at Anthropologie or Sociology history for the most part is a propagandistic narrative

[@ChuJungyin]

"the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting - no more - then it motivates one towards originality and instills the desire for truth." -Plutarch, On Listening to Lectures.

[@kaikalter]

Always a good day when Hello Future Me does an avatar video

[@TheBeastyBlackSheep]

Always a good day when Hello Future Me does a video

[@Tessa_Gr]

Both my parents work for public libraries, a lot in the field of digitalisation. Making sure as many people as possible have access to books, newspapers, etc. It's a really cool job, imo. On the topic of access to dangerous knowledge: there are actually banned books that only some can access in the libraries my parents work at. In what is called the "Giftschrank" (poison shelf), there are books you have to get permission to read. Usually it's people researching the third Reich who read it. But even a lot of Nazi literature is publically available in Germany, even though many symbols of Naziism are illegal here.

[@entropino9928]

Of course they are illegal because they have power and they don't want you to have it.

[@Lack_Of_Interest]

@entropino9928 Considering your far-right subs, this is cringe "Nazis have a point" vibe check.

[@dragonbane97x]

​@entropino9928 dude go touch grass and actually talk to a woman. Your ideas are shit and you're being lied to. Please get help. Call your mom, tell her you love her

[@Tessa_Gr]

@@Lack_Of_Interest Funny how they did not at all consider how many Nazi works are still legal. The works in the 'poison shelf' are really few. Even 'Mein Kampf' is legal to buy, it was only illegal for a long time because the state of Bavaria had the copyright and chose not to publish it until the copyright expired. There is even a very interesting annotated version with fact-checks and comments from researchers that made a wave when the copyright expired.

[@entropino9928]

@@Lack_Of_Interest yea I am far right I am ultra right and ultra anti wrong

[@averywhitaker3513]

"Never in history have the good guys been the ones trying to ban books."

[@ramboturkey1926]

yeah the just censor misinformation on youtube instead

[@bestaround3323]

If a book has bad ideas, then it should be accessible so people may learn the flaws in those ideas. Provide context, not censorship.

[@eeg-rh7jv]

Imagune simplifing something so complex info a "Battle between good and bad guys"

[@bestaround3323]

@eeg-rh7jv okay out with it. What books do you want to ban?

[@averywhitaker3513]

@@eeg-rh7jv name one group of people who have tried to ban books that you think breaks this rule and I'll admit that this quote is a simplification. As it stands, this quote is about as objectively true as a subjective adjective can get

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

I like to unite "knowledge is power" with "with great power comes great responsibility" knowing is having a responsibility to act on it (haven't watched yet heh, also of course theres asterisks that come with that)

[@entropino9928]

Ahh and with that unity comes... Not everyone can be responsible, power must be kept safe.

[@Thoralmir]

"With knowledge comes fear!"

[@donutlovingwerewolf8837]

"Read what you like. But know this, knowledge is power. And power can be a tool or a weapon. And I will not hesitate to use it against you."

[@CrescentUmbreon]

And because a lack of knowledge can give power to others, and cause damaging mistakes, we have a responsibility to be knowledgeable when we act!

[@BorgNetzWerk]

Here I am, listening as a german PhD Student at one of the largest libraries, building a library for online educational content - Thank you for this gift, greatly appreciated :)

[@alexlowe2054]

I'm surprised that I didn't see any comparison of how the book burnings affected those keepers of knowledge. The theme of scars is a constant theme in the story of Zuko, and of the fire nation. From how Hama's water bending mimicks the scars of fire bending, to the scars of the people affected by the fire nation, to how the land itself is scared by the fire nation. Burning the library didn't just burn the books, it also burned Wan Shi Tong, in a way. His library being burned was the motivation for him to hide his knowledge away from the world. Burning knowledge didn't just burn the books, it also burned the curators of that knowledge. In that context, it's not just the library that's important to preserve, but also individual safety and freedom of people. Those books had to be written by someone. Things like harassing whistleblowers and punishing dissenting voices has a very chilling effect on how many people are willing to share their knowledge or stories with others. The more dangerous it is to share knowledge, the worse the world is.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

A good example is the boeing whistleblowers Kia Without them the alaska flight would definatly happen again But would it be with out deaths again ?

