On the Fire Nation, Tibet and the genocides
The A:TLA situation:
Sozin used the power of the comet to launch an attack and commit genocide on the Air Nomads.
Sozin attacked the Air Nomads for two reasons: 1. To get to the Avatar 2. To destroy the military advantage airbending provided i.e. air support would have been a big hindrance in his war against the rest of the world. The Air Nomads were destroyed due to their religious and strategic importance.
Now, in human history genocides are not particularly hard to find, so what links this one to the specific one in Tibet?
The Air Nomads - Buddhism parallel has been discussed in previews posts.
But how does the Tibet situation compare:
1. Religious significance and genocide:
Between 1959 and 1961 the PRC destroyed most of Tibet’s over 6000 monasteries, only eight remained in 1976. Communism sees religion as one of the major hindrances to the development of society and as a tool to keep people under control and the Theocracy in power. Which led to the removal/destruction/execution of the monasteries and the religious cast.
Further parallels: The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was not formally enthroned until 17 November 1950, during the People’s Republic of China invasion of the kingdom. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India where he has led a government in exile since.
2. Strategic advantage:
Tibet’s location puts it at a key military position between China and India. Military control of said region is as important today as it has been in past wars.
To sum it up: Taking into consideration that A:TLA is set in a sino-centric universe, the parallel between the Air Nomads and the Tibet situation is all but accidental, but seems to be an obvious comment on real world politics.
