@@Mia_2512 I'm not Thors and I have no real desire to be like him in that respect. I don't want to die, just yet, either. If big daddy government wants to force me to do something, and I don't wanna do it, I have no problems defending myself from tyranny. Which is quite actually Eren's original line of thinking. He didn't want to be under the tyranny of the titans - or Marley - or Ymir in the end. I mean, given his choices, he decided along a good line from his own perspective - the only choice that seemed viable that saved everyone he cared about. Me opting for Thorfinn's option first is the thing you should be grateful for. It saved my life, and the lives of a lot of other people who felt the same or had similar perspectives. If you really want people to stop thinking like Eren, and you want more people to think like Thors, barring genetic manipulation, you're going to have to create an environment that humanity adapts to in such a way that they become like Thors. Right now, this environment creates Erens.
It really is saying something when violent revolution is seriously considered by millions of people. Sure fear is stopping us from doing it but who'd want to be violent like that, which is kinda tragic
I mean we have tyrants plotting to enslave us who aren't even trying to hide their intentions anymore. if we can't stop them peacefully soon, unfortunately theres only one way left.
This is the perfect elaboration of how Attack on Titan can be read through a western lens. It's very nice to see a such a well spoken video with this perspective.
Damn, great video. It's always genuinely heartwarming to see actual discussions about AoT and the world it presents. I think I've spent too much time on twitter where vitually everything it shaded in black and white.
When you mentioned Paradis should ally with the Mid-East Allied Forces instead of doing nothing, I am so happy! I felt like my voice is heard. I've been trying so hard in order to spread the Heraclius Plan out. But nobody bothered to listen. And RUclips and Reddit clearly have not been helpful in my case either. I know that it will not resulted in the long lasting peace. But the fact that Marley has been internationally humiliated and being forced to sue for peace for the time being is still better than the Rumbling. When most people thought of something, they will usually wanted it to happen right there and then. But that is not how things operated. It takes time to prepare. And not only that, they wanted what they desired to be long lasting. And this is why I admired Emir Timur. Yes, he is the typical brutal Turco-Mongol warlord who caused a lot of destruction in his conquests like the other nomadic leaders before him. But people often forget that his conquests happened in the final decade of his life. And what had he been doing until then? He was preparing himself for that decade by consolidating his power in Central Asian cities such as Balkh, Bukhara and Samarkand. And as a result of that consolidation of power and careful planning, he became the most powerful leader in the entire Islamic world of his time. He even went to the Ottoman realm and defeated Sultan Bayezid I on his own turf. And while you can said that time is against Paradis, you can also said that the answer was already provided to them through the Marley Mid-East War. But what important the most here is the consequence. The consequence of Timur's conquests have both negative and positive impacts. Negatively, Georgia was divided into small kingdoms while Baghdad and Damascus have been sacked and burned. But positively, Iran was united under his banner, the Silk Road that ran through the Middle East is safe for use once again and science once again florished in the Islamic world at his capital of Samarkand. So yeah, Paradis joined the Allies will resulted in laying the foundation for the future generation of the politicians of Paradis to work upon to improve its relations with the rest of the world but also at the risk of the rise of the political theory of revanchism in Marley as well. So what do you think? Risk dealing with revanchism or the Rumbling? Also, this video made me remembered about the Battle of Ryloth and the Battle of Umbara in the Clones Wars and why I ultimately believed why the Separatists are in the right. In the Battle of Ryloth, I saw how awful Wat Tambor was when he and his forces were occupying Ryloth just because he wanted Passal Argente's treasures. And so, I was more than happy to cheer for the Republic to win and free the Twi'leks from his brutal regime. But in the Battle of Umbara, the Republic are the invaders. They invaded someone's home just because it located on an important trade route in the Mid Rim and when they won the battle, they put it under the military occupation. Throughout the whole Umbara Arc, I actually wanted the Umbarans to win because they didn't do anything wrong but defending their home. And they have every right to defend it. I know, I know, neither the Republic or the Separatists are the good guys in the war. But still, I ultimately sided with the Separatists in the end. Sure, Wat Tamber is anything but a good person. But guess what, Orn Free Taa is nothing but the typical corrupted and bloated politician. And there are so many politicians like him in the Republic Senate. And this is what made me decided to side with Paradis as well. Throughout season 1-3, Eren and the Survey Corps had been doing nothing but defending their home from Marley's aggression. Heck, I even viewed the Raid of Liberio in season 4 being no different from the Battle of Coruscant, in which the Separatists finally struck fear and terror right into the heart of the Republic as the consequence for more than a thousand years of neglect and abuse in the Outer Rim. By the way, do you think it is right to compare people like Hange and Armin to Count Dooku? After all, both of them are idealists like him. But if that is the case, why are they so different from him? Why they cannot see that Marley has no interest in negotiation and that forcing peace on Marley through war is the only option. After all, that is what Count Dooku decided to go with by forcing the Republic to come to negotiate by causing a lot of damages to the Republic's territories.