[@venabre]

People were stupid, sometimes. They thought the Library was a dangerous place because of all the magical books, which was true enough, but what made it really one of the most dangerous places there could ever be was the simple fact that it was a library. -Guards, Guards! (Terry Pratchet)

[@michaeljebbett160]

I was briefly involved with a Baptist group, and we burned my friend's "objectable" comics, and toasted marshmallows over the blaze. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it was a sad chapter if my life.

[@Nipah.Auauau]

Did the same except it was senior year graduation and it was our textbooks.

[@michaeljebbett160]

@@Nipah.Auauau ouch Condolences, friend

[@Nipah.Auauau]

@@michaeljebbett160 Yeah it was pretty fun at the time but looking back on it, it's like "damn, that was like $500"

[@iselwyr5411]

At least you learned and got better from the experience, many others don't

[@michaeljebbett160]

@iselwyr5411 I started getting bored with the whole thing pretty quickly, but it was learning more of science and history that pulled me out completely. It actually almost drove a permanent wedge between me and my friend, but we've since learned to leave politics and religion out of our friendship.

[@SetrinSkyheart]

Watched on Nebula but came here to comment. As a librarian, thank you.

[@TheNightmareRider]

Fantasy stories are like a kaleidoscope. They both reflect and refract our world into new forms, but also remind us why all art is inherently political. All art is based on the vision of the culture we live in, and so reflect the values of the author. When I seek out queer fiction, I want to learn how people like me can be a part of these worlds, how my identity is part of this creative process, questioning why cishet white people are required to be the default setting for characters. Queer folks like me have as much power in imagination as any cis person, and it always warms my heart to feel a part of that.

[@robhillen8007]

Knowledge isn't just power, but also morality. What people are told is moral and why determines what causes they're willing to fight for, so to limit their access to evidence to reasoning is to limit their ability to be truly moral. The only reason to want that is because you know noone would side with you if they were told the truth.

[@jamestipton3342]

To quote Revenge of the Sith, "there are heroes on both sides, but Evil is everywhere. "

[@DRida64]

I still, to this day, love to use the phrase "I could spend an eternity in here" to describe somewhere I enjoy. This episode hit different, even when I was a kid, and that type of phrase can so easily describe sincerity.

[@thecoconutman2646]

top 10 owl moments of owl time

[@josh-oo]

Shoulda said "Top 10 Moments of Owl Time". That woulda been funnier.

[@thecoconutman2646]

@@josh-oo affirmative

[@santiagodevillalobos9654]

In He-man and the Masters of the Universe the object in dispute is Castle Grayskull because it contains all the secrets of the universe, the knowledge of the Elders, etc. As Skeletor wisely said “books are the true treasures of the universe”

[@mathieuleader8601]

the Library of Ohara from One Piece is a great example of the themes of this episode

[@Catalyst375]

It is not just great but a perfect example. The World Government wiped out an entire island's population because they researched and gained knowledge of the Void Century. And, as the recent arc revealed, the scholars managed to save that knowledge from destruction against all odds, and what they found was literally world-shaking.

[@SoulHero7]

"Why dictators ban books" was a great title. Kinda wish you perserved it.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

And THIS is why it's such a horrible idea for the past lives to be lost. Knowledge is power. The Avatar had access to essentially a hard drive of the world's history via their past lives. The reason for this event makes it particularly egregious. They wanted Korra to be the focus. Not Aang. But you can do that without destroying his spirit. Or Roku's, or Yangchen's, or Kyoshi, or Kuruk. Think of how much Airbender knowledge is now lost. Think of what Korra could've learned about Dark Spirits from Kuruk, that is just gone. The past ALWAYS matters. To get rid of it is just bad writing. And it was never MEANT to happen as people say. Bryke made things up as the story went.

