To Kill An Idea
Korra went through the familiar movements of a waterbending form. However, her mind refused to settle. The angry reactions of the crowd, the zealous resolve of the speaker, the bender left without his powers...
Had there always been such strong anti-bender sentiment?
She had asked Tenzin about it, but he'd told her it was a relatively recent development. Supposedly, it was due to a new movement, the Equalists, who were led by a man named Amon. But something about it didn't feel right. And watching Tarrlok's forces crackdown on anyone even tangentially associated with the Equalists felt wrong. He was making it worse. She was sure of it.
"You must have a lot on your mind. You're getting sloppy."
Korra stopped and turned. Azula was sitting on the steps, golden eyes gleaming in the dusk twilight. Half her face was hidden in shadow, but there was an amused smile on the other half. Korra's lips twitched. She'd been wondering where Azula had been.
She'd half expected the old firebender to waltz into the council meeting and take charge. Honestly, Korra would have been glad if she had. If there was one thing Azula specialised in, it was getting things done... and getting them done properly. At the very least, Azula would have come up with a better plan for dealing with the Equalists than just arresting everyone associated with them.
"I took a walk through the city today," Azula drawled. "And I heard some very interesting things."
Korra sagged. "It's a mess, and I can't help but feel that we're only making it worse."
Azula held up one hand. The flame that flickered to life above her palm burned first orange and then blue and then finally an eerie white. "The city is a tinder box, and the council has vacillated between doing nothing and throwing a torch on it."
"What would you do?" Korra asked quietly as she sat down next to Azula. The colour of Azula's flames had always fascinated her. She'd never been able to get her own fire to burn blue, never mind the white that Azula only seldom displayed. It reminded her of moonlight, but unlike moonlight it burned. "Everything we've done just seems to make things worse."
"Let me ask you a question," Azula said. "Do you think that the Equalists are right?"
"Of course not," Korra said. "They're –"
The look Azula gave her silenced her mid-sentence. It was an expression that she'd seen plenty of times over the years. It was a warning to stop and think, really think, about what she was about to say because she would not like the consequences if she rushed ahead without due consideration.
Korra took a deep breath. "There are laws in place to prevent discrimination against people who can't bend. I've seen those laws. My predecessor and your bother put them in place, and they made it basically impossible to ever remove them."
"There are laws against murder," Azula replied, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "And people are still murdered every day."
Korra frowned. "That's not the same."
"Tell me, Korra, who rules the city?" Azula closed her hand. The white flame vanished, leaving them in shadow. Korra found her gaze drawn to the statue of her predecessor that stood proudly in the bay.
"The council."
"And who sits on the council?" Azula asked.
"Tenzin, Tarrlok –"
"Benders, Korra. Benders sit on the council." Azula's smile widened. "Five people rule this city. And every single one of them is a bender. Yet there are more non-benders than benders. Funny how that works, isn't it? The largest group has no voice."
Korra felt a chill run through her. Azula's smile was no longer amused, and the gleam in her eyes held the same intensity it did on the few occasions that the older bender deigned to take one of their spars seriously. "I... I guess."
"Who protects the people of this city?" Azula asked.
"The police," Korra replied.
"And who is in charge of the police? Who are the elites that stand at the top of the organisation tasked with the defence of the common man?"
"Chief Beifong... and her metalbenders..." Korra's eyes widened. "They're all benders too."
"Oh, there are non-benders in the police force, but how many of them occupy senior positions? You can probably the guess answer."
"Not many..."
"One more question, Korra. Who runs the gangs that prey on the poor and downtrodden of this city?"
"Benders..."
"You ask why the Equalists have seen so much support, but the answer is right there in front of you. You have a city in which the majority of the population is made up of non-benders, yet they are ruled by benders. They are preyed upon by benders. And the force tasked with protecting them is made up mostly of benders. How are they supposed to feel? How are they supposed to react when a councillor's forces arrest everyone even vaguely associated with a man who, in their eyes, has committed no crime... other than to strike back at the people oppressing them."
Korra was silent. Finally, she spoke. "We can stop Amon. What Tarrlok is doing isn't right. But we can't just let Amon go around taking away people's bending."
"Say you stop Amon. Imagine you throw him in prison or even kill him. Do you really think that will put an end to this? All you'll be doing is making a martyr of him." Azula chuckled. "Do you want to know why he wears a mask?"
"To hide his identity."
"That's part of it. But that's not the only reason. Amon... Amon understands the power of symbols, of ideas. A movement led by a man will die when that man is killed. A movement that follows a symbol... that follows an idea... that is far more difficult to kill." Azula nodded at the statue of Aang. "All men must die. But symbols... ideas... these things can endure long after the men who created them are dead. If you stop Amon, you won't stop the Equalists. No. There will be another Amon and another and another and another until one of them finally succeeds."
