Zaheer and Anarchism

[@ZagTheRaccoon]

*BTW, I'm planning to make a comment response video to accompany my next video, so please leave your feelings below to be featured!* I intend to speak as a peer, not an authority, so I want to elevate your insights/niceness! Thank you for helping me stumble through this new thing I'm building 💙. - 🦝

[@tonitoni9984]

I love, that there are still people, who get inspired by this show to make a video, cause usuall they turn out great, like this one😊 For anyone who is still interested in the philosophy of Zaheer, here is an other great video about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjGlqerh5h9rJI And if for some reason someone finds this comment, who didn't wachted the show or want to remember what it was about, here is a short but great recap: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5m2ZZRnZs-Nhck ❤

[@Adam_Bosscoe]

Thought to be added to your review: What are your thoughts on "Anarchists can't claim moral superiority due to the fact tyranny always follows a power vacuum. They have to be able to ask themselves 'am I willing to live with the inevitable consequences of what my actions will produce?' and not approach it so naively."

[@al-ameenkudehinbu8067]

Keep creating content lad that was amazing for a first Video essay really well put together.

[@gabe20244]

Going to add this here. Before I say anything else, I appreciate your description of anarchism being one myself. That alone got the subscribe from me. Edit: I just watched the last bit and you basically criticize Zaheer with some of the same points I do with not understanding systematic forces that cause oppression and the hierarchy that preexists for the people in this world. Now I'm not completely done, 21 minutes in, I just gotta comment on a few things. I hate the way Zaheer is portrayed in Kora. He talks the good talk, describes anarchism pretty well for the most part, but I feel like he is more the idea of Anarchism without the true understanding of the actions needed to make it happen. I feel the writers read a thread on Reddit about Anarchism and thought it'd be cool to make one of the antagonists one. I say this because Anarchists that I know, and ones throughout history, are big on community action and making sure the community is taken care of. Zaheer did something Anarchists don't do, take a group of highly skilled people to topple a figure-head in an oppressive government. I would have liked to see Zaheer have been in a crowd of people, getting the people's opinion, and getting the people to join him in insurrection to topple the figure-head. Since he was the one to do it, then he ended up doing the thing that he speaks against: He made a decision in place of the people. He spoke for them. Because of that, there was no way for the people to build something to replace it. This allowed Kuvira to take advantage of the power vacuum. There was no plan to maintain a people's choice government or society. He was careless and acted without consensus. You could argue that this wouldn't give them an antagonist to work with, but that's where you're wrong! The queen is easily the antagonist, and Korra could have instead spent time arguing with the philosophical approach of Zaheer vs more traditional teachings provided by Tenzen or other instructional figures in the show. I find Zaheer was a missed opportunity to show a different approach and internal conflict within the show run.

[@PeebeesPet]

It seems you have not seen the classic video series by Key and Skittles in which one of the videos covers this very topic. That video showed quite convincingly that Zaheer isn’t an anarchist but rather a caricature of an anarchist by the authors who are very against radical politics of all kinds in favor of democratic neo-liberalism.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

Actually, it is heavily implied that Zaheer's ideal world is a stateless world filled with communities driven by mutual aid. That's what he means by "where man's only allegiance is to himself and those he loves." And it wouldn't be far fetched to assume the Red Lotus would have tried to guide people into that world had they not been forced into hiding again.

[@ericareaper8750]

Is it implied communities help each other? I haven't watched the show for quite awhile

[@janfungusamon4926]

@@ericareaper8750 I watched it recently and don't remember them supporting it, however anarchism itself does.

[@Ule_blood]

Why does this world sound like a pipe dream

[@roku144]

@@ericareaper8750 I definitely did not pick up on that. I got more of a stronger (American) libertarian philosophy, where only the strongest survive

[@therabbithole993]

Voluntarism we had to come up with a new name.Anarchys definition as been tainted.Voluntarism is the new anarchy.

[@PartTimeLich]

how the fuck does an avatar youtuber have an clearer, more just dialectic breakdown on (one) anarchist sub stream than whatever has ever been tought in public education i really enjoyed this one, very refreshing

[@mattevans4377]

Kuvira wasn't just Earth Queen 2.0, she actually shows that if you look after the majority of people, with things like security, food, and infrastructure, they'll look the other way when you do bad things. It actually gives a really important insight in how to stop tyrants like her, because they only rise if people's needs aren't met. So, if you met those needs, people like Kuvira can't rise. And it happened IRL too. The Weimar republic collapsed, the people got desperate, and elected a tyrant that made things better for the majority of them, so they looked the other way when the atrocities happened. And now it's looking like it'll happen again with the cost of living crisis. But we can stop it, if we learn the right lesson, and help those struggling.

[@techissus7449]

You're missing a key part, because the tyrants only won because the communists, trade unionists and anarchists lost, without them to beat back the tide of fascism the Weimar republic would be very progressive. And let's just say it wasn't the fascists who killed Anti-Fascists

[@snapgab]

She was also very smart in how she worked to give people something to feel proud about, she very actively promoted a spirit of nationalism in the people in a way that the Earth Queen failed to do. The Earth Queen just wanted to exploit her people to fund her lavish gardens, but she never bothered with making the people feel like they were part of a bigger whole and that this made their sacrifice worth it. Kuvira was different, I doubt that she actually did THAT much to improve people's material conditions, Opal hints at the reality being very disappointing when talking to Bolin. But she realized that she doesn't ACTUALLY have to improve people's lives, she just has to give them a sense of national pride, which she did with military parades and constant promises of turning the country into the most technologically advanced country in the world, rather than the impoverished backwater that it was under the Earth Queen. In reality I'm sure that there would've still been tons of impoverished people, not to mention all the people languishing in forced labor camps, but Kuvira was smart enough to ensure that there'd be military parades and big ceremonies to show off the occasional car or other technology she'd donate to villages, making people feel like they're part of an advanced nation that they can be proud of even if they're still poor and oppressed in the end.

[@TheRoomforImprovement]

Hippie chad is the most accurate description of Zaheer.

[@ameliasegan2138]

It made me laugh

[@SecondhandMousse]

They had to make Zaheer do things like take the air nomads captive and go back on his deal because, narratively, he had to do evil things to justify the fact he was a bad guy. If you didn't do these "bad guy things", it would be pretty hard to root against him, so to me it feels more like a narrative contrivance than something a person with his set of beliefs would actually do. It's something I've been seeing more and more in media like this, another recent example being the villains of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Their views and goals are pretty sound, but at some point they just murder a bunch of people because if they didn't do something evil it would be hard to paint them as bad guys. The characters don't even have a good explanation of why they do it.

[@SecondhandMousse]

That being said, really love this video. I've seen more than a few video essays on Zaheer's politics from people who clearly have no grasp of anarchist theory or what anarchism is so I almost didn't even start watching this lol

[@PancakemonsterFO4]

Same thing in "The Batman" with the Riddler, if he didn't flood the dam his actions would have been a better net positive then the batbullies

[@BlueBedouin]

Its literally propaganda against anarchism. RDR2's Dutch is also written to be some egoistic loony so ppl overlook how his understandable rejection of industrialization of America

[@JustYTWatching]

Watch "Marvel's Defenders of The Status Quo" by Pop Culture Detective. It's exactly about what you're saying. Having the antagonists do something "evil" that wasn't actually necessary just so you know who to actually root for has gotta be one of if not the most obnoxious thing in fiction. It's like the writers aren't brave enough to tackle issues all the way through, like for fear of "promoting" insurrection.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

That didn't come out of nowhere. Zaheer was always depicted having warped morals. He's a zealot.

[@Ryan-vw5ul]

The Bandits in Book 4 always rubbed me the wrong way. It felt a lot like Fire Emblem and they weren't foreshadowed at all. It would've been cool if they were low level regional Earth Nation rulers who seized on the instability caused by the Earth Queen's assassination and broke away Warlord Era-style. One of them could have even been inspired by Zaheer and then through that we could have seen an alternative take on anarchist praxis.