[@MommahKat]

Also how they handled her losing all of those past lives was done terribly. It is barely mentioned and the gravity of that loss isn't really felt at all.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

​@MommahKat I think the better way was if korra herself had done it. She was very headstrong and thought she could take on the world alone. She was the Avatar who needed FRIENDS? Then she learns what a terrible mistake it was but can't take it back. Ruining things for every future Avatar after her. Imagine if the Earthbender Avatar wanted to talk to Kyoshi? Or maybe they need to figure out how to negotiate peace talks and need Aang's help? Gone. It would fit her personality and the theme of season 2 as well. But to make her a victim of circumstances that she actually could've avoided is so stupid.

[@Catalyst375]

@@TheRibottoStudios That's not "the better way", far from it. That'd be character assassination and absolutely horrible for the story and the character. I mean, where do you even get the idea that Korra would be so "headstrong" as to get rid of her connection to her past lives, when you led with complaining about how Korra losing that connection was a horrible idea to begin with? It reads more like you just hate Korra's character to the extent that your "better way" would just be something that validates your dislike of the character.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Which is why Korra was worse than Avatar They essentially wanted to kill the spiritual side of the show cause it wasn't actiony enough.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

​@Catalyst375 in season 2 she completely disregarded Tenzin and her father to trust her Uncle. It isn't out the realm of possibility to go her own way.

[@khrazixanimations]

My favourite HFM videos are the ones where Tim just goes 'Here's something I want to talk about, how can I tie it back to Avatar?'

[@danielmalinen6337]

Libraries have power and sometimes libraries can also act as protectors of citizens. For extreme example, by removing some books, movies and serie from public access when their outdated language can be harmful, painful or traumatic for readers (such as containing banned words that can be considered racist). However, this is an extreme example of citizen protection that a library can do. And it is also up for debate whether this kind of protection is ethical or whether there is an attempt to conceal and hide the fact that something that is wrong now has been done in the past. For example, the Finnish public broadcasting company Yle has, for the past couple of years, gone through and cleaned its archives from Finnish media productions that would no longer be accepted and would be inappropriate to show to the public today. But because Yle renumbered the episodes of some old series so that viewers wouldn't ask for the missing episodes, this caused more backlash than the rough and problematic language of the removed and unlisted medias. Therefore many said that even though they don't approve of the use of banned words today, removing old media feels like a piece of history and story has been removed and have requested that the removed and unlisted medias should be returned to the media archive with a disclaimer, i.e. a warning statement. This tells about how difficult it is to draw a line about how much and how they should protect people.

[@entropino9928]

Maybe words shouldn't be banned and tyrannts that act hurt or traumatised should be hurt and traumatised more for their evil ways.

[@shafiurrahaman3396]

It is for no one to determine which ideas should exist. It is for everyone, the choice of which ideas to embrace. Don’t let anyone deny the existence of ideas for fear you would embrace them.

[@pixerature]

As someone who recently got into libraries via Libby and learned the unfortunate cost of ebooks for libraries through that, this is a great video. Libraries are so, so, so important and the fact that they're getting their fundings cut is such a travesty.

[@Sly-Moose]

Speaking about fighting against Martial Law (something that ABSOLUTELY should be abolished everywhere), have you heard about that one Uncensored Library server in Minecraft that shares with the rest of the world what their government's around the world tried covering up? That server was actually upsetting government officials so much that they kept trying to ban the server but to no avail 🤣

[@puddlel1ama327]

it's a very strongly held belief of mine that no information should ever be destroyed, and this includes dangerous information. Yes, Mein Kampf, or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, or the Anarchist's Cookbook, are all dangerous, and that danger needs to be recognised. But I believe that these works are nonetheless important to understand. Without the knowledge of *why* these works cause danger, we condemn ourselves to lies and inevitable repetition of their sins.

[@entropino9928]

Truth is dangerous, philosophy is dangerous, the good must be dangerous otherwise it is ineffectual.

[@ItsAllNunya]

It is difficult bordering impossible to formulate good out of thin air. Destruction of ideas that have done harm only means somebody will eventually think them up anew without being able to be convinced it was tried before and hurt a great many people. We must preserve it all. Every piece.