glad you liked hearing me bring that up! you've been so committed in my comments getting me thinking about that and i finally had a chance to talk about it. i imagine people might say that it's simply unlikely for paradis to achieve that alliance (due to the extreme racism we see from some of their soldiers), but i think you and me both agree there's a good chance the leaders of their country would be more pragmatic. plus, i think any of these more humanitarian plans are preferable to the rumbling even if the chance of success isn't 100% i would love to hear you expand on the comparison between hange and armin and count dooku. i love the clone wars but i'll admit it's been a while since i last rewatched it
@@chryysanth Yes, we did see a soldier being racist to Falco and one of the artilery officers yelled at Porco before firing a shot at him. But these guys are soldiers. They are not the ones who make the decisions. It's the Beys of the Mid-East Eyalets. And in the original scenario, the Mid-East Allied Forces almost won the war. And even when they ended up losing the war, they gained worldwide sympathies for putting up a good fight against Marley. So if Paradis joined the war as a member of the Allies, the Allies' chance of victory will increased because Marley will be forced to fight wars on two fronts. And if they did win, Marley will be forced to choose between economic collapse and international humiliation. As for the Allies, the Mid-East Eyalets will most likely be unified under one Sultan and also gaining the flipped version of the Arabian peninsula from Marley while Paradis' prestige is increased on the international stage and its image is shifted positively. As for why I compared Hange and Armin with Count Dooku, it is because they are idealists like him. But what truly got me is why they are so different from him. Didn't they know that war is the only option? And if they do, why they still refused it? The reality of the situation provided them with either just humiliating Marley internationally and the Rumbling. And they chose neither of them. At least, Count Dooku is willing to embrace war in order to do what that is needed to be done and have seen it through that the Republic is corrupted and the Jedi have become nothing but the Senate's arrogant attack dogs. Well, I know that humiliating Marley internationally will lead to Marley to fall into revanchism and it might not be good in the long run. Maybe that is why they didn't want to go to war with Marley in the first place. But I guess that is the different between those two and Count Dooku here. They didn't see Marley through and they didn't want Marley to hate them more by humiliating Marley through the aggressive negotiation.
@@lerneanlion They definitely didn't want to further escalate things, but they weren't pure idealists either. They were both open to and going to utilize the rumbling to defend themselves against Marleys military might. They just didn't want to go all the way killing civillians and what not. War was obviously a possibility and they wanted to prepare themselves for it without just destroying everything.
@@phthaloboy5558 If they truly wanted to prepare for a war, they will immediately reach out to the Mid-East Allied Forces the minute they heard from Yelena that Marley is at war with them in the first place. But they didn't do anything. Heck, they didn't even consider taking advantage of the situation if the Mid-East Eyalets happened to refuse the offer of an alliance.
I remember arguing with a friend that eren as a character wasnt written to be this vengeful God that wants to solve this inevitable violence and pursue peace when everything (full genocide) is done but rather he's written more like a warning or prediction from neglecting the cycle of violence Eren as a character shouldn't be emotionally supported but rationally understood
Just watched your previous video on the Alliance. I think this video really rounds up the core argument nicely and am happy to see the thoughts I also had when I finished watching the series presented so well. Personally, I think what the story of AoT is trying to do is not so much giving its viewers an answer but to present them with questions. And this would be even more relevant if the seemingly credible allegations of its author's pro imperial Japan views in the past are proven definitively true. Because I believe the author would have been seeking an answer to these questions himself, too. While the world of AoT heavily mirrors our actual horrible history of war and atrocities, there are also enough fantastical settings, such as the actual ability of Eldians to turn into monstrosities, to help us examine this world with a degree of separation. This allows the show to be shown to all kinds of different people from different countries and different backgrounds and present them with these questions in different ways. Like: Do the island Eldians have the right to defend itself by wiping out the world if it becomes the only solution? What is the right answer to the "Eldian Question"? Or the most important question, one that the show itself directly asks at certain points, "At what point could something have been done differently so that the worst doesn't come to be?" While the Eldian diaspora is heavily inspired by the infamous Holocaust perpetuated by Nazi Germany, I believe not only Jewish people will be able to identify themselves in the Eldians. Many other oppressed groups will also be able to see themselves in the Eldians who are quarantined away from general society, face discrimination and are often viewed as less than human or seen as accomplices of terrorists who committed crimes against the innocents. In this scenario, what is the right thing to do? Are they obligated to be disproportionally selfless and productive just so they can be accepted by a society that hates them, or will that just make them an expendable tool of their oppressors? The Island Eldian royalty also presents a meaningful strawman of absolute pacifists. Should the future generations of oppressors of the past be completely subservient to the people they historically oppressed in order to atone for their sins? Isn't the announcement of absolute pacifism tantamount to absolute submission if the peace is not backed up with power? And to the Isolationists, is it right for the royals to secure peace for the Island Eldians while the entire Eldian diaspora suffer on the mainland? And so on and so on (in Zizek accent). With a situation this complicated, it is only natural different people would end up with different answers or simply realize they don't have an answer at all. What I think is meaningful however, is that the show also provides counter arguments to many of these positions so that