[@johnsmith-hj3gp]

love this video essay, very insightful and expository. Zaheer has always been the best avatar villain to me. But like you said, i feel a lot of his views were not all well thought out. I love how he was able to help korra into the spirit world, wasn't just some one dimensional villain, A limited show or movie about him and his red lotus gang would go so hard

[@lachlancampbell6328]

Holy hell an actual look at the red lotus through an actual look through anarchist political views without writing them off. Amazing and love it

[@quincykunz3481]

I find it interesting that the only real check on the avatar's power is contained in the process required for them to gain power. Nobody can easily hold them accountable for their actions, and avatars are certainly fallable. But in order to utilize their full potential, they need to master each element, and that requires experiencing multiple cultures and philosophies. It requires familiarity with passion, pragmatism, harmony, and spirituality. So while an avatar is capable of foolishness or evil, their training at least makes them more likely than the average person to develop a nuanced, balanced perspective.

[@trinity9792]

after watching this video i can't help but think about the parallels between zaheer's group and the gaang in atla where they both were in opposition to oppressive forces such as the fire nation, jet's attempted massacre, and ecocide. It's honestly quite surprising how similar the two are. Also it's weird bc even though korra is the reincarnation of aang she is way more brash and authoritative than aang is while zaheer is a lot more like aang. i would go as far to say that maybe aang believes that the avatar shouldn't exist bc it's an unrealistic expectation for one person to solve the world's problems (mfs really expected a 12yo to kill a grown man who is an alleged firebending master and successor of a system of oppression and genocie)

[@luckypeanut9943]

The red lotus should have gotten at MINIMUM two seasons. Would have been a super interesting to deep dive to see how they challenge the white lotus, who seem to become much more involved in public affairs

[@tnttiger3079]

i think it's also worth considering how Zaheer fits into the themes laid out by Toph in season 4. While he arguably encourages a Fascist to rise to power, once she is defeated, the Earth Kingdom doesn't return to a monarchy- rather, it begins the transition to free and open elections. While his ultimate goals are not achieved, via the push and pull of history and ideology he does in fact grand the people of the new Earth Nation a greater degree of the political freedom he fought for.

[@JayPfo]

This is the most sympathetic take on Zahir I've seen without also condoning his actions, you even have actionable steps for others to take if they agree with him ideologically but not in practice. God damn this a good ass video

[@therabbithole993]

Thank you for using the actual definition of anarchy instead of that chaos and destruction bs

[@mouse3872]

Okay so something you pointed out about how without an Avatar people would rise up and take action is actually something that is tackled more in both shows than people realize and I would love to see a Video Essay that discusses this. Like I will provide some examples from both shows. So after Aang is "killed" at the end of season 2 of ATLA Iroh who at this point believes Aang is dead sends Zuko on a journey to discover his past heritage with Avatar Roku and at the end specifically states that he ALONE can end this war and cleanse the sins of their family and the Fire Nation most people take this as helping Aang but again it's unlikely Iroh knows Aang is alive thus he is pushing Zuko to fill the gap that Aangs death left with the idea that Iroh could push Zuko back to the side of Good then he and Zuko along with the White Lotus who he gathers of his own accord later could oppose the Fire Lord and Azula dethrone them and potentially end the war not Iroh mentions later that the Avatar is the only one who can end the war "peacefully" but he doesn't believe the Avatar is the only one who can end the war essentially meaning that Others could end the war but it would be far more bloody. The 2nd Example is Zukos actions after Aangs death and his retirement. It is stated that Zuko after he steps down as Fire Lord travels the world as an ambassador and helps solve the worlds problems. Well remember Korra wasn't doing this at the time there was essentially no Avatar from when Aang died and when Korra turned 16. The White Lotus seemed to fill that gap at first but it's clear a Symbol of Peace needed to be established and Zuko basically filled the power Vacuum of the Avatar until Korra finally starts traveling the World and being the Avatar. We see this partially when Zuko on his own gathers a team to take down the Red Lotus before they can assemble. The 3rd example is the one you gave in the video of how after Korra is paralyzed by Zaheer people all over the world stepped up and made an effort to fill the gap the Avatar left.

[@angela_merkeI]

Very good analysis. What Zaheer tried to achieve is something that (according to my limited understanding) historic anarchists have realized pretty quickly - that getting rid of a few autocrats doesn't change anything and that the propaganda of the deed doesn't work. On the other side you have something like the FAI-CNT during the Spanish Civil War that had decades of ground work, class struggle, unionization, agitprop, etc. behind it, before it could gain the support it had.

[@colin9112]

"why is zahir allowed to destroy governments?" it's based, next question

[@amavikairo]

This is a really wonderful breakdown, thank you for all the effort you put into making it! Not only is the content well thought out, clear, and concise, but the video editing and sound quality are stellar. No pressure but I look forward to anything else you choose to put out! This has given me much to think about.

[@space1546]

The problem with Zaheer is that he is written to be wrong. The writers made a complex, interesting, and well thought out force for change, realized that he was the good guy, and then threw in a bunch of reasons that he's evil that all contradict his character. When re-thought to be an actually well-read anarchist in both thought and practice, Zaheer becomes the only character with a consistent moral framework at all. His opponents, whether they be fascists, monarchists, soc dems, or even the avatar, believe in a system of whoever can crush all opposing viewpoints through institutional violence determining the moral lense of society. (Aka, monopolizing violence, making all definitionally proponents of the state) Zaheer believes that the ethical framework of a society should be developed by all through equal terms and the state is fundamentally in opposition to that. This means that if Zaheer wins, he would be considered right by virtue of destroying each groups claim to a monopoly on violence, however, in the event of *his* defeat, *his* framework would still consider him right. The whole reason everyone joins hands with the fascists to defeat him is that, should any state be abolished, the moral framework shifts in such a way that no state can reclaim power where it has been abolished as well as weaken every other state's hold to power. Because the reality of violence not being an evil but rather a tool who's moral value is determined by it's weilder has been acknowledged, there is no longer ground to claim Zaheer is immoral. On the other hand, Zaheer shows that all other uses of violence are immoral. The only way you get out of acknowledging the avatar is institutionally unjust and that all states need to be abolished is by shifting focus from his ideals to him contradicting himself. The lense through which morality is being viewed has now shifted from, "Zaheer fundamentally is the only person who can be called the good guy," to, "Zaheer's ideas are wrong because they could never be implemented and only cause evil through their failure. (so please ignore the dozens of real life instances in which this ideology has been put in place successfully without compromising it's ideals in any way)" The narrative introduces a plotline that forces the viewer to come to terms with the fact that the avatar is a medium for state violence, the supposed "good government" would rather put the literal most evil people available in charge than give up a fraction of a slice of power, and the state needs to be abolished, and then refuses to deal with any of it by throwing it all out because it forced the guy who brings light to these things to contradict himself despite him doing so making no sense, being inaccurate to the history, and generally making the story worse.

[@gljames24]

To give people examples of anarchist/left libertarian successes: Worker cooperatives like Rei and Mondragon, consumer cooperatives like Garkane engery, countless housing cooperatives that are cheaper to afford than traditional housing, farming cooperatives like Sunkist and Land O' Lakes altho not true cooperatives, and the free and open source (FOSS) movement which enables all modern electronic devices and the internet at large.

[@space1546]

@@gljames24 I'm personally more of a fan of instances of total independence from capitalist systems like the Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities and Rojava today as well as the countless projects destroyed by capitalist imperialism that made great strides for the movement like the CNT FAI, KPAM, and Ukrainian Free Territory. While work within capitalist systems is no doubt incredibly important, too much focus on it risks recouperation of radical movements by capital.

[@damilarewilliams6425]

Damn this may be THE BEST video essay ever. You've made the story better for illustrating its thematic depth. I love Zaheer's character for his 3 dimensional goals and failures.