[@bestaround3323]

The last one is dangerous mainly due to how incorrect most of the information is. It is less dangerous to society at large and more dangerous to any fool who tries to use it.

[@eeg-rh7jv]

according to your logic, an extremely well detailed book that teach about how to create a terrorist attack with details on tactica, homemade weapons and bombs an how to counter tactics used by the authorities like bugging and wire taping should be allowed (all of what I mentioned is usually known by intelligence agency so it's not like they would just forget about it)

[@ItsAllNunya]

@@eeg-rh7jv everybody should know how to counter "tactics used by authorities", especially bullsht like wiretapping and other such crap used in surveillance and police states. Fight back for your right to privacy and autonomy.

[@marieroberts5664]

My Papa always said, sometimes yelled, "Knowledge is power". Something the Chinese know a lot about.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

This reminds me of some of the ways they used to circumvent censorship If it works it works even if its puttinf a video upsidedown in a fridge...

[@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece]

My local one is not technically free (I think), but since they haven't raised the fees for at least 20 years. Yeah pretty much free. 28€(~30$) per year. Even when I was a poor student 20 years ago I thought that was a good price. Oh, and there is a discounted rate of 50% for a lot of groups including students and people under 18. And depending on how you define it, technically you can use it for free. Because no one checks your library card before you try to borrow something. So reading stuff there might be officially free.

[@turtle4llama]

Knowledge is the cheapest power to gain and the easiest power to maintain. It is the most dangerous form of power.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

Just like the crossbow was The pope (i thinkvit was the pope i dont remeber well) even banned them Why ? Becose it let the avarige person to take down the best trained and equiped soulders with easy and with almost no training

[@HumbleWooper]

Which is why most oppressors suppress and manipulate it as one of their first moves toward gaining control. Intentionally incorrect (or partially incorrect, or poorly framed, or misleading) knowledge can make people do (or not do) all kinds of things they'd never dream of if they knew the truth.

[@EricIsntSmart]

I love this episode, i live for the eldritch and this episode is much more eldritch in nature than people realise at first

[@LazerDisk]

Hearing you hype up the owl reminded me of how I felt about that spirit prior to seeing him be made a fool of in Korra. Sort of undermines a rewatch and I’d say this happens a lot more than this one time.

[@JonathanGhost42]

I believe in the principle, that every book should be protected. If the content of the book is wrong and dangerous, then there should be a discussion about the content, an understanding how to handle the tings in this books and there also should be new books, who may dismantle this books, give counter-arguments... But there should NEVER be a destruction or censorship. Extremists of all kind always work on doing such things, because they lust for controll, but people must always fight again and again the fight against this creeping wrongs. (Sorry fort my english, but i am german speaking).

[@entropino9928]

The best books are the ones that are right and dangerous. But dangerous to who? To liars.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​​@@entropino9928liers hate all sort of things For example a record of what they have said Fact checking They like when people cheer on and belive anything they say Becose if people didnt then they wont have any power?

[@kaikalter]

I recently got On Writing and Worldbuilding volumes 2 and 3, and they have been very helpful. I hope you'll do a fourth and a fifth one some day, but that will be some years from now.

[@talkingtortoise3454]

We've been tricked! We thought this was going to be nerding out about Avatar, but it ended up being a treatise on the importance of public libraries in society. And also nerding out about Avatar.

[@InnocentNoodle]

One of my favourite episodes of any show

[@onbearfeet]