"So you're saying we're doomed?" Korra growled. "I refuse to believe that."
"You know how to heal people," Azula continued. "What happens you only ever treat the symptoms of a disease but not the cause?"
"That's obvious. The person will keep getting sick and..." Korra covered her face with her hands. "I'm so stupid. We're all so stupid."
"No. You are not stupid," Azula said. "You are ignorant, and ignorance need only be temporary."
"We shouldn't just focus on Amon," Korra said. "We need to... to... to focus on why he's getting support. If we can take that support away from him..."
"Then he becomes one angry man, and a single angry man is far less of a threat than an angry man with thousands and thousands of supporters." Azula stood. "Set aside your Water Tribe clothing. Dye your hair. Walk through the city as someone who cannot bend. Listen. Watch. Understand. To stop a revolution, you cannot simply kill its leader. You must kill its ideas."
"Kill its ideas?"
"Korra, contrary to common belief, most people are simple. They want food in their bellies, coin in their pockets, and a roof over their head. They want a chance to rise in the world, and they want a brighter future for their children. Give them that, and they'll die for you with a smile on their lips. Take it away, and they'll tear themselves to pieces if it means making you suffer." Azula chuckled. "Do you know why the Dai Li were so quick to join me when I overthrew Ba Sing Se?"
"No," Korra said. "But I've always wondered."
"The Dai Li were, for all of their many talents, simply people. When I took over the city, I made it clear that as long as they followed my orders, then things would not change for them. They would keep their power. They would keep their privileges. They would stay the true power of the city. All they needed to do was kneel to a different master. It wasn't the city or the Earth Kingdom they were loyal to. It wasn't the king. What they wanted was to ensure their own futures, to ensure their own success and that of their families. I promise them that and more, so what reason did they have to oppose me? On the contrary, once I tied their success to my own, they became my most fervent supporters."
Korra's brows furrowed. Politics had never been her strong suit, but Azula was a good teacher, albeit a ruthless one. "They don't feel like they have a future..." she murmured. "They feel like... like Amon's way is the only way forward. But if we could give them another way, a less risky way, but one they still believe in..."
"The overwhelming majority of them would take it." Azula smiled, and it was kinder this time. "Simply defeating Amon will not be enough. You must defeat what he stands for. You must show his ideals to be false. You must offer another path, a better path, for his followers to take." She patted Korra on the shoulder. "It will not be easy, but if you do this right, then you will no longer be beholden to the council to act. You will have the backing of the people, and that is a powerful, powerful thing."
X X X
As Korra rushed off to consider her options, Azula turned to the shadow crouched in a nearby tree.
"I am quite certain that your father taught you that snooping is impolite."
Jinora hopped out of the tree. Her expression was tense, and she wrung her hands together. "I heard what you said to Korra."
"Of course, you did. I was saying it to you as much as I was saying it to her." Azula's lips curled. "You have an interest in philosophy, Jinora. You are, by all accounts, extremely well read. But reality and books are not always the same. A city built on dreams alone might as well be built on sand." Her lips curled. "When Korra sneaks out and pretends to be a non-bender, I suggest you go with her. You could learn a lot from the experience."
"If it were you," Jinora asked. "If you were Amon, what would you do?"
"An interesting question." Azula's smile was broad. "Most people would have asked what I would do if I was in Korra's shoes, but you're asking the question that really matters." Her gaze drifted to the statue of Aang once again. "I would push and push and push. The council has no idea what it's doing. Tarrlok will respond with even greater severity because it's the only thing he knows how to do. He will alienate more and more of the city's people, which will only push the police force and the authorities to take harsher and harsher measures as the unrest grows. Eventually, someone is going to do something foolish. There will be blood in the streets. Tarrlok will point at it and say that things have gotten out of control, that they have to act now. And Amon? He'll smile because he'll finally have proof that benders have always been out to get the non-benders, that they won't hesitate to resort to violence if they feel they're losing control."
"And then...?" Jinora whispered.
"And then the city is going to find out what happens when the majority of the population decides that they've had enough of being bossed around." Azula's eyes burned gold. "You don't need to be a bender to swing a sword... or a pipe. And you don't need to be a bender to stab someone in the back or poison their food."
"If you know all this... why didn't you tell Korra?"
"I am an old woman, Jinora, the last, lingering memory of a bygone age. If this city cannot save itself, then maybe it isn't worth saving." Azula began to walk away. "And maybe benders need a reminder that in the end, we're all just people."
X X X
Author's Notes
Because Azula is a people person, and she wants to make sure that Korra and Jinora are too.