[@adisappointment3453]

i appreciate how they made him "hate" the avatar as a whole and not just korra personally, like kuvira and amon did

[@tarapanda]

I think Kuvira was the only main antagonist who hated Kora personally for not fulfilling her role when the earth kingdom was in ‘chaos’. Amon targeted the avatar as the the symbol of bending supremacy. Unalaq and Vaatu targeted the avatar because of Wan and Raava. And as mentioned in the video Zaheer targeted the Avatar for what they represent. Hell most of the villains in atla targeted Aang for the threat the of the Avatar not a personal grudge.

[@adisappointment3453]

@@tarapanda i was basically talking about how he didnt like the idea of an avatar existing as a whole, he never hated korra, he hated the idea that someone was superior to someone else simply because they were born the avatar, i think that neither noatak nor unalaq would be willing to help korra when need be like zaheer did

[@lillith3159]

i think the only real mistake zaheer made was triying to kill korra instead of convincing her to join his side. Im pretty sure that korra would have at least hear him out

[@ToxicRainStorm]

Correction at 3:35, anarchists aren’t completely against hierarchies. Just hierarchies that can’t justify themselves. A teacher/student hierarchy is often seen as justified among anarchists, plus its voluntary

[@hassanalkhalaf1115]

Why is democracy problematic then? Its voluntary if you pick a leader

[@ToxicRainStorm]

@@hassanalkhalaf1115 democracy isn’t problematic. Anarchism is a form of democracy. It’s not the voting that anarchists have a problem with, it’s a centralized entity coercing people and wielding violence against said people that they don’t look.

[@peripheralvission]

@@hassanalkhalaf1115 Democracy is generally fine in Anarchism. Republics are not. The fact that who you can vote for is largely controlled by the existing powers would place Republics very low in the eyes of an anarchist.

[@WhyitJellyDonut]

@@hassanalkhalaf1115 Democractic process is fine as long as it does not violate the rights of others. Governments through taxation, conscription, and its monopoly on violence, violate the rights of people by enslaving them. Say the entire town owned a road(public road basically) and many wanted to expand it. It would be fine for them to gather together to ask for funds and permission from the other people in town to work on it(a vote and ask for money to do it). But the way it is now, a mayor can randomly decide what can be done with other peoples property(taxes) under the threat of violence if they do not give their money to the government. The most important part is consent. I recommend the books: Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard, and No Treason by Lysander Spooner if you want some shorter reads on arguments against the state. If you want a big book with a bunch of different Anarchist essays: The Anarchist Handbook by Michael Malice, is a collection of both of those previous books with many others. I hope this helps :)

[@hassanalkhalaf1115]

@@WhyitJellyDonut thanks for your awnser and book recommendations. I'm going to check them out. But I still have a question: is Taxation viewed as something negative in Anarchism?

[@reynoldfroese8439]

As an anarchist, thank you so much for this insightful and nuanced analysis. You perfectly highlighted that without the necessary cultural development, destroying a regime creates a power vacuum that at best is replaced by another hierarchy and often attracts something worse. I believe the most important steps we can take toward social progress involve practising empathy, being open to learning while thinking critically, challenging our biases, working collectively, and teaching by example. The means are part of the ends.

[@tamirisgaelzer1902]

Such a great video! It's very interesting to see anarchism being respectfully talked about

[@a_somebody9519]

I am somewhat amused by how positively Zaofu is portrayed here as I've always believed Kuvira's opinions on how stuff should work might have been influenced by living in a surveillance state (the truthtellers, and at least one instance of tracking her kids I can recall off the top of my head, etc) Also Suyin's lenient policy seemed less like some high-minded ideal of reintegration vs punishment and more "war criminals are good if I find them funny, but going against me personally is unforgivable"

[@balazsadam3861]

Minor inaccuracy at 11:40 The injustices did actually lead to a systemic change after season 1, as the United Republic became a democracy with general elections and a president. Before that the state was controlled by a council of representatives from the 4 nations and it was not specified in the show how they were appointed, but the wiki says that they were "non-elected". So there was indeed a change towards people's representation and self determination through democracy. And the show did touch on the downsides of this system too. The president refused to take any decisive action against the northern water tribe, and then later banished Korra because she was becoming unpopular and would've jeopardized his chances in the next election. Not to mention him funding and enabling Kuvira's fascist authoritarianism to achieve stability and secure the status quo, which is something we see all too often in the real world too. Anyway, this was an AMAZING first video! I cannot wait for more from you.

[@snapgab]

A lot of people criticize the show's portrayal of anarchism, which I think is largely fair. However, while I do think that the writers of LOK are rather politically illiterate and don't seem to know much about what anarchism is really like (as evidenced by Zaheer saying "the only true order is disorder" or something like that.), and people rightly criticize the show's writing for this, I think it's worth noting that we never saw his full plan come to fruition. The first steps of his plans focused on violent revolutionary stuff, kind of by neccesity, but he did at one point briefly outline that he had plans beyond that, when he talked about how the Red Lotus would "plant seeds for a new world to flourish". It's not like his plan was to just kill all world leaders and then go to the sidelines to eat popcorn, he certainly wouldn't have stood idle while a warlord like Kuvira rose to power, and I feel like he implied that the Red Lotus would have played an educational role and a role in setting up mutual aid networks.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

They're not politically illiterate, you misunderstood "true order is disorder." What he meant by that is that new growth and change is dependent on disorder.

[@snapgab]

@@vetarlittorf1807 Korra said that the world would be thrown into chaos, and then Zaheer basically responded with "yeah that's what I want", that's the context in which he said that true order is disorder. That makes it sound to me like it's the end goal. If someone talks about the natural order then why would you assume that they're just talking about a neccesary but temporary state of being? Seems to me like when someone talks about the natural order, they're talking about what the world should be like all the time. Especially since Zaheer repeats that same line about chaos being the natural order once again, after he's captured. Regardless, this is far from the only reason why I call the writers politically illiterate, they are liberals after all not leftists.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

@@snapgab No. The context is that he wants chaos to create change and growth. He even brings context to this belief to Korra by quoting Guru Laghima's wisdom about how new growth requires the destruction of the old. Furthermore, chaos being the natural order is also referring to what he said to the White Lotus guards in the beginning, that nature is in constant shift. Ergo, the universe is inherently chaotic. And the Red Lotus believe that governments are illegitimate hierarchies that are stifling natural law and human nature. But note that Zaheer never opposes an organized society. In fact, he openly advocates a society where "man's only allegiance is to himself and those he loves." In other words, a society where people are only loyal to the community rather than a ruling class. He's fascinated with the Air Nomads because they are stateless and their leaders serve their communities rather than overseeing them with political power. And it's the same kind of leadership the Red Lotus uses. The show more or less portrays the Air Nation as the "good anarchists" and the Red Lotus as the "bad anarchists." People tend to miss these details because they're too preoccupied with the "natural order is disorder" line and take it out of context.

[@sargecad3t]

Really wish the show runners had actually researched anarchist theory rather than just skimming the wikipedia page

[@tetsuc4bra577]

While I doubt it was intentional, it does flesh out Zaheer's ideology and emphasize his flaws. Those not just being a radical on a killing spree but how he constantly contradicts his own ideology.

[@Hillykarma]

@@tetsuc4bra577 no please you have to represent my pet ideology as perfect because that's how I view it

[@DavidRYates-tk2tq]

​@@Hillykarma well, yeah, because real Anarchism IS perfect.