Every time I hear people talk about banning books with LGBTQ characters, I think about King of the Wind. King of the Wind, for those who don't know, is a Newbery-winning children's historical novel from the 1950s about an Arabian horse and the Moroccan boy who cares for him. I read it as a sheltered (supposedly) white kid growing up in a mostly white, mostly Christian US suburb. Agba, the boy in the book, was the first Muslim person I encountered, in fiction or reality, and he was introduced in the context of observing Ramadan, a religious tradition I knew nothing about. While the book was written by a white woman in the 1950s, she made an effort to get Agba's historical and cultural context mostly right. I was a senior in high school when 9/11 happened. Suddenly, half my class was planning to enlist, most of them because they wanted to kill the people they blamed for the attacks. The TV and radio were full of "experts" talking about how barbaric and inhuman Muslims were. And I remember being the odd one out, the one who never quite got in step with the people around me, because I kept thinking, "But what about Agba?" I knew he was fictional, but I also knew he had been written as a pretty normal boy with normal thoughts and feelings. He was hungry during a fast. He worried about an animal he loved. He was happy when he could do the things he liked best. The author had clearly done research on 18th-century Morocco. Wouldn't she have noticed if it had been full of inhuman monsters? It was just enough cognitive dissonance that, even in an era before everyone was constantly online, I was able to avoid getting caught up in the social currents that eventually swept most of my peers in that school into a far-right cult. All because, at age 9, I read a book about a horse that happened to have a little boy named Agba in it. I see why so many parents don't want their kids reading books that happen to have LGBTQ characters in them. I also see why it's so very important that those parents not get what they want.

[@tiph3802]

That was a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing. And yes, as a queer person, this is exactly what they fear. Us, humanized.

[@chevin0]

don't cross the local librarians, they can call on more people who had their lives changed than almost anyone else.

[@CompassRoseCreates]

As an American, this is hitting very hard. I’m very worried for our future

[@marcussabom2696]

Also American, so definitely feeling this hard as well.

[@lukefleetwood7958]

The books being banned for children in that context are of no value to anybody. They are degenerate nonsense made by pedos and groomers. It's like getting agitated that Mein Kampf is being removed from children's libraries.

[@artobe4258]

Make sure to vote if you are able. Only one side wants to limit education and ban books.

[@entropino9928]

@@artobe4258 That's true only one will allow homeschooling while the other must control education.

[@lukefleetwood7958]

@@artobe4258 Nothing of value is being limited or banned. Conspiracy theories and degenerate pedo nonsense.

[@dasbaums5842]

Hey. letting you know that, do to the translation and historie. Leafs from the Vine has a slightly diffrent meaning in german. And the german VA for Iroh also died shortly after. And that man was born into war. I watch ATLA in both german and english. And the german version has some sparks that the original doesn't have.

[@serenityphawx]

Heilige Scheiße, Du hattest Recht! Die Blätter 'verglühen' auf Deutsch. I've only watched it in English before. Are there any other ATLA scenes with similar translation differences that you can specifically remember and point me to? Greetings from Berlin, from the child of a librarian!

[@monikakavaliunaite8017]

Im currently reading "Frontier" by Grace Curtis. Its a futuristic post apocalyptic sapphic book and the first paragraph of Chapter 2 where we meet the protagonist who just crash landed from space down to earth starts like this: "Here is fact that doesn’t change: the best place to go for information is a library. Even if youre countless miles from home, dirty and worried, even if your mouth has a coperish tang where you hit your tongue on landing and you want to scream or pumel your fists into the dirt, or tear down a wall, or kick something, all out of pure frustration. Even if you dont like to read. Head to the library, theyll set you straight."

[@benjikaplan8752]

oh my god your script is so beautiful and the cadence with which you read it made the words so poetic. great video! thank you!

[@colingallagher1648]

It’s one of the best I remember re watching it and vividly recalling it when I was a child where deserts came up for like months

[@CaedenV]

