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Dr.Oblivious posted:Calling it now, there is more then one Amon I'm Amon! (Yes, I know that's not what you meant. Still, could make an awesome ending.)
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| # ¿ Apr 15, 2012 20:53 |
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| # ¿ May 25, 2013 18:41 |
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BrianWilly posted:Y'know how long it took between the first manned flight and the first manned spaceflight? Fifty-eight years. The Wright Brothers' first airplane and the first human to reach space happened in one single lifetime. It really is amazing how much progress has been made over the past century and a half. In the old GBS History thread, for example, someone pointed out that it's theoretically possible for a little girl to have witnessed Commodore Perry's Black Fleet in 1856, and 90 years later see Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet in Tokyo Bay as an old woman. It's crazy to think that, were there to be a hypothetical third series of Avatar, it may very well take place in their equivalent of the modern age.
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2012 15:13 |
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Baron Bifford posted:Republic City is supposed to be roughly on par with 1920s America. 70 years would imply that TLA is 1850s America, which is not too absurd really, given some of the technological feats the Fire Nation could pull off. It's really interesting to look at the differences between ATLA and the regular world at that time. While they lacked some tech we had already developed at that time (Particularly the Telegraph and developed Railway systems), they were also more advanced in some ways, such as the Fire Nation's all-steel ships, armored vehicles, and airships. ...Man, I cannot wait for the next episode.
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2012 15:24 |
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Pakled posted:How useful is a gun in a world where a considerable portion of the population can shoot fire out of their fists? Same reason why Guns were used in the real-world. Range, stopping power, and simplicity of manufacture and use.
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2012 17:04 |
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TheHan posted:But we can't shoot fire out of our fists. And neither can most people in the Avatar world. And if you do want to train someone to be a firebender, it can take years of dedicated training. And even then, they're only effective out to a few meters. By comparison, anyone with two functioning arms can become a musketman, and it takes very little time to train them. They're also relatively cheap to manufacture, thus making it much easier to equip larger armies-and this doesn't even begin to get into the advantages of proper Artillery.
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2012 17:22 |
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Oneiros posted:In the real world it took hundreds of years to get from the introduction of primitive hand cannons to the development of flintlock muskets. I can't recall whether the Fire Nation was depicted as having any sort of cannon in the first series, but I'm leaning towards "no". I was more addressing the point of "Why" they would be developed and used in a world that possesses Bending. But yeah, it is kinda pointless to argue since quote:Also, this is Nickelodeon.
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2012 17:45 |
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VanSandman posted:Name three. If they lost it doesn't count. Well, teenagers have been fighting in wars for thousands of years. Hell, Jack Lucas earned a Medal of Honor at 17 on Iwo Jima for throwing himself on a live grenade.
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| # ¿ Apr 18, 2012 13:54 |
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Korra, you are not helping your image.
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| # ¿ Apr 21, 2012 15:17 |
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Is EVERYONE an orphan in this series?
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| # ¿ Apr 21, 2012 15:23 |
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Hot drat, this show is good. I cannot wait for next week.
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| # ¿ Apr 21, 2012 15:30 |
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Fried Chicken posted:Yeah, but you don't send SWAT in for disturbing the peace and property damage, and don't have SWAT running your panopticon's aerial patrols. I guess we will see though, but right now what they do is different from SWAT. Well, remember it was an escalation of force. They only deployed the Metalbenders once the regular police were overwhelmed, sort of like SWAT. As to the rest of your points, I sort of agree and disagree. Just because Non-Benders can't do some of the physical work (Such as at the power plant) doesn't mean that they're excluded from that entire segment of the economy. After all, you still need clerks, custodians, engineers, etc, and the vast majority of those positions wouldn't require any sort of bending. That being said, there are a lot of jobs that aren't even availible to non-benders, so your point sort of stands, I guess? I think you may be looking a little too far into it, though you are making some interesting arguments.
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| # ¿ Apr 22, 2012 00:41 |
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Turtle Sandbox posted:So farm people shown as having positions of power in government have been benders. Saying that we need janitors but you can't be a senator is oppression, and has been used by plenty of nations in the past. They only show what conflict Korra has to deal with directly, but behind the scenes there could be a legit lack of power given to non-benders. Ah, no, I agree with the point that Benders are disenfranchised, I was just disagreeing with the point Fried Chicken made that Non-Benders were excluded from entire industries. In any industrial society there is going to be oppression, and combined with bending that makes for a hell of a lot of systematic oppression. The only question is, what do you do about it?