[@hopedefiant]

0:49 Insurrectionary Anarchism 4:05 The Avatar as Metaphor 5:12 What's wrong with the Avatar? 6:10 The Social Role 10:26 Zaheer's critiques of the world governments (unofficial marker) 13:07 Meanwhile in Zaofu 14:25 Kuvira 16:19 Neoliberal geopolitics as a barrier to social justice (unofficial marker) 17:41 An argument against consequentialist analysis (unofficial marker) 20:10 Still… Zaheer kinda sucks, actually? Regarding roving bandits popping up like ads after the Earth Queen's death, weren't many historical "bandits" after a central power's collapse often ex-soldiers who were suddenly out of work after their funding dried up? Upon reflection, it seems strange that the wheels of such an entrenched bureaucracy as the Earth Kingdom would seize up with the death of a monarch. I guess telling the tale of dismantling a bureaucratic system with multiple redundancies makes for much less compelling storytelling than one weeaboo taking down one monarch. Also gotta love Hornet's theme!

[@spencernaugle]

I may be wrong, Bandits are not my area of expertise in Avatar Lore. But I believe that in the Lore... The Earth Kingdom has had a large bandit problem for most of its history. Until the hundred years war, because no war had ever really been that big before, such a major percentage of the population was sent out to battle decade after decade that even a crappy bandit could become a low ranking military guy for consistent pay and a "better" life. Then after the war was over, back to having lots of bandits.

[@daralic2255]

My gripe is the only reason airbenders were able to live that non-hierarchical lifestyle was because they all had powers. Without a class with less power it made oppressive forces difficult to manifest

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

Actually it's because they don't produce a thing. They literally have no surplus. A elite class cannot form because there is no resources to hord

[@spencernaugle]

From a Lore perspective, you kinda got this one backwards. In the Avatar world bending is often strongly connected to spirituality. The Earth Kingdom being the least spiritual nation (Grounded Haha) has the lowest percentage of population being benders. And the Air Nomads being the most spiritual have a 100% bender population, so it is the fact that they built a spiritual peaceful society that led to the equality of everyone being a bender. Or because of the Lion Turtle cities thing... After the Avatar separated the spirit & physical world, humans no longer needed the lion turtles protection, so they were all sent off, each human was given bending before leaving their lion turtle. But over the centuries less and less people were born with bending depending on the spirituality of the people. So the fact that the Airbenders had already built a peaceful society beforehand meant they were able to maintain the equality of bending and help maintain their peaceful society. A positive feedback loop.

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@spencernaugle I prefer my idea

[@spencernaugle]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl Lately it seems that KZbin decides to hide certain replies to comments. It shows me the number of replies, so I can see I'm missing one, but it won't let me read it.

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@spencernaugle yeah happens with me as well. Anyway. My idea is that they are so equal. Because they produce nothing

[@mosesmm5473]

To it's credit, the villains of Legend of Korra do raise interesting points, or are trying to solve interesting problems as say, Kuvira was trying to establish law and security to the Earth Kingdom, while Zaheer was trying to tear down a repressive, corrupt system but what really messes with things is that as you say, the characters never engage with these problems, they are never analyzed. With Amon, they barely touch on non-bender oppression and then just hand wave it with a non-bender president-one that Korra doesn't even respect as in the following season, when he refuses to get involved in a civil war in the Water tribe, she tries to go behind his and everyone else back to get his military to move without orders. Despite this clear example of her as the Avatar abusing her power, during and after book 3, she never contemplates if Zaheer was right about the Avatar, or even her in particular. Suyin refusing to help reestablish order can be seen as her not wishing to impose her will, but at the same time, it's also not moral to just sit back and watch all this chaos and pain happening when you could help, and when Kuvira had done all the work, through means she didn't approve of(which we're never really shown) she's part of the group that wants her to hand power to an young, unexperienced and uninterested prince Wu who is more a figurehead then anything else. How would this help the Earth Kingdom? Isn't this just more of the same that lead them to this point? Does she really think Wu is the right person for the job, or is she only going along with the other world leaders have chosen? Edit: I meant Suyin, not Lin, got the names mixed

[@Will-tn8kq]

Great conclusion. So many people today assume that toppling an unjust society will make a better society magically spring up. But societies take a ton of work to build, tearing them down is the easy part.

[@DEML91]

This was a very well done analysis of Zaheer , you actually looked at the show and l contextualised the real world concept of anarchy to it , unlike most people who just grab our notions of politics and just puts it on top of the show not understanding that avatar world and politics would be different because of the impact their magic system has on it, all of this on your first video congrats!

[@tekkenaddict1]

Very well made video. A lot of care and thought is put into this. Good job, good sir.

[@themistocles1991]

Honestly, the most likely origin of the bandits would be soldiers of the Earth Kingdom who wanted to effectively set up their own feudal states. That also explains why they would want to isolate the towns they preyed on from humanitarian aid; it would have been prelude to an attempt to formalize their domination of the populace in the form of a new government that controlled their access to basic necessities.

[@johnkronz7562]

A problem with Zaheer and Kuvira as political representatives of anarchism and de-colonization is that we are really only told they are wrong and evil. When we are finally shown something evil about them, it takes the form of cartoonish villainy that has little to do with their ideas (ie taking the airbenders hostage). Toph even has a line about the bad guys being somewhat right but lacking in balance, but there is never really a balanced example. At least with Amon, Republic City moves from being run by a committee of Benders to being a Representative government.

[@brandonlyon730]

I think all of Korra’s villains has this issue, Unalaq is probably the worst at this, like I can’t ever take that guy seriously even when the story wants me too, and he’s a bit of an idiot as well.

[@LavenderJack540]

This video is a great series of excellent observations. More of these, please? Lavender Jack...Swooping On Down.

[@orngcreator6115]

Mad that this is your first video. It’s so good I just assumed you’ve made at least a handful of them. Excited to see more from you!

[@GeorgePerakis]

What we need to learn and understand from Avatar 2: Electric Boogaloo, also known as The "Legend" of Korra is simple: Might makes right. No, no I'm being serious. If Zaheer were capable and competent of accomplishing his goals and righting the wrongs of the world through his misfit band of revolutionaries, he'd be the hero of the story. Period. But that wasn't even in the realm of possibility for him. Because he's not the Avatar. A more grown-up, adult, well traveled Korra could and would have changed the Earth Kingdom for the better without creating a massive power vacuum. The physical might, the influence, the soft power, it's all there. Aang had enough of that to create an entire country in his own image. If Zaheer had gone through Korra, through the White Lotus, he could have probably accomplished every goal he sought, without much difficulty. Korra could have gotten the Earth Queen dethroned and immediately replaced with a Federation without the international community of hapless, self-interested pencil-pushers ever getting involved. No one had to die. But Zaheer didn't want to do that, he didn't want to save anybody, he didn't want justice or freedom, he wanted to be an ideologue. This is a commentary on the fact that ideologies not firmly rooted in praxis and reality are nothing more than poison to the mind. But that would just make the Avatar a tyrant! Surely it's better to just be rid of the Avatar altogether! Well this is where Might Makes Right comes back again, and this is where the Avatar universe detaches itself from our reality. The Avatar is a messianic figure. We don't know and have never seen what can happen if you actually successfully kill the Avatar in the Avatar state. But from the fact that Raava and Vaatu are immortal, we can assume that bad things are inevitable. Not only will the Avatar eventually come back one way or another, because Raava can always just possess another mortal when she inevitably reforms, but there's a high likelihood that Vaatu will show up before that can happen, and 10000 years of darkness will follow. Fun stuff. All so you can play pretend revolutionary, as if the Avatar is an actual oppressive force in the world. They aren't. The Avatar is literally, metaphysically compelled to be incapable of true evil or malicious actions. They all have different moral codes, but they always have a moral code, and with normal people that simply isn't so common. The Avatar is Lawful Good because Raava is Lawful Good. The Avatar also has literally thousands of past lives worth of experience and wisdom to draw from and a unique direct connection to the spirits. Well, they DID have thousands of past lives, before season 2, and that connection WAS unique, before the spirit portal nonsense. Regardless, the Avatar is incredibly powerful and practically guaranteed to strive for benevolent goals. They are Mighty, therefore they have the power and the moral obligation to make things Right. All Zaheer had to his name after his stunts was yet another prison cell. He's wrong because he's weak. It's that simple. If you can't do something right, you probably shouldn't be doing it at all. I don't go to my buddy Barry the Barkeeper for the liver transplant I'm going to need after I drink myself into a stupor for having to listen to this ideological drivel for so long. He doesn't have the knowledge, the power, the tools to fix what's wrong with me, so if he tried to do it all he could really do is kill me. Much like Zaheer killed thousands by trying to fix the Earth Kingdom himself instead of politely deferring to someone with the actual power to do something meaningful and permanent. Oh but "Learned helplessness!" you cry out. Some things you simply ARE helpless to fix. I can't fix my own kidney, I can't fix world hunger, I can't even fix my own car. Can I help contribute to fixing those problems? Can I be part of the solution? Sure. I can raise awareness, I can raise funds, I can find people who can help. But taking matters into my own hands will probably just make things worse. If someone is out there who can do it with minimal difficulty and is willing to help, I have a moral obligation to defer to them especially if many thousands of lives are on the line. That was Zaheer's mistake. He had an entire Avatar at his disposal, an Avatar with the power to make changes happen in the world without even using their immense physical might. But instead of deferring to the doctor's expertise, he chose to try and kill the doctor instead, because how DARE they be more qualified to fix something than he is. That just makes him a selfish, self-righteous jerk. This is a fictional setting. Such simple solutions as an Avatar simply don't exist in our world. But in the Avatar world, that walking, talking solution to the world's problems does exist, and it's simply wrong to look a gift horse in the mouth.