I love the fantasy trope that magic is limited to a person's imagination... because that is the point. Humans are and always have been slaves to the limits of our own imaginations both individually and as a group. And while we are capable of imaging some pretty wild things, we are often limited to what we are exposed to. Until the internet, books were the cheapest and easiest way to expand our exposure to things beyond basic farming and substance living. Audio, video, and the internet have expanded this ability to preserve and distribute information. And in a great many respects generative AI is just the next step in that process. The idea that AI giving stupid answers like ice sinking to the bottom of water proves how bad it is misunderstands the past critique of every other knowledge medium in existance, and just how bad media literacy is. Yes, it gives some amazingly bad answers... as do most books, and most websites, and most people. Maintaining the body of knowledge is of extreme importance... but actually reading and understanding the body of work, and context around it, and sussing out the helpful from the 'less than helpful' information in any given medium is a muscle that needs to be exercised. We should never seek to ban knowledge, or stop opinion... these are core beliefs that should be preserved because hindering them will also silence new discoveries and truths yet to be told or understood. But we do need to figure out how to put it into context too. What the Nazis did to the Jews was evil, and one would think that we wouldn't need to paint it in an evil light because the evil of it is plain on the face of it... but many didn't view it as being 'that evil', so stories of Nazis flooded media as being cartoonish villians when the reality was so much more subtle. Hitler was more like a Putin or Trump with high charisma and a personal adjenda to pursue above any other care or concern than being like some literal devil. But we have lost the media literacy to see that... and its more than a bit disturbing. Rather than a pursuit of knowledge, people believe what is expedient, or tribal, or religious, or easy. We limit our scope and imagination to be exclusively what we want to believe, which silos us into echochambers jails that we cannot break free of. Knowledge is power, yes. But only because it powers our imaginations to see things outside of ourselves.

[@Skl-kat]

I think the ironic thing for me personally is, librarys are how I first watched Avatar the last Airbender. My mom would take my brother and I to our local library when we were little and we would pick out books and movies from the kids section. Avatar wasnt the only thing my brother and I pick out obviously its how i watched a lot of the Pokemon movies too but, I distinctly remember us checking out the dvd/Blu-ray set out a few times and I just stitting in aw as I'd rewatch the first couple episodes over and over again.

[@DrownedLamp]

Although it can be 'abused with wikis', I wish more games used knowledge as a reward. I've been trying out Noita, a wizard roguelite, I don't think there are any carryover upgrades from one life to another. You can unlock spells through exploration and progression but you still start with the same junk at the start of every run. You just figure out how things interact with each other. Where to find guaranteed drops, how to safely kill bosses. How to break the game without blowing yourself up. The biomes to explore for loot and the ones you should probably avoid without a proper purpose.

[@MrMah-zf6jk]

I'd suggest trying Outer Wilds (if you haven't already) for a game where knowledge is the reward. There aren't any upgrades, leveling up, or items required to progress; it's all about learning things and using that knowledge to piece together mysteries and discover secrets.

[@dinimueter9961]

Knowledge is power and libraries hold knowledge, that‘s why Idaho has a new law that says, children under 18 can‘t go to the library by themselves anymore, since they could see books that could be inappropriate (and parents have to sign a paper everytime their child wants to go to a library with them) and parents are allowed to tell the libraries which books should be banned from there.

[@therongjr]

YOU feel old?! I remember writing an essay about whether it's better to fund prisons or schools 25 years ago!

[@entropino9928]

hah what's the difference?

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@entropino9928one forces you to stay in a building day and night The other does it only for most of the day

[@cass7448]

@@nikolaideianov5092 Ignore them, they're spewing nonsense all over the comments.

[@mranima748]

@@entropino9928I’m gonna assume your a child

[@entropino9928]

@@mranima748 I am going to assume you’re a teacher.

[@marcopohl4875]

As I like to say, no good person ever burned a book.

[@EMLtheViewer]

Unless it’s, like, a death note or something

[@anthonyschlott916]

​@@EMLtheViewer If you find one of those, give it to me. It will be properly 'disposed' of.

[@Jest_Jester]

As my mom says “If someone bans a book that is the book you must read” because if a book is banned that means there is information that people don’t want you to know.

[@erikkesler1739]

So I am writing a story and this gave me lot to think about. The mage association in it is based in an enormous library (literally just called the great library) not just of magic tomes but knowledge of all sorts. Yes, their primary focus is the study of magic, and that is the biggest section, but it is, at its core, a library. I need to think more about what that says about the organization as a whole and also what the fact that the upper levels of the library being restricted to members with considerable achievement in good standing means. The upper floors are mostly magic tomes deemed to dangerous to the user but the people who assign books where are human, they could easily put books they do not like in restricted floors for political purpose. It makes me think about the motives of those who run it and especially the chairwoman.

