Did Jet redeem himself?

[conspiracytheorist]

Yiceman, let me ask you this: Do you see Severus Snape redeemed in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

And, I'd like to point something out, Jet is sixteen when he makes the decision to wipe out that villiage. Meaning, he's a teenager.

Teenagers do stupid things. They make stupid (and sometimes fatal) decisions. In Jet's case, his views at the time were twisted. He believed that "sacrafices have to be made in war" or, well, to quote Dumbledor, "For the Greater Good".

It's not necessarily justified per se. Really though, not trying to get personal here, but assuming that you went through puberty, and did stupid things when you were a teenager too (cause that's what most teens do, though there are those exceptions, and if you are one of them, please accept my humblest apologies for assuming that you aren't), can you justify every single one of your actions?

I know I can't, but there you have it. You can't really do anything to change the past, you show remorse, and that shows you've learnt from your mistakes and are putting in the effort to become a better person.

That's how I see it with Jet. He did something extremely stupid. He was cocky, thought what he was doing was completely right and the best for everyone all around.

Than Katara gave him a good smacking and "opened his eyes" so to speak. He learnt from his mistakes, showed regret for what he thought was right and realized it was wrong.

The fact that he died a racist?

Asking Jet to accept the Fire Nation is like asking a Holocaust survivor to accept the Germans.

There are wounds that run too deep for healing, and some that just don't heal at all.

~Téa

Since you made a Harry Potter reference, I'll counter with my own. Book 7 spoilers before, for those who haven't read.

Remember when Harry learns that Dumbledore was, in his youth, allied with Grindelwald? Hermione and Ron try to explain it away by saying that he was young. Harry replies that he was, "the same age we are now."

Yeah, Jet was a teenager. But he knew right from wrong. And he was not a helpless victim of his circumstances. None of us are, especially not those of us who know the difference between good and bad.

Whether or not one's wounds heal is up to the individual. By making that Holocaust survivor parallel, are you claiming that Holocaust survivors have some God-given right to hate the Germans for the genocide that went on then? This is absolutely untrue. It is in every person's power to forgive those who have done wrong against them. You absolutely cannot point to your Exhibits A, B, or C and declare that they give you the right to harbor hatred towards other people. Similarly, the fact that Jet's parents were killed by the Fire Nation doesn't mean that he gets out of jail free for trying to end other peoples' lives.

[mike1921]

y'all must be crazy. he was racist RACIST!!! the kid's parents was killed. they are in a war. of course he is gonna hate the fire nation.

He didn't just hate their nation,he hated there people,that's just unaceptable. Did Zuko kill his parents? no Did Jet have any reasonable reason to think Zuko killed his parents? no. He attacked Zuko because he's the same race or nationaity or w/e as the people who killed his family That's rascism.

[kaibasgirl]

conspiracytheorist said:

Yiceman, let me ask you this: Do you see Severus Snape redeemed in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

And, I'd like to point something out, Jet is sixteen when he makes the decision to wipe out that villiage. Meaning, he's a teenager.

Teenagers do stupid things. They make stupid (and sometimes fatal) decisions. In Jet's case, his views at the time were twisted. He believed that "sacrafices have to be made in war" or, well, to quote Dumbledor, "For the Greater Good".

It's not necessarily justified per se. Really though, not trying to get personal here, but assuming that you went through puberty, and did stupid things when you were a teenager too (cause that's what most teens do, though there are those exceptions, and if you are one of them, please accept my humblest apologies for assuming that you aren't), can you justify every single one of your actions?

I know I can't, but there you have it. You can't really do anything to change the past, you show remorse, and that shows you've learnt from your mistakes and are putting in the effort to become a better person.

That's how I see it with Jet. He did something extremely stupid. He was cocky, thought what he was doing was completely right and the best for everyone all around.

Than Katara gave him a good smacking and "opened his eyes" so to speak. He learnt from his mistakes, showed regret for what he thought was right and realized it was wrong.

The fact that he died a racist?