[@shaynewspence]

This is a great debut effort, well done. Looking forward to future content!

[@marshallscot]

Zaheer is basically one of those revolutionary types who idealize the "natural" state of man without hierarchies and capitalism but lacks appreciation for how those systems emerged or how much the average person receives tangible benefits from them.

[@itsgagababy]

What a very intricate and eloquent evaluation not just of Zaheer but also of the show as a piece for literary study.

[@marvelerful1]

i could literally watch hours of long form content discussing the the ethos behind AVTLA and LoK's antagonists, very excited to see more of your work!

[@sarah_cook]

This is great. Accessible, great sound, interesting topic. Subscribed.

[@MrPhilCraft]

Haha the subtitled notes at the end xD Awesome video, looking forward to see more :D

[@sharp_swf]

Banger of a first video, damn

[@Nyronus]

For my part I'm willing to lend the writers of the show *some* credit and assume that Zaheer's presentation was less specifiically a "lol anarchism sucks" strawman and more another facet in a general theme Korra had that politics are messy and ugly things that quickly go sour. While the show criticizes Zaheer for causing a power vacuum it also criticizes Korra for implicitly supporting the unjust regime of Republic City. The show often has Korra reconsider the criticism of her enemies and try and integrate that into her politics moving forward. She concedes that her uncle was right and it was wrong to keep the material and spiritual worlds seperate. Republic City tacitly acknowledges having an effectively racialized ruling council of autocrats was unjust and moves towards democracy. She even goes to Zaheer to ask for help regarding Kuivera, and while his assassination of the Earth queen was presented as a horror moment, I know a lot of the audience sympathized with him doing it, and the show runners would have to have been moronic to frame her as some completely vile beforehand and not expect that. We do have a string of villains who follow the tired path of using real injustice to seize power, but we also have plenty of characters, particularly Riko, using security and pragmatism as an excuse to turn a blind eye towards evil. I feel like Korra was messy because it tried to be true to the real world that is messy. Yes, conmen do hijack fights against oppression to become oppressors themselves. Yes, people do decide that fascism is a lesser evil when compared to war or the state of nature. Did it always do so with grace? No. Did it sometimes betray biases that are harmful in real life? Yeah. Did it ever come to a satisfying answer beyond "people just need to keep trying to make the world a better place?" No. Still, I don't hate it just because it made mistakes or wasn't more ambitious.

[@hua_tetsu_cat]

Themes of every avatar Korra's villain. I saw it online Amon : Equality through persecution Unalaq : Spirituality, spiritual reconnection through destruction Zaheer : Freedom through anarchy Kuvira : Unity through submission

[@VoonNBuddies]

Themes of every Korra season: Amon: Change is scary. Unalaq: Change is scary. Zaheer: Change is scary. Kuvira: Change is scary.

[@masalanicholoff3593]

@@VoonNBuddies Kuvira: Change is scary, but at least we know fascism is bad.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

@@VoonNBuddies Dude, the series is all about the inevitability of change. Korra as a character embodies change and growth.

[@VoonNBuddies]

@@masalanicholoff3593 *But the fascist putting people in camps just cares about her people so much!

[@VoonNBuddies]

@@vetarlittorf1807 Kora spends 4 seasons preserving the status quo. Her first "villains" are people fighting oppression. The show is very much committed to showing you that people who want to change society are dangerous, dumb, and wrong. Socialists are liars. Anarchists are misguided. Fascists are... well the show actually lands on fascists just really want to protect their people. The show, interestingly, only begins discussing the validity of its antagonists in time to prime its audience to sympathize with Kuvira. No the series is not about the inevitability of change. It is about fighting tooth and nail to limit the amount of change society goes through to maintain the dominant structure of power.

[@DundG]

Beautifull analysis. But to add: Zaheer wouldn't agree that the earth kingdom becoming a democrazy is a good thing, as there are still leaders, class structures and a hirarchy. And who ensures that the voted leaders will not abuse their powers? If it was for Zaheer he would've kept chaos until there was no other way than small groups form with as little hirarchy as possible, and then through constantly killing rising opressors, forcing an air nomad culture. That his way wouldn't work does not kross his mind! As you said, Air Nomad culture was build through generations and positive feedback. Zaheer only instills negative feedback, he spreads fear and with his death the fear will go away. Unless he's foolish enough to continue the red Lotus not realizing he created an oppressive structure himself the very moment he created the red lotus with the others. Zaheer is in the end destined to fail, as his goal is paradoxical.

[@adamrak7560]

Zaheer had never learned to appreciate the organized chaos of democracy.

[@DundG]

@@adamrak7560 Maybe because democrazy is still young in the avatar world. It is like the early 20th century or late 19th century for the US I think. Zaheer sees democrazy through republic city and sees opprecion and misuse of power. I would rather say Zaheer is foolish enough to thing that every man and woman naturally gives their best and society will prosper without organization. That without exploitation everything will turn good. While totaly dismissing the obvious thing that some people are more gifted in some things and others in other things. His team consists of exceptional benders and fighters plus he's a good strategist. His team wouldn't come far against entire societies if they weren't natually more powerfull than others. There is a "class" seperation right here as they are naturally better and therefore more valued. Even in air nomad society there was structure and more capable monks. Like his so often quoted Guru Laghima. He is so shortsighted, I am astounded that he still can see 1 meter ahead of himself.

[@christinaphoenixowl7642]

This was one of my main problems with the series in general. The antagonists come with a lot of genuine criticisms that our protagonists just don't like in a knee jerk reaction. There isn't a lot of thought put into the show in that regard. It left such a sour taste in my mouth for our "good guys" the way they just let the earth queen abuse her authority, and seek to re-establish it once she's gone, but Kuvira is worse for doing pretty much the same thing, but with more admirable intentions. I'm not saying Kuvira is a good guy, but she is not worse than the earth queen.

[@marocat4749]

I dont think the earth queen is shown as less evil. And as person way worse. Zaheer didnt do anything to organize anything organizing after killing the queen is thou. Dammit anarchists are known to organize. And he just lets chaos reign,makes him not a reoresentative to not organize to have some helping people orient. Anarchy is not chaos dammit.

[@christinaphoenixowl7642]

@@marocat4749 I don't think she is either, which is part of the problem bc our heros fight tooth and nail to keep her in power and to uphold the status quo. They acknowledge she's a tyrant, but still believe she has to be the one of the throne of the earth kingdom.