[@LiliaArmoury]

just as i was needing inspiration for making massive library scatter terrain for warhammer and you come along to remind me of this episode

[@Stacy-tv7zo]

This whole video reminded me of the book Fahrenheit 451, which, for those who havent read it, is about the importance of knowlege and, more specifically, books in society.

[@Casutama]

This is an amazing video, I'll rewatch it straight away!

[@gargigolhar2886]

Yes Sir! Yes! The library is one of the most wonderful episodes! Love your channel, it helps much!

[@dionettaeon]

It's an absolute disgrace that there are those here in the US engaging in that same deplorable behavior that we fought against only a few generations ago. I'm staring at own bookshelves, now wonder about my personal library being its own bastion of knowledge, and how some of what it contains might no longer be found in public circulation.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

The republicans litteraly want to defund the department of education They are already banning books The future of the us is in a slippery slope in my opinion

[@mathieuleader8601]

the Penultimate Peril from A Series of Unfortunate Events is a great book on books

[@adumbmask]

I love your mids man. Ive been sick this week so have just been bindge watching all your videos. Love from a fellow kiwi

[@SylviaRustyFae]

wonderful vid, you touched on even more than id noticed on many a rewatch of this ep and reacts of it :3 I also love how you tied things to current circumstances too

[@RaineoftheDragons]

Seeing multiple clips of my local library just casually slipped into a video about ATLA was a jumpscare ngl.

[@TheSpearkan]

This video reminds me of something else relating to ATLA. A couple of years ago I conceptualised a fanfic depicting the next Avatar after Korra (like a lot of other people, I know) but this version would start in a very grim tone. Of an Avatar that, after only being identified later in life and forced to a brutal training regimen by an eldery Jinora, lost hope for a world torn apart by corporate greed, extremist groups trying to revive Sozins ideals and a looming apocalypse as the Spirit World is detaching itself from the physical world. And where did the Avatar flee to? Wan Shi Tongs library, offering the last chance to record every last record of the physical world with computers and the internet (It is set 50 years after Season 4) before it is all gone in exchange for sanctuary in the library. Of course, I didn't intend to write it in full because I don't have good enough writing skills to do the story justice but this point can say a lot about how writings are a way to preserve something long after it's gone. After all, how else would we have known about Ea-Nasirs tomfoolery with the copper trade?

[@Hrafnskald]

Great video, and I love the little shoutouts to Austin public libraries, where I learned to love reading and stories :)

[@AnonymousTranquility]

A lot of my earliest memories as a child was spent at the school or public library. It’s a place that helped me learn more about the world and society that we live in. With the rise and prevalence of digital information, hard copies are just built different and can be better protected for years to come.

[@bleachelf]

This is such an interesting tiny piece of the series, and I am delighted to hear you talk about it. (:

[@mywither7878]

I love the passion and reverence you show here and the overall emphasis on how the themes in the episode relate to our real world. How important it is to protect knowledge and preserve power for ourselves and for others.

[@felipenoleto166]

knowledge should be free by all means, thats one of the marvels of the digital era and piracy, instead of cherishing this information, its all being lost behind copyright laws that privatize and remove it everyday.

[@SnatchedCafe628]

This video came by just as I was trying to think of a topic for my English Class' presentation. I think I know what I want to talk about now. Thanks, Tim!

[@theyakkoman]

A thought I have as for the "unnecessary knowledge"... We humans learn new things by building on old things. How often have you not explained something, or have it explained to you, as "it's kind of like X, only with Y instead of Z" or a similar phrase? And other interests and "unnecessary knowledge" can lead to different paths and new innovations. It's easy to dismiss a lot of things as unoriginal, but unless we actually try to put two seemingly unrelated or even opposite things together, we'll never innovate or create anything new. It is in the meeting of opposites and strange combinations that wonder happen.