Asking Jet to accept the Fire Nation is like asking a Holocaust survivor to accept the Germans.

There are wounds that run too deep for healing, and some that just don't heal at all.

~Téa

Since you made a Harry Potter reference, I'll counter with my own. Book 7 spoilers before, for those who haven't read.

Remember when Harry learns that Dumbledore was, in his youth, allied with Grindelwald? Hermione and Ron try to explain it away by saying that he was young. Harry replies that he was, "the same age we are now."

Yeah, Jet was a teenager. But he knew right from wrong. And he was not a helpless victim of his circumstances. None of us are, especially not those of us who know the difference between good and bad.

Whether or not one's wounds heal is up to the individual. By making that Holocaust survivor parallel, are you claiming that Holocaust survivors have some God-given right to hate the Germans for the genocide that went on then? This is absolutely untrue. It is in every person's power to forgive those who have done wrong against them. You absolutely cannot point to your Exhibits A, B, or C and declare that they give you the right to harbor hatred towards other people. Similarly, the fact that Jet's parents were killed by the Fire Nation doesn't mean that he gets out of jail free for trying to end other peoples' lives.

Well, I don't want to get into a whole discussion about Harry Potter, but Dumbledore admitted as to why he was ever friends with Grindelwald to begin with in a later chapter. If I do recall correctly, he was grief-stricken by the death of his mother, and felt resentful by the fact that he, a brilliant wizard who should be going out and doing great things, was left at home to care for his sickly sister.

When Grindelwald came along, he got caught up in the guy's ideals, and the lines between right and wrong got messed up. Don't tell me you never became friends with someone, only to realize later on that they weren't exactly the best people to hang around with.

And if you're comparing Jet to Dumbledore, than might I point out that Dumbledore also showed remorse for his actions and mistakes of his youth. Are you going to tell me he didn't redeem himself when he died?

I regret bringing in the Holocaust survivors as an example, because Jet's situation, and theirs, cannot compare.

However, before we argue about whether they have some gd-given right to hate, why don't you pick up a book and read up on what happened in the Concentration Camps. Then come back and tell me if forgiveness is that easy.

~Téa

[yiceman]

Snape? The guy was good all along though. He only killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him to.

As for teenage years...I actually was one of those rare kids who never did anything wrong. I haven't gotten in trouble with my parents since I was eight. Never smoked, drank....worked hard in school...respected my parents...aka a freak of nature ;p

So yes...I find it hard to fathom that innocent teenage foibles can be compared to attempts of mass murder.

And being unable to forgive someone for extreme damages they've done to you = understandable.

Ensuing a racist capmaign to kill everyone of the same nationality of the people who harmed you = NOT understandable.

Not all Germans were Nazi's, my friend. They don't, as a race, collectively deserve to die by the people who were wronged by a political party from that group.

[Confettie]

No. There are rules of conduct, and unwritter laws of basic human decency. The heroes are evidence of this...even Zuko is. They all show mercy. None of them have gone out of their way to kill, if they can avoid it, even when the person is trying to kill them.

Yes true, but the Fire Nation has already broken this by kidnapping and imprisoning Earthbenders at concentration camps. Not only that they killed of an entire population of people ie the Air Nomads. Also Aang technically killed Zhao. I know he was in the Avatar State and couldn't control himself, but that's like using being drunk or high as an excuse.

If one man's sins are greater than another's, is the other man blameless? Heck no. Jet's parents dying at the hands of the Fire Nation doesn't give him the right to kill anyone. Not those Earth Kingdom women and children, and not FN soliders. If you would maintain that Jet didn't need any sort of redemption to break out of his role as a bad guy, then you can't criticize the Fire Nation for killing innocents, either.

Yea, I put that in there as a joke. I mean if Jet needs to "redeem" himself there are a lot of others too. For instance General Monkay (sp?), the guy who killed Jet's parents and Ozai for how bad he treated his son.

And that was a bad thing...Dresden is something that educated Americans look back on with shame.