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| # ¿ Apr 22, 2012 01:21 |
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Jorenko posted:Have we seen any actual evidence of non-benders being oppressed? As far as I can tell we've seen a protection racket from some mobsters. That's not oppression, that's crime. I've seen zero on-screen evidence of non-benders being denied jobs, housing, education, or political power. So far the only bender-injustice seems to be criminal, not institutional or societal. Well, it's really the result of looking at the combination of a society with bending and Industrialization/Capitalism. The problem is that for any non-bender, there is nothing they can do that a hypothetical non-bender can't, but it's not the same otherwise. Sure, you have Non-Bender inventors and industrialists, but there's nothing preventing a Bender from inventing or investing, and a non-bender is physically incapable of doing the work that a Bender can. Thus you'll see discrimination in certain job markets*. Is it as bad as some people are arguing? Probably not. But it IS there, and that is an issue that would need to be addressed. (Hopefully in a more nuanced way than "Just make everyone a bender/remove all benders!  )*I was going to mention the Government, since the Council is made up of representatives from every nation, but it occurred to me that just because they're representing their respective Nations doesn't necessarily mean they're benders. You don't have to spit fire to be a diplomat. There is the issue, however, that even if the Council isn't entirely made up of Benders there's still the problem that they're not from Republic City. The closest analogue I can think of is Post-war Berlin, which was run by the various Allied Armies. It's not a perfect example, but you can imagine the resentment one might feel that not a single citizen of the city has actual representation at the highest levels of government, bender or not.
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| # ¿ Apr 22, 2012 01:34 |
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farraday posted:Yes, but it's not like the other nations are representative either. The Berlin example is interesting but I've been thinking more Shanghai under the treaty system. Yeah, looking it up, Shanghai is a much better example. Berlin was really just the first thing to come to mind.  One thing that has been nagging at me, though, is the use of the phrase "Revolution" in the show by various characters, particularly Tenzin. Normally, you don't start using that word until the banners have already been unfurled and blood is pooling in the streets. It does make me wonder just how old the Anti-Bender movement is, what their previous actions have been, and what the government's actions are. Urgh, it's only been twelve hours and I'm already dying for the next episode.
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| # ¿ Apr 22, 2012 03:27 |
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Triggerhappypilot posted:Calling it now: There's going to be an episode where they see a Broadway version of ember island players, complete with kickline and Aang's character played by an Ethel Merman stand-in. I have the irrational hope that the series finale is a full length Broadway production in the vein of the Ember Island Players, with massive musical numbers, hilariously bad dialogue/acting, and Korra would be played by a tripped-out hippie. I can see it now. It would be called "Springtime for Amon". It would be the greatest play ever produced. Acebuckeye13 fucked around with this message at Apr 23, 2012 around 15:56 |
| # ¿ Apr 23, 2012 15:38 |
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SpiderHyphenMan posted:Oh poo poo guys, preview clip! Wait, isn't the SWAT team member at the end the Northern Water Tribe representative on the Council? That could have some complications. Edit: Also, hot drat that clip is awesome. I can't get enough of this series. Acebuckeye13 fucked around with this message at Apr 24, 2012 around 22:25 |
| # ¿ Apr 24, 2012 22:22 |
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Oneiros posted:Korra pulling some sweet moves there, like freezing the gas grenades in mid-air. Well, the presence of gas grenades and the giant Amon poster sort of dissuades that theory, but the raid itself appeared to be of questionable legality to say the least. It'll be interesting to see if there's any fallout from it.
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2012 22:33 |
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Charlz Guybon posted:If the FBI was going to take a militia cell would they wait until they're at the firing range training to do so? No, they would try and grab them when they're unarmed. The problem is that, normally, an FBI raid is preceded by intelligence gathering and, most importantly, the procurement of a warrant for search/arrest. There's also the issue that the people in the building may not have even been doing anything wrong, especially if Chi-Blocking isn't illegal. The entire raid is of extremely dubious legality, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it's not police-sanctioned. Of course, I seriously doubt that the series is going to go into much detail of the Republic City judicial system, but it's going to be interesting to see if they address the legal and social ramifications of a no-knock warrantless raid on a group of people who technically aren't doing anything wrong.
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 03:12 |
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BrianWilly posted:Just last week a group of Equalists kidnapped four citizens and lobotomized three of them. Ah, but you see, just because they have a giant poster of Amon and they're practicing Chi-blocking doesn't necessarily mean that they're connected to the organization. It seems like a minor detail, but from a legal perspective it's pretty huge, especially when you're dealing with specific terms as "Reasonable Suspicion" and "Probable Cause".
