Nashk Tategami: I understand that fire benders are not the only ones oppressing others. I was referring to Amon's testimony of his encounter with the fire bender. My thoughts going throughout his entire testimony was, "Why would he target all benders, and not just fire benders?"
What? I already told you why. Just because his killer was a firebender, doesn't mean he would take revenge JUST against firebenders, the logic is the same either way.
Not all firebenders are bad, just like not all benders are bad. Amon is targeting all benders NOT BECAUSE OF THIS ONE INCIDENT (or so he claims, he is probably lying of course.) but because he (supposedly) understands the underlying problem. Bending empowers the lucky few with the ability to harm, and oppress those around them.
That is the basis behind the entire "uprising" here, not revenge against an intangible foe, but the elimination of a problem.
The triple thread triad has done no such thing to aang and company. All the triple threat triad has done is show clearly, and rather concisely, why beinding is troublesome for the population at large. Aang and company are still heroes, they are still remembered for the good they have done.
That doesn't change the fact that bending is a dangerous, and deadly power that the lucky few possess.
Amon is right in that regard, and that is something Korra and her crew are going to have to come to terms with. They are relatively lucky for being benders. Mako and Bolin, even while being orphans and losing their parents to benders themselves, are in an infinitely better position than any non-bender. Benders can always, ALWAYS find somewhere to work or survive as they have skills no one else can ever possess.
Mako, as shown in this episode, is able to get decent paying work at a factory by producing electricity. Its dangerous work, but only fellow firebenders can do it. That puts a limit on the supply of workers, and thus puts the power firmly in the hands of the firebenders of the city FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. If all the firebenders wanted to, they could refuse to work and shut down the cities infrastructure! That is an auto union that needs no laws to be established, because no one can replace the firebenders in the current state of the city!
Ah but you are not acknowledging the time period they both lived in. With jet, the firenation has been invading the
entire world for about one-hundred years. That is a century of destruction caused by one singular nation, to all the other nations (so all the other benders such as air, water and earth.) in a society where bending was law, and idea's such as civil liberty was not nearly widespread.
Among however lives in a time of peace. All the nation are now as equals, and there is now war. Amon, and the others complaining about benders, are being oppressed by a nation and they are not from the generation that are NOT from the war and as such hold no pre-established prejudice for the firenation, and thus firebenders.
No, amon lives in a world where benders from every class has undeniable power over those who don't. He was oppressed by a firebender, while another man was bossed around by an earthbender, and yet another was oppressed by a waterbender.
I don't know if he is telling the truth (as I keep saying) but amon is smart enough to know the underlying cause isn't a singular element, but bending as the whole.
Jet was simply resisting an invasion on his home,
Amon is harnessing the unrest of the nonbenders for power and control (whatever his intention for that control might be.)
Indeed.
All revolutions, whether they have justice on their side or not, involves violence and upheaval. If the non-benders want justice and equality there will be violence even if the ultimate solution becomes a peaceful one.
After all, Korra is supposed to bring balance to this world, and I have no doubt she will, but how are the people supposed to know that? Korra is a bender, she represents the ultimate fusion of everything that non-benders hate. She has ultimate power, and final say in just about anything with no one to question her.
What amon is offering to the people is a way to stop the oppression of the benders once and for all, and bring power and control to them. As such they will follow him until their faith in him is eroded, which will only happen when they trust him less than the bender who oppress them.
Also on a side note, something I have been wanting to say, it must really suck for the people when the police force are benders as well.
No such thing in the eye's of those who have been wronged. If a bender exists, he has power over those who don't, peaceful or not. I already gave the example of katara above, a good person who used her bending to bully others (even when they deserve it.)
Contribute to the well being of society? Sure you can spin it like that, but I can just as easily say that benders are restricting society by having the monopoly of power.
Without firebenders there is no electricity, without the earthbenders you lose cheap engineering, etc.
If those bender never existed, they would have had to have found a way to create this infrastructure without them, as we do in modern times.
I mentioned it above, but the benders working for the city could easily form a union with unrestricted power. If they decide they want more pay, they can just quite and there is little the managers of the factory can do, unlike real life, as it is something ONLY firebenders can do.
Of course benders are not evil, and that is actually what is so clever of amon. He is not hurting anybody, he is waging war on BENDING without killing the BENDERS. He simply removes their power, which is what allows them to oppress non benders in the first place.
You can argue whether it is right or wrong, but all he is doing is making a stable foundation for his uprising. After all, how can a man who is only wanting to remove oppression, be wrong in the eyes of his followers?
Indeed, but you are forgetting that you are mentioning special cases, and the select few.
The war against the firenation could not have been won without benders. Teo actually did very little, at all, for the way. It was his father, and his inventive mind that did anything for (and against) the war effort.
But that is yet another example of bender oppression. Teo's father was forced by benders to put his talents in use for way, that benefited BENDERS ONLY.
His father, a genius, made machines that caused the death and destruction of countless people, that could only be used by a firebender in the form of tanks, and other death machines.
Amon is not saying non benders are less people, in fact he is doing the opposite, tearing down the rebellion by using the tools at his disposal!!!!
His is training chi blockers, and he learned how to remove bending. I think you are missing the point of amon's power and rebellion mate.