the viewers would be challenged. The most obvious one being with the Jaegerists. While a not insignificant amount of viewers believe the Jaegerists are right to call for the extermination of the world outside in order to secure peace and security for the Island Eldians, there are many problems of this solution presented in the show itself. How do you justify the extermination of nations not actively hostile to Paradis? And if one points out the general widespread hatred toward Eldians, what about Hizuru? If one is an Eldian nationalist who only care about Eldian lives, then what about the Eldian diaspora? It is clear to see, if one is to morally justify this position, it requires a low enough moral standard that one would not dare to share in the public in the real world we live in. And to another point that I think is most important, that the show itself also speak of through the words of Hange, will the elimination of all of Paradis Island's current enemies truly secure peace and security for the Island? Thousands of years ago, the Eldian Empire itself fractured into civil war over the possess of the nine titan shifters. With the absolute selfishness, authoritarianism and cruelty already shown by Floch of the Jaegerists, who can confidently say this disastrous history will not repeat itself in the near future? Overall, I think what made the show meaningful to me is that it does not just ask these questions and made all sides of the dilemma sympathetic in some way to pander to its audiences, but instead challenged all of those positions in different ways, and also showed them without ambiguity what the consequences of their beliefs would look like. Finally, like you, I am also not someone who grew up in conflict, poverty or hatred so I naturally lean toward conflict resolution most of the times. I do agree that the negative emotions of those who are hurt need to be heard, understood and resolved instead of it being often ignored or used as justification to further perpetuate violence. As for war, I believe that prevention is often way better than the cure. Take it from Sun Tzu himself in his Art of War, to fight and conquer in all battles is not supreme victory, the supreme victory is one that is achieved without fighting. My own take away from the show is that peace can be achieved without violence, but it nevertheless needs to be fought for. It is not a simple rejection to violence but a constant fight to prevent the conditions for war to manifest. And that is also the final message from the Alliance members at the finale as well.
Absolutely fantastic video! I would just like to address and correct some points that I think you may have gotten wrong about the plot of the show, but it doesn't really invalidate any of the points you're making. - You mention multiple times that the Paradis government didn't do enough to try to find a diplomatic solution. I would rather say that they didn't get the opportunity to do much to find a diplomatic solution. After learning about Zeke's (fake) plan for Paradis to use the threat of the Rumbling as a deterrent for 50 years while developing their nation with the help of Hizuru to a point where they would catch up to the world and not have to rely on the Rumbling to defend themselves, they decide to search for alternatives within the time that they have (so either the end of Zeke's term or Marley launching a new attack) that wouldn't require the sacrifice of Historia and her children and pushing this burden onto future generations. They try to establish new relations with other nations, but the problem is that they have no knowledge of the outside world and are forced to rely on people more knowledgeable than them, namely Hizuru/Kiyomi Azumabito and the Anti-Marley Volunteers. In chapter 108/Episode 69, Hizuru rejects Paradis' request to help them form relationships with other nations through trade, as it's only in Hizuru's interest to help Paradis' development if they are their sole trading partner. Nevertheless, Kiyomi later does help them cross the ocean, but she also later admits in chapter 133 that she didn't try her hardest to help them, as it wasn't in her clan's and country's best interest (or so she thought). As for the Anti-Marley Volunteers, while most of them would be happy to help Paradis if that means undermining Marley, their leaders, Zeke and Yelena, are actually conspiring against Paradis and plotting to cause the extinction of Eldians by sterilization to save the world from Titan (and "save" the Eldians from suffering). So for them too, it wasn't in their interest to help Paradis find alternatives and form other diplomatic relationships. They only introduced them to Hizuru to gain their confidence and hide their true intentions. Even when they ventured into the outside world in hopes of learning more and finding new solutions, Eren, who was either forced to go along with Zeke and Yelena's plan to gain their trust and/or had abandoned all hope of finding any solutions due to his future memories, suddenly left them without a word after only one day on the continent. After that, finding him probably became their top priority, which most likely slowed down their search of alternative solutions or put it on hold. So yeah, I wouldn't say they didn't try "hard enough", I would say that circumstances really didn't allow them to try harder. - You mention the Paradisians (Eldia) freeing themselves from the Titans is what's perceived as a threat by the world and that's why they want to pre-emptively take care of it. I don't really know where you got this idea, I don't think that's ever mentioned or even implied. The reason that the world perceives Eldia as a threat is its History of conquest, domination and oppression with the Power of the Titans, and the existential threat of the Rumbling. As for Marley, the main reason that they originally attacked Paradis wasn't about the perceived threat, but to seize the island's ressource to stay ahead of the rest of the world. The pretext of the threat was only to enroll the Warriors. Even later on with the festival, while this time it was more because of the existential threat of the Founding Titan falling in the hands of someone who could actually potentially unleash the Rumbling, it was also a way for Marley to divert the world's attention off of them and towards the threat of Paradis and improve their own reputation. After the war against the Middle-East Allied Forces, Marley was weakened and needed time to develop their conventional weaponry after relying too much on the Power of the Titans. But they needed to buy that time, as they were hated by the world for their expansionism and their use of Titan weapons in warfare. This is all explained by Zeke in chapters 93 & 95 / Season 4 Episode 2.