[@poplawsj]

This is an amazing analysis/essay! I can't wait to see what else you produce! keep it up!

[@donovansmith1686]

8:35 doesn't make sense either. In real life we see how without a sufficient force to prevent corrupt powers from freely doing what they want they can cause global chaos and trauma (ie Germany and Europe). So yes, when a powerful force like Ozai threatens everything and there isn't a force to stop him, he is able to do as he pleased. And all because Korra wasn't around for a while and others stood up to help better the world just means there wasn't a force like Ozai or Unaloq, or Sozen, or Amon, or.....you see my point? The Avatar is powerful and has this influence in the world for a very real and practical reason. Without the Avatar the world would be far worse off.

[@Lummenwood]

Its insane that this is ur first video, and it kinda made me want to go watch kora again

[@SOLH-vq3lh]

loved this, well done brother

[@genexplore]

This is great! I've been wanting to see an analysis of the anarchist praxis of Zaheer for a while, and you absolutely knocked it out of the park. The importance of solidarity, mutual aid and support to a lasting society cannot be understated.

[@KTSamurai1]

the critical flaw of zaheer was that he was written by liberals who fundamentally understood that monarchs are a problem but do not question power structures themselves like you said, in the world of avatar the problem is never the institutions of power but just whoever is leading them at the time. there's never a moment where team avatar turns to one another after dealing with a dangerous or neglectful powerful political figure and says "uhhhhh hey even if we deal with this idiot what's to stop another idiot from coming in later?". no one looks at korra and says "hey if even one single avatar turns into a tyrant what could we even do to stop them?" zaheer had a point. and in typical liberal fashion they made sure his point was undermined by making him a caricature and going too far even in the original series, the avatar and friends rub shoulders with the most powerful people and never question them. aang's best bud growing up was a prince who went on to become a king, he became friends with the guy who overthrew and inherited leadership of a genocidal nation that kept nationalists in power who challenged him well after the 100 year war was over, and he himself went on to help form a policing system for a flawed democratic city. the avatar is just a few back room deals away from overthrowing and ruling anyone and it's only their good conscience and advice from their past lives that's stopping them (and whoever comes after korra only gets access to her for that now because the line has been broken) the upcoming avatar media desperately needs to address the avatar's coziness with institutions of power and the power they themselves wield as well. they need a zaheer who has a step 2 at the very least

[@crzune]

Good point, Amon was defeated but Korra didn't solve the inequality between benders and non-benders. This is why I dislike this series a little it's just take down the villain and on to the next.

[@KTSamurai1]

​@@crzune i think the format would be pretty satisfying if they didnt leave so much on the table with each one i actually like each baddie they introduce but the fundamental question of each one is not addressed, just pushed further back for someone else to think about later

[@alexfirefly1956]

Season 3’s handling of the Earth Queen and her oppression is the weirdest. We see her being unjust. Towards her citizens and our protagonists. But as soon as she is threatened Korra is like “I need to save her”. And Mako and Bolin’s Grandmother’s blind devotion toward the Earth Queen goes completely unchallenged by them, even though Mako and Bolin experienced her injustice first hand. I mean safe the Earth Queen all you must of your position is “no matter how gruesome this other government is, it is still legitimate and they don’t deserve to die”, but at least challenge her positions if those conflict with your ideals and try to inspire change by trying to talk to the citizens and not blindly accept their ignorance and devotion. You cannot tell me that the grandmother would have been like “nah, nah, I love my Earth Queen” if Mako and Bolin told her “You know actually she imprisoned dozens of air benders for her own use and tried to do the same with us”

[@Holdthetomatoesplz]

I think that their grandmother is supposed to be representative of the “old world”. Considering her age it isn’t unreasonable to say she either was alive during the 100 Year War or at least felt the effects of it. She came from a time where the monarchy was revered throughout the Earth Kingdom, and blindly supports her because it’s all she’s ever known. Especially considering how they live in Ba Sing Se, which is a microcosm of the issues plaguing the earth kingdom, but also insulates her from seeing the true intentions of the government. I think that it’s exemplified by the fact that she makes sure she grabs the painting of the Queen when the home is burning. It’s that blind devotion and having convinced herself that the Queen knows best. I don’t think Mako or Bolin want to challenge their old grandmother on her blind political devotion. Also Korra’s responsibility isn’t to let a corrupt leader die because they are corrupt. Korra was doing exactly what she should have done as avatar.

[@alexfirefly1956]

@@Holdthetomatoesplz The Earth Queen literally attacked Korra and imprisoned multiple of her citizens for her personal gain. That is a bit more than “being corrupt”, and Korra as the Avatar, a being of basically delivering divine justice (in universe) would have had the right of disposing of the Earth Queen herself. In regards to Mako and Bolin it is less about why they did, what they did, but more about what they should have done. Avatar, but especially Korra have been shows deeply rooted in political messaging. The message send by this interaction is complacency in order to ensure the family peace, even if you have experienced injustices first hand. And the logical conclusion from this is, if you speak up to your family about it and it causes a rift, it is your fault, for bringing it up in the first place, not your family members for being ignorant. My problem in the interaction between Mako / Bolin and their grandmother is her getting completely and utterly unchallenged, though Mako and Bolin would have every right to do so. They should have at least tried at some point. Doesn’t mean they would have had to fight about it with her, they could have tried to be sensible about it. Kind of in a way like “Grandma, we feel a bit uncomfortable with this picture of the Earth Queen. She did try to kid-nap us and imprisoned friend of ours, you know?”, or something like that. Would have been at least something, even if it would have ultimately fallen on short ears with her. But better than completely glossing over the fact. Ultimately in kind of felt like Korra and gang completely accepted the Earth Queen’s actions, or at least tolerated them, as soon as Zaheer became the greater threat and that’s the problem imo in this characterization

[@morningstarcollective4671]

Plenty of people ignore fucked up shit from their elder family members. So I didn't really think anything of it, especially from the boys who had zero family until five minutes ago, who I can very much imagine care more about having a grandma than having her understand why she's wrong and are scared to rock the boat.

[@alexfirefly1956]

@@morningstarcollective4671 Again, it’s not about what they did and why they did it, it is about what they should have done, considering the show is deeply rooted in political messaging, and the way it was handled gave the impression of either condoning, accepting, or at least tolerating the Earth Queen‘s behavior in the later half of the season

[@samcarlson6810]

I would argue that Zaheer never actually betrays any ideal of making a better society, given that (if I recall correctly) he never actually says he's going to do that. He does posit that he will make the world "better" and "freer of injustice" but these promises are, in fact, being made good on. Albeit from his point of view and even then in a rather loose sense. I believe we can attribute his choice not to bring a systemic change outside of destroying any system he found to his actual idealogy rather than simply bad writing or an inconsistent character unlike many others seem to believe. Even in his own words: "...when a man's only allegiance is to himself and those he loves" and "the natural order is disorder". Meaning: even understanding that physical power is inevitably inequal, we can still tear down the systems that create injustice through the means of money and blind loyalty. They need only tear down the governments before them, allow the dominos to fall and in due time their "natural order" will be realized. What is essentially a global free-for-all. How can this be spun, even in their own minds, as a net positive or an ideal of freedom? Because if anyone can be squashed at any moment then who can ever hold a semblance of control? Alliances will be formed, of course. This isn't seen as an issue. Being beholden to your loved ones isn't a sin in the eyes of the Red Lotus. But the titanic size and strength of the current institutions will perhaps never be replicated. Why would that be the case? Because the one person in the world who has the physical prowess or the cultural significance to unite people in a large enough scale (the Avatar) will be dead. Injustice can't be eradicated. Systemic injustice, however...perhaps that's a different story. To borrow a quote from another self-proclaimed fictional anarchist: "Y'know the thing about chaos? It's fair." I acknowledge that I am not a clever man and I am not an expert on any form of anarchism or storytelling or even Legend of Korra. I also understand that there are certainly holes that could be blown through my interpretation of things and I am very open to hearing other's thoughts. This is the best I came up with on the spot after not having seen the series for a good three or four years at this point.