Heck, we felt bad right after dropping the Atomic Bomb, even though the cost of both American and Japanese lives could have potentially been even worse if America was forced to ex

I agree absolutely embarrassing. Don't forget how bad they treated Native Americans and African Americans .

Teenagers do stupid things. They make stupid (and sometimes fatal) decisions. In Jet's case, his views at the time were twisted. He believed that "sacrafices have to be made in war" or, well, to quote Dumbledor, "For the Greater Good".

Jet maybe only 16 years old, but the experiences he has gone through should have mature him greatly. Look at Katara for instance, she sure doesn't act like a 14 year old. He been living on his own sense probably around 6 years old, not only that he takes care of other little children. If that doesn't show he has a maturity level of an adult then I don't know what else does.

Yeah, Jet was a teenager. But he knew right from wrong. And he was not a helpless victim of his circumstances. None of us are, especially not those of us who know the difference between good and bad.

I think the thing that made Jet go crazy was the fact that he couldn't get away from his past. I'll bring back my experience with the dog eating my bunny. After that first initial bad experience I had plenty of positive experiences with dogs that eventually help me get over my fear.

Jet sadly was never able to get away from it. How you ask? He took in all those orphan kids who lost their parents the same way. Some of those kids were older then Jet and some look to be as young as 4. Obviously those kids join the group at different time and Jet has to rehear his sad story over and over again. That just reinforce in his mind that the Fire Nation is "evil".

Ensuing a racist capmaign to kill everyone of the same nationality of the people who harmed you = NOT understandable.Not all Germans were Nazi's, my friend. They don't, as a race, collectively deserve to die by the people who were wronged by a political party from that group.

The problem is your thinking rational. If people were thinking rational I like to think that there would be no wars. Warfare cause a lot of fear in people so when they come up with plans in generally to protect themselves. Real life example Japanese Americans in WWII. They were force into concentration camps because of the fact that they're Japanese. Heck they even force second generation Japanese citizens into concentration camps.
Well the Japaneses as a race sure doesn't deserve to go to concentration camp.

I'll tie this into Jet too. Jet attack the Fire Nation first because he was scared. They had recently just took over a nearby Earth Kingdom village, so it was just a matter of time before the Fire Nation found Jet's camp. Would Jet let his nightmare happen again, you bet he wouldn't. He had to come up with a plan to fight back. Obviously sense most of his crew were little children he couldn't bring them along to fight. So he chose flooding because it would do lest damage to his crew, his family.

Now for the Fire Nation perspective. The Fire Nation comes through and finds a camp of able young children who all lost their parents to you, the Fire Nation. They obviously hate you, and what will these kids eventually grow up into? That's right soldiers looking for revenge for their families. Not only that, it's really the only job available for these kids. Are the Fire Nation soldiers going to let them live. Of course not, for the same reasons they kidnap Earhbenders and destroy the Air Nomads first, they're going to get rid of future problems before they happen.

I dare even say that the reason the Fire Nation didn't kill those kids was because they thought they die anyways without anyone to fend for them. The fact that these children survive proves that they will be amazing soldiers, why because they have will.

Ok now on to the whole terrorist thing. Jet is only a terrorist to the Fire Nation. To the Eathkingdom and his comrades he's a hero. Lets put it this way. If Jet is a terrorist to the Fire Nation then Aang is Osama bin Laden.

[yiceman]

My friend...No! Morality and decency can NEVER be broken!

It isn't a pact...being a decent human being never stops being important when someone else faults you! It's even more crucial then.

This is what MAKES good guys differ from bad guys in stories...that the good guys REFUSE to stoop to the level of the villains.

And Aang didn't kill Zhao. The ocean spirit did. It even dropped off Aang before taking Zhao. The creators clearly state that they wanted to show that Aang DIDN'T kill Zhao in the commentary for that episode.

As for your connection with dogs...yes, you were scared of them. But you didn't try to kill them, did you?

