To the people of racebending.com and all who agree with them,

First a brief introduction. I am an amateur actor born and raised in Malaysia, which makes me an Asian actor. While I am all for ethnic equality and all, I think you are ‘bending’ the issue out of proportion.

The characters and setting of Avatar: the Last Airbender are based on Asian/Oriental backgrounds. But think about it: Aang the cartoon character is pale, has big eyes, capable of martial arts and even speaks in an American accent. In my opinion, Noah Ringer fits the description, and more so if he has good acting chops.

As for the Prince of Persia, Jake Gyllenhaal also more or less looks the part and has good acting chops. To me, that is good enough for him to carry the role and entertain me in his adventures (whether the movie is great or not is a different story).

You must understand, the creators of Avatar the cartoon series are white Americans, and so are the majority of its viewers. It is normal for them to cast white actors, also because the pool of talent in America/Canada are mostly white. In other parts of the world, the same ‘phenomenon’ also occurs: in a Hong-Kong made Street Fighter movie, Chinese actors are cast as Guile, Dhalsim, Bison and Blanka. Who can blame them?

It seems that the ‘racebending’ issue only surfaced upon the impending release of The Last Airbender (correct me if I’m wrong). When other ethnicities are affected, did anyone say anything? How about the time when an Irish played a German Nazi, or when a half English played Gandhi, or when a Korean played a Japanese (twice), or when an English played a Polish Pope, or when an English- Scottish-Finnish-Swedish American played a South African Afrikaner athlete, or when an Irish-Slovak-Swiss American played Jesus Christ? Did anyone have any problems then?

Sorry, but I would be more sympathetic to the cause if somebody can name an ‘Asian’ actor who can carry the role just as well, if not better, than Noah Ringer. I understand the plight of Asian American actors seeking equality in casting, but a boycott of The Last Airbender is not going to help that much. At the very least, you should watch the movie and see for yourself whether or not Noah Ringer is worthy of the role. If you deem him unworthy just because he is white, then isn’t it you who are racist?