[@sskpsp]

Great analysis. One thing that echoes a lot of the sentiment here, but is a Doylist comment on the show writers, is my feeling on how they took the concept of an Avatar from Indian religion, and twisted into something for their own ideological biases. An Avatar in, for example, Hinduism, is a figure of justice and hope. ATLA kind of captures this alright. I have some other issues about how they actually portray Indian and other Asian concepts, namely that it is through a Western and kind of Orientalist lens, but I'll leave that for later. LoK takes this issue too far though. Now, with my previous statement about the Hindu Avatar: I'm not saying something like "leave politics out of Hinduism." I recognize that a deeper analysis of the Hindu Avatars demonstrates that they are not merely figures of justice, as justice is a loaded concept, but that they enforce certain systems of oppression like monarchism, patriarchy, casteism, etc. What I'm trying to say is that ATLA is very unique as a story and constructed world in that it tries to modernize Asian culture, in the same way that Tolkien started modern fantasy by modernizing European mythology or superheroes modernize mythological heroes. BUT with LoK, biases become apparent and demonstrate a problem in this approach. In trying to modernize a story which champions eg. the caste system, you probably would try to critique the caste system as an outdated system of oppression. But surely becoming conscious of this history, you must recognize your own systems in modernity are subject to critique by some yet unmanifested future system. How can you champion the current neoliberal system, especially when the world is still screaming in agony under this supposedly perfect or best system yet? How can you turn the Avatar, a figure of justice and hope, one who brings balance to the world, into a centrist who just shrugs, saying something something "both sides, not perfect system but best so far" while killing the Rosa Luxemburgs of the world? ffs is the Avatar just a divine cop? That's the part that bothers me most about LoK as an Indian living in the modern world. Zaheer is the best villain by far in LoK. His story is the closest the writers get to self-awareness of their systemic biases, alternatives, and analysis in the lore. But they pull out the trump card as usual where the villain who starts making sense ends up failing because of character flaws. You're just not allowed to wonder if the divinely ordained system might just be yet another rung on the ladder. The writers surely didn't.

[@PedroFerreira-ne3jv]

Dayummm that’s your first video bro! Ima subscribe

[@CosmicJubatus]

O_O MF, it is their first video! (also subscribed)

[@kninenights]

Dang this was really interesting. I also wasn’t entirely expecting how deep this was gonna get. Good vid!

[@XandriaJax]

Welcome to the Avatar KZbin Fanbase and congrats on getting your first 1k subs!

[@inazuma-fulgur]

Zaheer got it kinda backwards, you need to build new alternative structures first and then if those work and people participate you have a community that can stand up to authoritarian violence and teach their values to other they come across and spread a new culture

[@diggydumbo9294]

Yes When we realize that "government" is actually a service that is provided You realize too that competition will make thing better. I don't really understand why we don't apply this logic with governments. But we do with... cellphones.

[@NotPublicAegis]

I really liked this video and it was well made. I believe this channel has the potential if you ever pursue a career in KZbin. Please make more so that we can interact more and grow your channel. I am willing to binge for hours on end for these types of videos. Thanks and subscribed ^^

[@magnus1383]

You know what? The Overwatch character Ramattra reminds me of this guy when we get to the very last section. He also only seems to know how to fight and has no actual end goal in mind. He also just imposes his will rather than enabling the people he sees as oppressed to fight and rise up for themself, which ultimately just makes his movement look like an insurrection that mirrors a trauma his people have only recently awoken from.

[@nicolasjacquin3507]

what a banger first video! Very good analysis!

[@ThatGuy-st2ow]

Would love to see more videos from you!

[@mrblue251]

I was shocked when I clicked on your channel and saw this was the only video. Fun analysis on this portrayal of anarchy

[@ChaiaEran]

Just letting you know that you could probably clean up the subtitles a lot. Otherwise, solid video! I think it would have also been interesting to talk about Zaheer's final scene in Season 4, where he actively helps Korra make the progress she needs to fight Kuvira's totalitarianism, and recognizes the mistakes he himself made.

[@nevetstrevel4711]

Interesting video can't wait to see more!

[@gingervald8601]

This is the first video I've seen of yours and it was excellent, immediately subscribed. Really excited to see future videos!

[@damian-ch5qx]

crazy debut video dude. excited to see more

[@spencernaugle]

YO KZbin algorithm! Blow this up! The Avatar series really has the smartest fans.

[@hombreg1]

I liked your conclusion. To romanticise struggle is to miss the point, in a way. Whilst overthrowing despots is needed and desired, unless we can also create the sort of social structures that allow humans to flourish without defaulting to structures that oppress a convenient "other", these power vacuums will always end in someone brutal and authoritarian taking the throne, yet again.

[@fatherpie7014]

What an incredible banger! I cannot wait to see what comes next!

[@TheoBrownMusic7]

Awesome video!!

[@Zwork101]

Damn I clicked on this video expected just another surface level commentary on Korra, and ended with a really in-depth and interesting philosophical analysis. Great stuff.

[@TheKally]

this was so well presented. amazing work

[@dakingofmc]

Wow almost 1k subs after 1 vid! Good stuff dude, u deserve it, gr8 vid! I love to see small content creators grow

[@eatingpancakesrightnow2786]

I would love a video that focuses on what things the Avatar is a metaphor for

[@hagusbristol7346]

this your first video, damn good job dude. i was trying to find more of your vids but just notice this is your first one.

[@kirtandesai6510]

Really good points you made on Zaheer's role compared to the world leaders's role in Kuvira amassing enough power to create the Earth Empire. Also like how you criticized Zaheer's flaws in how he envisioned his view of how the world should be in his shortsightedness. Would definitely watch any other videos you make on this type of stuff.

[@mr.medina9836]

Great video. Very interesting discussion of Zaheer and his actions. Would love to see you do an analysis like this of other characters. If you haven't seen them already, I would highly recommend the Legend of Korra videos made by the channel Kay and Skittles. They made great analysis videos of all the main villains of LOK talking about the ideologies of the villains and how those ideologies are portrayed. Their videos take a different approach, focusing on the writing and authorial intent.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

Kay and Skittles is so easily debunked that it's laughable.

[@sleepysnorlax9384]

I love your conclusion. Anarchism is a continuous practice that combines both creation and destruction, as a way to shift power back to the people, instead of taking it and putting yourself in its place.

[@VoonNBuddies]

I think what's interesting about characters like Zaheer is that they are not really a representation of an ideology, in this case Anarchism, as much as they are a representation of the Authors' views on that ideology. I think this helps explain the contradictions within Zaheer. I agree with your analysis of Zaheer's failings. In some ways he serves as a cautionary tail of how not to implement Anarchist principles. But since we are never presented with an alternative by the show, we're left with the feeling that Anarchism itself is incapable of manifesting. It would have been just as easy for the show writers to craft a Zaheer that wasn't evil for the sake of being evil. An Anarchist interested in doing the work to build a better society. But they chose not to. They chose to tell a story of a failed revolution (twice.) We're invited to sympathize with Zaheer to the extant that, yes, "freedom for all," as Toph puts it, sounds nice. Everyone watching, regardless of views, will likely agree that freedom is good. But what you can't be allowed to agree with is the methods of attaining freedom. Zaheer's methods have to be needlessly cruel and extreme because otherwise the possibility of a better future might seem attractive. Great video by the way! Instant sub.

[@janfungusamon4926]

This is the number one way anarchism is discredited in media. The creators show it as "only good on paper" and show the propenent characters killing babies or something to "prove" it.

[@thegifting267]

@@janfungusamon4926 I wouldn’t even say it’s good on paper. Anarchy just never works.

[@angela_merkeI]

@@thegifting267 "Liberal democracy doesn't work, melord, it's Louis XVI god given right to be the absolute sovereign of us lowely peasants, melord. Liberal democracy just never works."