And no, Jet thinking irrationally does not excuse his actions.

He was NOT acting purely out of fear. Remember his assaulting that old man? The innocent, harmless old FN man? That wasn't fear...that was hate. Jet was filled with hate. Racist hate.

As for Jet being a hero...even the other Freedom Fighters doubted him from time to time. But they were beguiled by his charm and his constant propaganda speeches against the FN.

Aang is not Osama bin Laden. Aang has respect for the human life. He doesn't hate anyone. He would go out of his way to save FN people who were in danger.

[kaibasgirl]

The guy was good all along? I'm sorry, but did you read the book?

He was ready to have both Harry, at the time an innocent baby, and James, killed as long as Lily remained alive. His past was as a Death Eater, and he joined them willingly. I don't doubt he did his share of plundering and harming innocent "muggles".

The only reason he joined Dumbledore was because of Lily. Because he wanted to keep her memory alive.

Though, this debate is not about whether Snape was good or not.

I...find that hard to believe. All teenagers do SOMETHING stupid. Whether breaking curfew, or getting into a spat with their parents, or breaking rules...I'll take your word for it (not that there's much choice, lol), but...yeah. That's really not something you hear every day.

Anyway, I'm not sure Jet completely understood the repercussions of his actions. Teenagers usually don't (of course, there are exceptions), and 85% of the time they think they do, but in reality, until it happens, they haven't got a clue.

Of course, you can argue that he did know what he was doing, and that was his intention. But again, he showed genuine remorse and regret, so that leads me to believe that he was too blinded by hate to realize that what he was trying to do, or the way he was going about it, was wrong.

Jet didn't ensue a racist campaign. After he left the forest, he came to Ba Sing Se to start a new life, to try and let go of his past.

It didn't work, because there he met Zuko. Finding out he was a Firebender set him back to his old ways, kind of like Azula's little pep talk with Zuko in CoD set him back to the old grind once more.

I think though, that Jet deserves at least some credit. He tried proving that they were Firebenders first, before attacking them. He wanted evidence, yes, but that was to report them to the Dai Li and let them take care of it, instead of handling things on his own.

But, hey, impatience is a part of youth, and he couldn't wait for them to come out into the light, so he took matters into his own hands. He acted without thinking, in other words, that's something you expect from teenagers and adolescents alike. Even Zuko's no exception to that rule

On Germany and the Holocaust...I'm not going to argue this. I regret bringing it up, so let's just close that topic, and let everyone think what they want to think.

~Téa

[yiceman]

I know, I've said several times I give Jet credit for wanting to change.

But Conettie here claimed that Jet didn't even NEED redemption, which I strongly disagreed with.

Jet wasn't a villain...he had good qualities. He was just messed up.

And the root of his problem wasn't solved before his death, so i don't think he was fully redeemed.

As for Snape: I meant within the context of the book. The story. I don't count past actions that occur outside the timeline of the book. Just like I don't hold Dumbledore's past against him, or Iroh's. Why? Because we were introduced to them as decent men who regret their past actions.

Now Snape...a sad story. He wasn't concerned about the demise of a man he despised, and he had some twisted beliefs. But he changed his ways and fought for the right side at great risk to his own self, which eventually cost him his life. Was Snape redeemed? Too complicated to even tell. All of the bad things he did in the book were him keeping his cover. So in the context of the book, he didn't do anything truly evil.

[kaibasgirl]

So let me ask you this: What exactly is the root of Jet's problem that you feel hasn't been resolved?

On Snape,

He is complicated, but he didn't do anything truly evil? Hm...that's debatable.

Their pasts were mentioned in the book for a reason (and not just for Harry-angst). I think JK Rowling was trying to show that even the most gd-like figures (aka Dumbledore) and the most vile (aka Snape) have their flaws and redeemable qualities.

Dumbledore once upon a time believed that ruling over "muggles" was for the good of mankind, and had indirectly brought about the death of his own sister.