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 03:46 |
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Charlz Guybon posted:They obviously did some intelligence gathering or they would not have know that there was an Equalist cell training in the basement. How do you know they don't have a warrant? Note the phrasing on how he says it: "My sources have informed me..." I'll admit I may be looking a bit too far into it, but I'd argue that the way it sounds, it's Tarrlok's mission, as opposed to one organized by the police force. (That would more than likely have a warrant or some equivalent.) And obviously I could be wrong-this may very well be a legal raid, with all the paperwork signed in advance. To me, however, the preponderance of evidence, such as Korra being involved, the raid being organized by Tarrlok on his own sources, and the lack of any declaration of entry suggests that the raid may be extra-judicial. But of course, no one can know for sure until the new episode airs. Edit: That too. VVV Acebuckeye13 fucked around with this message at Apr 25, 2012 around 04:11 |
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 04:02 |
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Well Manicured Man posted:So there's nothing illegal about taking away someone's bending because the legal system has never encountered this specific incident? Isn't that just the equivalent of "Well, there aren't any rules saying a dog can't be a linebacker!"? Bit late for this, but there's an actual legal term for this: Ex Post Facto. Ex Post Facto laws are actually banned by the US Constitution, since they can be abused very easily. In essence, if it's not illegal when you do it, you can't be charged for it, no matter what laws come after. Of course, the Equalists are obviously guilty of all the other things that they did, but that's besides the point. Of course, in order to properly establish the legality of the action in question, some questions are going to have to be answered: -The Legal status of Amon and the Equalists. It would be interesting to see if Republic City actually has a warrant for his arrest, and if there is an official investigation. It would also be helpful to know how the authorities are treating the group. Are they treated as a terrorist organization, or are they still allowed to organize? -The legal status of the raid. Did they have a warrant? Do they need a warrant? -The status of the psuedo-SWAT team. Are they an official arm of the police, or are they something Tarrack has organized on his own? -Republic City's legal system in general. Civil Law? Common Law? Do they have a Constitution? How is the Freedom of Speech treated? Of course, none of these questions will get answered until the next episode (And the last one probably not at all), but until then they're fun to think about. lelandjs posted:
Edit: Also, Anyone know what the text at the bottom says? Acebuckeye13 fucked around with this message at Apr 25, 2012 around 20:09 |
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 20:03 |
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HUGE HYPOTHETICALLY SHOW RUINING SPOILER LINKED AHEAD!
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Regy Rusty posted:Okay so how long do I need to stay out of this thread to avoid people talking about whatever this spoiler is about? Until the relevant episode, probably. Which could be Saturday, could be in two months. No one knows.
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 20:05 |
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deadicons posted:Is it just me or does the swat team have the same armor as the White Lotus? Of course, McDonalds has a much larger selection as well. For a food cart, 20 bucks for one of everything feels about rightish, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Yuan is of similar value to the USD. (Especially since that's what the majority of the target audience would be familiar with.)
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2012 20:25 |
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FronzelNeekburm posted:I don't get that impression from the people who are determined to use the show as an allegory for all their other favorite arguments about race/sex/privilege/basketball. Which is exactly why Nick should release REPUBLIC CITY CASE LAW, VOLUMES I-XXVI as a supplement on their website. Just think of how it could enhance the viewing experience!
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2012 00:14 |
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Fried Chicken posted:Long Feng was a bender. He killed Jet, remember? I dunno, it was really unclear. 
Acebuckeye13 fucked around with this message at Apr 26, 2012 around 04:16 |
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2012 04:10 |
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I enjoy the speculation, but I wouldn't mind there banning the clip discussion, especially the leaked ones.
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2012 23:21 |
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RembrandtQEinstein posted:There has only been one instance where shipping wasn't completely awful. "We never should have doubted the will of Mike and Bryan!"  That was amazing.
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2012 16:08 |
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Lin continues to be my favorite character. She does not give any shits. Tarrlok also continues to be a massive dick.
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2012 15:20 |
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I can't possibly see this going wrong! 
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2012 15:25 |
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So, things we learned from this episode: -Korra is Marty McFly (No one calls me chicken!) -Warrants are for sissies -Tarrlok is an incredible rear end/politician -Lin Bei Fong really seems to have a grudge against Korra. -The statue of Aang is pretty much the Statue of Liberty. -Amon continues to be the most competent person in this show. Speculation: -Tarrlok will prove to be just as much of an enemy to Korra as Amon is. -Lin had a grudge against Aang, which she is also applying to Korra. -Later in the series, Korra will sent back in a time-traveling Satomobile to the creation of Future Industries, where she will coordinate with Sato while attempting to get her parents together while inadvertently creating the Satocycle and Swing music.
