SELF

People constantly complain that the new airbenders "disrespect the culture" and that Aang would be disappointed. But that is exactly the point. Airbending is just a supernatural ability; it is not synonymous with the ancient traditions of the Air Nomads. The modern airbenders are just random people who gained abilities from Harmonic Convergence, they are not descendants of the monks. The absence of traditional Air Nomad culture is supposed to feel deeply uncomfortable to the audience. Aang’s grief hits so hard precisely because his people are truly gone and their way of life is never coming back. Refusing to magically resurrect the Air Nomad culture was a brilliant writing decision. Bringing it back would completely undermine the tragedy of the 100 Year War. People are the makers and carriers of culture, when you eradicate a people, you eradicate their culture along with them. It feels unfair and jarring to watch modern airbenders ignore the old values we grew up with, but that’s the brutal reality of war. Something killed can never truly be brought back.