Snape was an enigma, who didn't care for the lives of many, but in the end, did all he could to ensure that the memory of the woman he loved stayed, even if he despised the child with all his heart.

And, on being introduced, Peter Pettigrew (aka Wormtail) was shown at first as being the epitome of good and kindness, and Sirius Black was shown as cruel and evil. She likes to mess with our heads, that woman does.

~Téa

[yiceman]

Jet's racism wasn't resolved. Which is the root of his issues.

Now, considering redemption in a story, there's a different thing from having a character who WAS bad before the book even began, but is introduced as a good character, and a character who is introduced to us as vile and becomes good. See what I mean? It's easier to accept that a character who is introduced as good did bad things in their past than it is to introduce a character who does horrible things and then try to turn them good.

Snape did bad things in his past, but, from the start of the first book, what truly evil deed did he do? He was a twig to Harry, yeah, but that's not evil.

[Confettie]

yiceman said:

My friend...No! Morality and decency can NEVER be broken!

errm... what? How about Adolf Hitler? Or Khmer Rouge? Or for modern examples the African diamond minds? Or Darfur?

It isn't a pact...being a decent human being never stops being important when someone else faults you! It's even more crucial then.

Then why did everyone fight Adolf Hitler? Why not just wait for him to go away. I mean who cares if he attacks France, it's not us. He'll eventually go away.

This is what MAKES good guys differ from bad guys in stories...that the good guys REFUSE to stoop to the level of the villains.

Stories are black and white, but real life normally a gray shade.

And Aang didn't kill Zhao. The ocean spirit did. It even dropped off Aang before taking Zhao. The creators clearly state that they wanted to show that Aang DIDN'T kill Zhao in the commentary for that episode.

Thanks for informing me, I take back that argument then.

As for your connection with dogs...yes, you were scared of them. But you didn't try to kill them, did you?

Well if it was a life or death moment, you better believe i fight for my life. No one plays god to me, but me.

And no, Jet thinking irrationally does not excuse his actions.

I never said he was thinking irrational, I'm pretty sure I wrote down why he chose to fight.

He was NOT acting purely out of fear. Remember his assaulting that old man? The innocent, harmless old FN man? That wasn't fear...that was hate. Jet was filled with hate. Racist hate.

That man was living in the Earth Kingdom. Why is that? Why not retire back home. Well most likely because he was a former solider himself.

As for Jet being a hero...even the other Freedom Fighters doubted him from time to time. But they were beguiled by his charm and his constant propaganda speeches against the FN.

No, those kids lost their parents to the Fire Nation too. They saw Jet as their vocie, not only that. He took them end when no else would.

Aang is not Osama bin Laden. Aang has respect for the human life. He doesn't hate anyone. He would go out of his way to save FN people who were in danger.

Does the Fire Nation know this information about Aang. Of course not, how would they. They easily turn on their former heir to the throne Iroh. You think they actually stand up for the Avatar? Shall we list all the bad things Aang has done to the Fire Nation.
1) Destroy Avatar Roku temple, I know Ozai blame this on him.
2) Foil the attack on the Northern Water Tribe
3) Kill Zhao, again I know he didn't. I'm sure though Ozai told this to everyone.
4) Attack the very important Princess Azula
5) Kidnap Tom Tom, Mai little brother
6) Friends with Iroh
7) I'm sure there are tons more propaganda that Ozai's releasing.

Another similar trait who has the highest amount of money on their head? Aang does and so does Osama.

[kaibasgirl]

yiceman said:

Jet's racism wasn't resolved. Which is the root of his issues.

Now, considering redemption in a story, there's a different thing from having a character who WAS bad before the book even began, but is introduced as a good character, and a character who is introduced to us as vile and becomes good. See what I mean? It's easier to accept that a character who is introduced as good did bad things in their past than it is to introduce a character who does horrible things and then try to turn them good.

Snape did bad things in his past, but, from the start of the first book, what truly evil deed did he do? He was a twig to Harry, yeah, but that's not evil.