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2012 17:26 |
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Deep Winter posted:...or, the reason he states is actually the answer, e.g., the Three Nations would actually consider him a threat and muster armies against him if he neuters the Avatar? That's what's great about the encounter: everything is plausible. He could be completely truthful or lying through his teeth, and the explanations still make sense. Whatever his capabilities, however, he sure did accomplish one objective: He put the fear of God into Korra. Guy's a master of psychological warfare, that's for certain.
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2012 22:58 |
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Hobohemian posted:^^^ A civilian police force doesn't have the authority to overrule the mandate of the highest governing body in the city. Shes also not afraid to call him on his bullshit to his face, in front of his guests. So yeah, pretty much the biggest concern Amon should have at the moment. I think you mean "Possesses unique insight" and "Refuses to respect the establishment with his bold political actions." Sounds like a politician to me!
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2012 23:57 |
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Has anyone else had trouble watching the episodes online? I can watch the clips fine, but none of the full episodes will load.
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| # ¿ May 1, 2012 01:42 |
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ConfusedUs posted:While I don't know about all of this--especially the weird disease thing--I have to say the idea of a modern or modern-ish Avatar is really exciting. Discworld has an interesting series of progression. It begins as a straight up fantasy, but throughout the series technology (Or magical equivalents) is developed, and is the focus of a lot of tension in some of the books. It's all written very well and is a fantastic series. If any of you haven't read the Discworld books, you should really fix that. Basically what I'm saying is read Discworld. Fried Chicken posted:He brought overwhelming numerical and martial force (including the most powerful individual on the planet) against people still learning how to fight. That's pretty cowardly in my book. Not really. The idea is that when you're in a life-and-death situation, you want to bring the absolute maximum force available to bear, in order to reduce casualties (On both sides). Now, there are exceptions to this, especially regarding Law Enforcement and the proper use of force, but in this case I would argue that it's justified. (The issue of No-Knock raid without giving anyone the option to surrender or stand down is, of course, something else entirely.)
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| # ¿ May 1, 2012 02:32 |
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lelandjs posted:I have faith that we can keep it civil here, at least. Beyond some mentions of Asami's lack of personality (a valid point that I'm sure Bryan and Mike have taken into account) people here mostly ignored the relationship stuff from last episode. I wouldn't worry. I think that Goons are probably the only people on the internet who would rather argue about the legal minutiae of a cartoon rather than than "AMONxKORRA" or whatever the hell Tumblr is up to these days. Edit: I still want to know if they had a warrant, drat it! 
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 16:32 |
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tsob posted:Were warrants even a thing in 1920's America out of interest? They seem more like a recent thing to me to be honest, though I have no honest idea. They've been around for a long time. Hell, they've even enshrined in the Fourth Amendment: Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution posted:The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 16:52 |
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tsob posted:Yea, I was just looking up google/Wikipedia on it and while no specific date is given as to when they started there's a picture of one issued in 1905, so they would have existed around that time. In contemporary law (That is, if I'm remembering it correctly), there is a provision for an officer seeing something from the street and bursting into a residence without a warrant, but only if they have reason to believe someone's life is in danger. I have no idea what provisions about this existed in the '20s, however.
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 17:09 |
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swmmrmanshen posted:The whole warrent issue is fairly irrelevant for a number of reasons, primarily that Republic City has serious issues with the rule of law. Not necessarily. While the Rule of Law is fundamental to democracies, it's a critical basis to every type of legitimate government, be it a Democracy, Monarchy, or something else. No one's going to argue that the Babylon was a democracy, for example, but the Code of Hammurabi is still an extremely important part of legal history. Likewise, the American legal system is descended from English Common Law, much of which was created before the gradual democratization of the United Kingdom. "Rule of law is part of democracy" is fundamentally backwards. A proper democracy (Or any legitimate form of government) must be founded on the basis of the Rule of Law, not the other way around.
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 18:51 |
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Chaos Sonic posted:Speaking of which, ATLA had the Gaang, what is the new Team Avatar going to be called? The Fire Ferrets, obviously. 
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 22:14 |
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| # ¿ May 25, 2013 18:41 |
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The Lion Turtle in a clever disguise.
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| # ¿ May 4, 2012 04:51 |
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