[@techissus7449]

@@thegifting267 "communism doesn't work look at all it's failure- what do you mean they were all taken down by extreme violence from capitalist nations due to a fear that they would surpass them?"

[@andresmartinezramos7513]

@@techissus7449 If a system is incapable of defenfing itself and thus defending it's people. Is it really a good system? Regardless of any of their other virtues.

[@notkito4781]

Amazing can’t wait for more video essays from you!

[@meg1653]

This was a great video and it's your first, I can't believe you only have 200 subscribers! Can't wait to see more :)

[@WhyitJellyDonut]

The Anarchist Handbook by Micheal Malice is probably the best one stop shop on a bunch of Anarchist writings. In your follow up video I think it is a good recommendation as it includes Anarchist from across the spectrum, both left and right, old and new.

[@juanpablograjalescanseco28]

This is an amazing video! Radical politics are rarely portrayed intelligently in media, for pretty obvious reasons. I actually think Leyend of Korra did a remarkably good job. However, an annoying pattern emerged: each season, the show posed hard questions to the liberal worldview of its protagonists (and of the show's audience, as well), portraying its radical antagonists with a surprising level of sympathy and almost giving their goals legitimacy, only to shatter this legitimacy in order to justify an entirely liberal solution to the story. The most irksome thing is that the criticisms the show made of their antagonists were often as valid as those it made about its protagonists. A hotly debated question within (left) anarchism is whether groups should focus their efforts in prefigurative or insurrectionist programmes. Zaheer and the Red Lotus chose insurrection, and the takeover of the Earth Kingdom by a more oppressive regime after the Red Lotus insurrection is a pressing concern prefigurative anarchists pose to insurrectionalists. But the show didn't make this critique of Zaheer's plan with the objective of bringing more nuance to the anarchist ideas the show was presenting. It did it in order to completely disregard anarchism in general as a solution to the problems present in the liberal order.

[@gingervald8601]

This exactly! Each villain raises very interesting questions about the world and I feel like the show always cuts itself short of exploration of them in favor of validating a liberal worldview

[@lemurwrench6344]

I would challenge the notion that the status quo being protected in TLOK was liberalism, or that the critiques of the antagonists the show poses were liberal critiques. I feel like this framing betrays an over eagerness to apply the conflicts in the show to our society.

[@AuroraIceFlame]

Zaheer is the best type of villain. One who’s motivation and overall point you can genuinely understand and even get behind at times but pushed way too far.

[@alexfirefly1956]

Eh, I feel like in that regard he falls more into that modern “Here we have a villain that has rightful grievances and goals, fueled by (past) oppression, so he has a point, but oh, what is this?, he kills babies???, yeah he kills babies now he’s evil”, similarly to other characters like Killmonger. They are good villains in a way, but in another very, very problematic, as they suggest that actually advocating for real and radical change in the real world is wrong and too extremist. They kind of make activists, people with real grievances, that are loud and uncomfortable in their directivness and people who would try to inspire real change the villain.

[@alexfirefly1956]

Kind of more in that note, where do you specifically think he pushed to far? Just out of curiosity

[@chadmarx7718]

I think he was prevented from going far enough lol

[@vetarlittorf1807]

@@alexfirefly1956 "as they suggest that actually advocating for real and radical change in the real world is wrong and too extremist." They never suggest that. The show portrays radical change as a good thing, what they portray as bad is zealotry.

[@alexfirefly1956]

@@vetarlittorf1807 It really doesn't. Only change it advocates for is one that doesn't really challenge the status quo, maybe change it a bit, but only within the parameters of the society already built, no matter the injustices it is built upon

[@viyusavery248]

I'm going to use this channel for self awareness purposes for writing stories.. thank god for this channel Love the breakdowns ill just reverse engineer this for my own work when creating stuff

[@verenasantl962]

the explanation is really good!!! love it! really well made video essay! cant wait to see more :))

[@hassankhan-jg1dx]

Zaheer’s character is so inconsistent despite having a few cool scenes and quotes because the writers didn’t want the audience to sympathize with him at any point. It’s very childish critique of a straw man argument of what anarchism is. “See, all anarchists are actually authoritarians.”

[@joelhicks5468]

Loved the example around 18:00 from the original show. Excellent video btw

[@darkerino8384]

That was an actual good analysis

[@Personarose]

Nice video. It did make me reconsider that the rise of Kuvira isn’t all due to Zaheer although his particular philosophy or at least the execution isn’t any more viable. Zaheer is still no less than the best antagonist of TLOK.

[@BarackObamaJedi]

My take on why Zaheer wants to kill the Avatar is purely storytelling reasons, not in world logic: He was a spiritual/ political leader, not a psychotherapist. He couldn't free human nature from the institutions that promise power and corrupt it towards it because he only killed the Earth Queen and lost the war. As he said, a world united with spirits, which have no power institutions. And in season 4 you see the contradiction of a world with spirit present (the vines in particular, which are not exactly hierarchical either) constrained by the human rigidness left behind by Korras monarchist bootlicking (the right angles and ordered placement of city buildings, which to the spirits are already the ecological equivalent of fascism in later Kuvira). So, Korra should have known, not him. The queen is already dead, the power vacuum created. So either put a new monarch (anachronistic even for season 1 as there is republic city), either instate a democracy (like king Wu does at the end of season 4, boring, but tbf could be the next necessary step and Zaheer was impatient and still driven by ego or a compulsion to realise an ideal) or if Zaheer hadn't been suffering from bad writing syndrome in the last few episodes, and wasn't forced by plot into being an actual villain (embodied by suddenly wanting to kill the avatar, which is not necessary and strides against the movement, philosophy, and character), then he wouldn't need to become violent for plot purposes, and the movement could have been a peaceful protest by the four nation people combined. As for Kuvira, she's a highly intelligent psychotic narcissist which naturally falls into fascism as she gains power. Power that shouldn't have been left there, and wouldn't have been, if Korra wasnt a fucking cop in season 3 and had her spiritual awakening one season earlier. Effectively, Korra being part human and suffering ptsd and her own flawed personality prevented her from being a fully fledged avatar until the end (obviously, that is what's expected of the overall story, that's the big finale), and that not-connection to her literal spiritual self caused the spirits to not settle down pacifically and live among humans, which later snowballed her into the vines providing hateful energy for Kuviras mecha nuclear fusion gun. By not being the most effective political agent, wrong action at the wrong time, since she blindly defended outdated and corrupt institutions such as the Earth Kingdom monarchy and the republic city council, she overall didn't help the world as much as leaving her oedipalised pride aside, and like Zuko finding the humility and ally/join Zaheer or be neutral. Avatar Korra in season 3 is to Zaheer what man is to the Übermensch. He fucking flies, and airbending is spiritualism-powered. She should have learned in season 2 that politics is bigger than the avatar and not always her place, but her character is stubborn. Through little merit of her own (stolen valor, she has main character syndrome so it's a deal breaker for the audience and writers, her glory in season 2 is only made possible because the writers had to randomly and discontinuously insert the whole Vaatu spirit prison arc to give her purpose), instead her pride was compensated when those larger than her worldly events (the war between the Water tribes, which is the initial and central plot) came to an end through the effort and sacrifice of others. She was compensated for bad behaviour as usual, and she didn't need to humble herself and learn. She only learns the humility she missed in season 1 (social justice is for and by the people) and 2 (the tribes have ancient blood) and 3 (zaheer and being a bootlicker/cop) in season 4, thanks to Toph minding her own business as a hermit, she understands when to step away and not bother with heroically rescuing the world at every minor problem, instead having faith in humans and spirits to get along and not do another Mussolini

[@teddyschuh9948]

best critique of korra ive read so far. bravo!

[@cesardanielramosnavarro1677]

Great video! Just noted in the comment section it's your first one, I'm subscribed now, hope you do good!