But that's just it! Characters die as racists, does that mean they aren't redeemed?!

Jet had every single right to HATE and DESPISE the Fire Nation! He had every right to be a racist. If I experienced the trauma he went through, I'd probably be a racist also!

That's the point though, isn't it? Heck, Sokka can be called a racist if that's the case! He hates the Fire Nation! For two whole seasons he's done nothing but express utter hatred for the place! Does that mean if he died he'll go to Purgatory because he thinks the Fire Nation is despicable?!

I see what you're saying, but I disagree. I don't read that many books though, so I can't effiecently argue this point.

~Téa

[yiceman]

You mistake me...I'm not a hippy.

If someone tries to kill me, I'll kill to defend myself or that of another innocent. I won't like it though. And I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to kill.

And I DEFINTLY wouldn't sacrafice 20-30 innocents just to get at a small squad of soldiers.

Opposing Hitler was the right thing...bombing Dresdon was not.

Fighting Japan was right...especially after the Rape of Nanjing and Pearl Harbor and the brutal things they did to captured Americans...but the internment camps were unfair. And we, as a nation, acknowledged that with a public official apology to all survivors.

And this IS a story, my friend....

And so fricken what if that man was an ex-soldier? That gives Jet the right to abuse and beat him? No!

Those kids were taken in by Jet and turned into warriors by him. He fuled their hate and revenge to get them to fight the FN with him.

And, who cares what the Fire Nation THINKS of Aang....we all know who Aang really is. Which is why I can say, with great confidence, that Aang is a better person than Jet.

Now, do you REALLY believe that Jet's actions didn't require redemption?

[Confettie]

My mom grew up in the Vietnam war and she hates the North Vietnamese. Heck I'm forbidden to date them. My family was filthy rich in Vietnam. My grandma side of the family was loaded, she never had to work a day in her life. My grandpa owns a printing press and because he's was bilingual. He speak and writes Vietnamese and Chinese fluently, he had a lot of jobs. They weren't snotty or anything. My grandpa donated lots of food to the poor. While my grandma volunteers at a mental hospital, she's apparently a register nurse.

When South Vietnam fell my family lost everything. My grandpa use all of his savings to get my two uncles out of the country. They, N. Vietnam were apparently taking away as in kidnapping able young men. After my uncles got out my grandpa use what ever he had left to get himself, my grandma, my aunts, and my mom out. Yup my family were boat people. During the voyage past Laos there were apparently a lot of pirates. They rape, looted, and killed people. Did I mention my mom hates people from Laos too? Is my mom racist? Heck no she end up marring a Peruvian, White, Black mix, my dad. She just let her prior experiences cloud her judgment.

There that is my example of someone who actually live through a war, and let their prior experiences effect them. I wrote this to back up Kaibai quote below

Jet had every single right to HATE and DESPISE the Fire Nation! He had every right to be a racist. If I experienced the trauma he went through, I'd probably be a racist also!

And, who cares what the Fire Nation THINKS of Aang....we all know who Aang really is. Which is why I can say, with great confidence, that Aang is a better person than Jet.

Because then Jet is not consider a terrorist anymore. He is only a bad person/ terrorist in the eyes of the Fire Natoin.

[conspiracytheorist]

kaibasgirl said:

Jet had every single right to HATE and DESPISE the Fire Nation! He had every right to be a racist. If I experienced the trauma he went through, I'd probably be a racist also!

If that's the case, then at the risk of completely offending you, you're weak.

Jet had no right to hate or despise the Fire Nation. Even though his mother and father were killed at the hands of the Fire Nation, he did not have the right (NOBODY has the right) to harbor so much hate in his heart that he would use it to motivate himself to murder someone, let alone dozens and dozens of someones. We are not helpless victims in the faces of our circumstances.

Well, I don't want to get into a whole discussion about Harry Potter, but Dumbledore admitted as to why he was ever friends with Grindelwald to begin with in a later chapter. If I do recall correctly, he was grief-stricken by the death of his mother, and felt resentful by the fact that he, a brilliant wizard who should be going out and doing great things, was left at home to care for his sickly sister.

