Zen Crib Notes

More eerie similarities between lok and the problems in our society

lets-roast-mako:

fuckyeahbromotions submitted: 

Here’s something I always found to be ‘cute’ when it comes to Mako stans. 

They always demand that we ‘like’ Mako because of his vague past. You know, where he raises Bolin by himself… or so he says. They demand we worship and adore and just shut up wid da h8 ok? because he saved Bolin, he saved Korra, he was Asami’s ‘friend’ in the most fucking liberal sense of the word ever.

You know what this reminds me of?

phony allies. You know, the ones who claim to be allied to a community, and then whine when they’re not handed a fucking medal for it? The ones who claim that ‘they’re not like the others’ but then don’t do anything to change the situation. 

Mako raised Bolin, yes. And this is a dubious argument to begin with. All my feels for them came from headcanons and fanfiction regarding their past. Yep… nothing about the show made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It was all fabrications by fans. So, even if Mako had a brooding and inspiring past… the show doesn’t support it with emotional evidence. We just hear about it, then Mako lowers his head sexily… 

Now, we can appreciate Mako for what he did for his brother. Just like we can appreciate that he saved Korra in the end, by stupid means but that’s not really the issue. 

But why we gotta kiss his ass or suck his dick for that? 

What, because he was being the bare minimum of a human being we’re expected in turn to treat this as heroic. Ok, it’s true, that sounds harsh, but that’s the truth. Even if those deeds seem inspiring, noble, courageous, and heartwarming and all that jazz… it’s still his duty to do them. 

This is why I don’t like ‘heroes’. People who do what’s right shouldn’t be rewarded, because then altruism is corrupted into pride and vanity. Humility in service to others is where true satisfaction comes from. 

Kind of like how Korra is ‘so selfless’ because she helps her close friends/fuck buddies. Of course. 

When you see a random stranger about to get shot, you are fully expected to jump in front of them and take that bullet. That is selflessness, that is altruism. Don’t just cite me though, that sentimentality comes from Jesus Himself. 

Yeah Korra… how’d that suddenly unlocking your airbending come along when Lieu got whacked by Amon? Isn’t airbending about love? Where’d that agape go gurl? Oh yeah… you only feel eros for Mako. ‘Love’. You two are meant for each other -_-

Agape is human love. The love for a total stranger. To those Christians out there, it’s the love in Christ that we feel for each other, for all are borthers and sisters in Him. That deal. Korra don’t feel this. 

When people are rewarded for being decent human beings, it taints the very act of being a decent human being. It makes it a competition. It makes it a pageant where you can show off your good deeds and compare yourself to other people and feel self-important. 

Now, respect, gratitude, and love are what you should feel for ‘heroes’. Because you as a fellow human being are expected to. 

Praise, applause, and reverence? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

Now, back to the matter at hand. 

Yes, Mako raised Bolin all by himself since he was a kid. Yes this is inspiring, yes this is blah blah blah.

But you know what? When you demand that we like him as a character for that, you’re saying that a few deeds can override faults of character, which is not how the world works, btw. You’re saying that because X did Y at some point in the past, he is guiltless in doing Z now. That’s just kindergarten level intelligence. 

But that’s what comes with blind hero worship. All of Mako’s faults can be forgiven because of what he did. Not what he will do, which is an acceptable way of absolving his guilt and remedying his flaws, but what he did. 

But it’s not only that. When you demand we love Mako because of what he did for Bolin (or Korra, but mostly Bolin) you are trivializing the very thing you claim to so love about him.

You are now saying that Mako had a choice in the matter. That Mako didn’t have to raise his brother. He could have let him die. He didn’t have to save him from Amon, he could have let his bending get taken, and much worse I’m sure. 

It’s like when a phony ally to a community tries to threaten walking out on their ‘allies’ when they’re not ‘appreciated’. It’s a cheap and selfish ploy for attention and praise. They aren’t usually missed. 

But here it’s not just the respect and dignity of a minority group you’re ‘threatening’ to walk out on. It’s a guy’s brother. You’re quantifying it as: “Fine don’t like Mako, he didn’t raise Bolin or anything. What if he wasn’t there for him? What then? You wouldn’t have your precious Bolin, would you?”

You’re making it seem like Bolin is a mere appendage to Mako’s character. That he’s an object. You’re saying you love Mako unconditionally that you’ll dehumanize his own brother to prove a point. What’s that point? That you’re a shitty human being. 

It’s a way to further the oppression in our society. Victimize those guilty and patronize the real victims. 

At the risk of triggering, imagine a snobby white hipster girl with glasses too large for her eyes. She fancies herself an ally, but when her black friend expressed grievances toward the white majority, she in turn feels offended and ‘explains’ that “Not all of us are like that? Don’t you appreciate what I’m doing for you?”

Lol hipster girl, why don’t you listen to your friend and show some sympathy? Instead of demanding her love and affection for doing what you should be doing. It’s not about you, it’s about her. 

This is what Mako stans are doing. They’re making it about Mako. You most see these arguments directed toward Bolin fans complaining about how Bolin was treated by his own brother on the show. They want to patronize and invalidate the very much valid offense that Bolin fans feel for this treatment. 

No, I personally don’t think Mako’s a very good brother. He’s doing what’s expected of him. Now, while he himself doesn’t act like a spoiled brat and demand a medal for this in the show itself, his fans do. 

But even Mako in the show has shades of it. He always makes his touching “I care about Bolin moments” about him in some way.

“Bolin’s the only family I have left… if anything happened to him…” 

I presume he’d finish with, “I don’t know what I’d do/if I could live with myself/something along those lines”. 

Wow, Mako. This isn’t about how you’d feel if something happened to Bolin. Sure you can feel guilt and worry over that. But if you cared half as much as you say you do, you’d be more concerned with how scared/lonely/helpless he is at that moment. You’d focus on saving him. 

See, Korra and Mako are the least selfless people on the whole fucking show. Why are they presented as heroes? They’re not. They’re attention whores who quantify their ‘loved ones’ in ways that affect them. Not the people themselves. 

This is so condescending it’s sickening. 

Anyway, point is, Mako stans, stahp using this argument, it means nothing and it’s patronizing. It doesn’t make Mako a good human being, and it doesn’t forgive anything he did. It just proves that you’re a terribly misguided human being who probably thinks otherwise. 

Can you like Mako? Of course, we’re not the fucking thought police. Can you like Mako despite his flaws and indeed because of his good deeds past present or future? Duh. You can like anyone for any reason you want. But there’s a difference between liking and agreeing that something is of good quality. There is a difference between recognizing the good in something and identifying with it, and demanding that this override any bad.

There is a difference between appreciation for what’s expected of someone, and praise for a deed they honestly shouldn’t even want to have acknowledged.

So go. Mako lovers, keep on loving. But don’t equate that love with the right to patronize others who have legitimate grievances with him. 

Mako critics, deal with him how you will, but I hope we can all agree that Mako did good things in the past, even good things in the present, but that has no bearing on his character and we don’t worship him at his feet because he did something good- because that’s what a GOOD person is supposed to do anyway.

Mako stans… you have your own validation and dignity as fellow human beings… Just don’t expect any medals because of that.