"Avatar" (by anon)

You know what really grinds my gears?

There’s this amazing show called Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is an animated series genuinely directed at the interests and focus of kids, but it is such an extensive and powerful series that it has reached into the interests of teens and adults as well. Many people have grown to respect and love this show.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this show, it is loosely based on some religious ideas that follow a young “Avatar” on his quest to master the four natural elements of the world – water, earth, fire, and air. On this journey he faces hardships and trepidations, but also encounters many friends and happy times; eventually even love. The show follows a group of friends, each with a specific skill or ability to manipulate a certain element, as they travel across the world in hopes of training Aang (The Avatar) till he becomes ready to face his destiny to save the world.

Now, this show has always been known to me and an innumerable amount of people as simple “Avatar,” as the previously mentioned title is rather long. Whenever I heard this word, my brain would instantly avert to this epic television series that has become known and appreciated worldwide. The show was created by Bryan Konietzko and Michal Dante DiMartino in 2005 and spanned until 2008. Some of you, however, may be familiar with the movie “Avatar” with strange blue-looking people and the like. This movie actually aired in 2009, a good four years after the real “Avatar” was released and had fully developed its name and stature.

However, James Cameron, creator of the blue-people “Avatar” decided that even after this four year run by Bryan and Mike, that he was entitled to copyright the name “Avatar.” Even though it had already been several years since the name had already been adapted to this particular series in a distinctive way. Or, if you wanna play by kindergartener rules, Bryan and Mike “said” the name “Avatar” first and thus had “dibs.” Then Cameron decides to come in, shit all over the most basic and obvious unwritten rules by lying claim to the name. He actually copyrighted the name “Avatar” so no one else could use it.

Where’s the justice in that?

Avatar: The Last Airbender had been around for years longer the Cameron’s shitty excuse for an “Avatar” rendition, yet after Cameron decides to be an ass about it they can no longer use the name as their own, essentially. The live action movie that was created soon after the animated series ended was originally destined to be called just the same: “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” But, due to Cameron being a filthy rich and cocky director made it so they could no longer use this name. It had to be changed to just “The Last Airbender.” The sequel to the Avatar series, was also origination meant to be called “Avatar: The Legend of Korra,” but again, due to this copyright law, this name could not be so. Cameron made it so this great, inspiring, and original series could not even use the name that had come to define it.

This is something that pisses me off a lot, not just that he “stole a name” or something simple as that. It’s that just because James Cameron had the name and the money to do so, he was allowed to label a name as solely his. How is that even humanly possible? So can someone take their first name and say, “This is mine, no one else can use it!” Every single word was already in existence; created and universal and extensive. He didn’t “create” the name, why does he have the right to lay claim to it?

No word belongs to any one person, and yet people with the name or money think they can do something as simple as this just to prove their dominance or power.  To those of you who think this is insignificant, just remember it only takes a small spark like this (something seemingly irrelevant), but eventually a flame will grow and spread like a wildfire until it cannot be handled or contained.