When Grindelwald came along, he got caught up in the guy's ideals, and the lines between right and wrong got messed up. Don't tell me you never became friends with someone, only to realize later on that they weren't exactly the best people to hang around with.

Looks like the HP discussion has already evolved beyond just you and me, so I guess I'll go ahead and continue.

Dumbledore was indeed caught up in Grindelwald's ideals in a time of emotional distress. But you know what? Dumbledore didn't use that as an excuse. He felt real guilt about his actions; he did not use the death of his mother and the chains that kept him bound to his home when he selfishly wanted to go elsewhere as crutches to deny responsibility. The lines between Jet and Dumbledore are really blurred, so it's hard to continue along this train of thought and still express myself clearly, but I don't think anyone should be under the misconception that Dumbledore was excused because he had a rough time at home. He redeemed himself only after killing Grindelwald and rebuking the plans he had for the domination of wizards over muggles, and becoming a strong supporter of muggle-born wizards and witches over many, many years. Jet didn't have that kind of time.

As for the last part of your post, there, I have made friends who I thought were alright, and they turned out to be rotten eggs. Many, many people have. What's your point? Just because a lot of people make the same mistakes over the course of time doesn't mean that those mistakes are acceptable. Why have you been so eager to say, "Don't tell me that you've never done X, Y, or Z" on multiple occasions in this thread? If I shoplift, and then later I tell someone else off for shoplifting, am I a hypocrite? Yes. But does that make shoplifting okay? No.

However, before we argue about whether they have some gd-given right to hate, why don't you pick up a book and read up on what happened in the Concentration Camps. Then come back and tell me if forgiveness is that easy.

Forgiveness is not "that easy." But it is mandatory. And many, many people ignore/aren't aware of that fact. I know what horrors went on in Concentration Camps, so don't take what I'm saying here lightly. Forgiveness, even for those survivors, is necessary. Since you've expressed that you wish to drop the Halocaust topic, I'll stop there.

Yes true, but the Fire Nation has already broken this by kidnapping and imprisoning Earthbenders at concentration camps. Not only that they killed of an entire population of people ie the Air Nomads. Also Aang technically killed Zhao. I know he was in the Avatar State and couldn't control himself, but that's like using being drunk or high as an excuse.

1) Aang didn't kill Zhao (this has already been pointed out).
2) It's definitely not like using being drunk or high as an excuse. It's the duty of the Avatar to keep the world balanced. It is not the duty of any given moron teenager to get drunk and run into someone at 65 miles an hour running through a red light on the way home from a friend's house.

Anyway, I'm not sure Jet completely understood the repercussions of his actions. Teenagers usually don't (of course, there are exceptions), and 85% of the time they think they do, but in reality, until it happens, they haven't got a clue.

Jet definitely understood that what he was doing was wrong. When it's pointed out to him that all the Earth Kingdom people would die as a result of his plan, he says, "It had to be done." Well, if it had to be done - if it was an absolute imperative, and he thought it was for the greater good - why wouldn't he eagerly share his plan with the Avatar and friends? Certainly the mind of someone who is convinced that murder on such a large scale is okay would be screwed up enough to let as many people opposed to the Fire Nation in on the plan as possible. The fact that he hid his plan from Aang, Katara and Sokka is, to me, proof that he was completely aware of the repercussions of his plot: namely, the death of a lot of people.

That's the point though, isn't it? Heck, Sokka can be called a racist if that's the case! He hates the Fire Nation! For two whole seasons he's done nothing but express utter hatred for the place! Does that mean if he died he'll go to Purgatory because he thinks the Fire Nation is despicable?!

Sokka was the one who saved all those innocent people from the flooding that Jet, the racist, caused. Sokka is no racist. He is right to think that the Fire Nation is despicable. They are. But Sokka does not hate them. Not truly. And especially not the way that Jet did.