[@Justincredible1227]

As an American who grew up in a household that rejected a fuller passion for learning and watching our country speed head first into a theocracy and a dictatorship I really appreciate this message. Fascist uprisings are happening globally and I see it as the death throws of a dying capitalism. It won't die peacefully but it must die to preserve our world and our species including the other species that share this one rock among many who is the only one that hosts life that can be observed by us. I appreciate this message.

[@TheChemicalMuffin]

As a librarian I appreciate this video but also: please consider archivists. Especially when we talk about preserving knowledge and keeping knowledge over long time, Archivists are the true heros in this area.

[@tangorex2618]

Thank you so much, Tim! As a librarian who has a deep desire to defend "forbidden knowledge" that even I don't agree with and fears those who wish to destroy them, it's wonderful to see someone with power standing up and reminding the population of what they have here... and what they could potentially lose to greedy politicians and people who wish to destroy our "forbidden knowledge"

[@PolucsAviintaasbionicle]

Hey Tim? Thank you for this video. I was initially planning on going into history for my career, but after some roadblocks it looks like I'll be a librarian instead. I already love love library work, but I was feeling sad over the change in goals. What you had to say cuts right to the quick on why I love my job; I love helping people learn, to better themselves, to gain knowledge that helps them physically and mentally. That reminder is making me feel reinvigorated about this new course in my life. Thank you.

[@Thoralmir]

In counterpoint, I present this quote from the works of H.P. Lovecraft: “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.”

[@anthonyschlott916]

Idk which work this is from but thanks for sharing! Guess if this choice was offered, Id choose to go mad.

[@CharlieQuartz]

While I do like to think of this quote in regards to technologies like nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence, it’s impossible to escape the reality that Lovecraft would have directed his ire to the evils of air conditioning and television - due to their subversion of the proper order of society. He was afraid the influence of other cultures and peoples would dilute and weaken his own, which was basically the fear that his bigoted biases would be challenged.

[@Nipah.Auauau]

@@CharlieQuartz I mean if you look at Europe rn, he seems pretty right.

[@mdog9677]

Katara isn't just the last of her people in a way, she's one of the two only confirmed southern waterbenders in existence. She is literally the last, she was born last and if she'd never learned to bend it probably would have died with her in the southern pole. She was the last waterbender in the south, no question. A huge part of her heritage would have been completely lost with her death

[@ignaciosuarezaboy]

First video I watch of yours and, if you'll allow me to judge a book by its cover, I already know I'm gonna love to watch many others. I love the message both in content and in delivery. Thank you!

[@ollie2111]

This always reminds me of the Ps2 game, cause I played the Avatar game for Book 2 so many times that actually the stuff I remember most in the season is mostly just the stuff that was touched on by the game 😂. Even though I've seen the show a hundred times too.

[@jamescoconut1282]

I appreciate this type of content on yt!

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

This was such an insightful video, thank you! I have also always had a love for libraries - in fact, I have this thing I write for fun which is basically a Discworld spinoff about a Guild of Librarians that serve as guardians of their worlds (inspired by Terry’s idea of L-Space, a space that connects any accumulation of books that is big enough to other places where books dwell). However, I never realised just how accurate the image of librarians as guardians really was! Libraries are havens which need to be protected.

[@ABZB13]

I don't view Aang's taking Ozai's bending rather than killing him to be a mercy - rather, it was punishment that, for Ozai, was far more torturous than mere death in battle and much more effectively delegitimized both him and his path, which is why I approve of it.

[@rblcoles]

This was the first episode I watched (all the way through) as a kid. I recorded it and watched it over and over. We didn't have whatever channel ATLA aired on, so I treasured it and became a huge fan without understanding any of the story that came before.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Yessir! Love your content

[@ZhongliArchonofSwag]

The Owl’s hatred of humans is still the most hilarious thing to me. You realize that without humans you wouldn’t have any books and scrolls to steal in the first place, right?

[@Edaxidous]

I will order all three come September. I’m currently building a world. cultures, people, history. I’m having a lot of fun doing it.

[@taihundareis]

As a German, I have to ask: How did you come across the German title of the episode? Because now I can't help but imagine you randomly rewatching ATLA episodes in various languages, which is no problem since you know every line anyway :-P