Fantastic video! As someone who's never watched Attack on Titan and who was never really inclined to do so despite it being The Number One Anime Thing Ever, Of All Time, largely due to the sheer amount of vitriol and instances of people aiming for the point and missing so badly it ends up in the opposite arm of the Milky Way galaxy I've come to associate with it, I appreciate this not just for making my brain go haywire about the state of the world and how easy it is for people to perpetuate conflict for one reason or another and how much or how little an individual's actions and willingness to change things for the better matter on a grander scale, but for letting me see this series with a fresh pair of eyes, too. Personally, I hold the belief that all we can do is our best, and that even something as small as that will always matter to someone, and it doesn't seem like much, let alone enough, but even so, what we can do is not nothing, and so it should be done. I also understand why people are inclined to believe that the only solution is the most radical one, or nothing at all. I get where that kind of urge to resent comes from, and I can understand that a lot of it is a result of many different things piling up into this massive bundle of hatred. I also get those who decide to live their lives in apathy. Which isn't to say I support either of these groups of people - I frown upon both of them, but I believe that it's important to at least try to understand where these people are coming from, even if you can't help them or change their minds. It's important to try and understand as much about why people act the way they do as possible, because, if you don't look at it as deeply as you should, you'll often find that these ways make very little sense, or find yourself wondering if people are just that stupid or spineless or evil or whatever bad thing a person can be OR resort to coloring your world white and black in order to make things simpler and easier to understand, even though they can't possibly be changed in those ways. I'd also like to say that the video on the topic of how there is no benefit to being a good person made me smile, lifted my spirits, made my day and got me thinking about just how truly delightful it is to be able to watch someone heal like Thorfinn did, both because you're rooting for him to find peace and be happy with his life so seeing him achieve exactly that makes you immensely happy in turn, and because witnessing him find his peace can give one hope and help to convince them that there are many benefits to choosing kindness in spite of the world revolving around those who only seek to do what benefits them, even if it means trampling others. (In my case, I'm just a huge sucker for characters who've been through a lot and did terrible things because of it, among other reasons, changing for the better and finding themselves and their happiness in something that doesn't entail the destruction of themselves and/or others, but getting some additional encouragement in the "choosing kindness" department made me feel good also.) This is definitely not all I have to say, but it's getting late where I am and I'm really tired. Your videos genuinely mend my soul in the sense that they put my brain to work and usually cause me to rant about serious topics to the nearest wall for prolonged periods of time. I have a deep appreciation for you and the videos you make because of it, and I'm very glad I stumbled upon that Bocchi video of yours a while back. Thank you for doing what you do, and keep talking about the things you love and find meaningful, always.
Thanks for the wonderful comment! It means a lot to hear that you've gotten a lot out of not just this video, but the Vinland Saga and Bocchi vids as well. Feeling the same way about other people's videos is what got me inspired to make my own in the first place, so I'm super glad whenever it sounds like I've been able to achieve something similar. I also agree with a lot of points you made here about certain themes and morals related to the show, especially that as individuals each one of us just has to try our best to be good. When things go wrong despite that, all we can do is move forward and try our best the next day. Thanks once again
Easley one of the best aot videos and understanding of these themes and concepts and being able to spot them and apply to the real world is amazing. And very palatable. Get this to 1M
I was right, but I'll still put in my 2 cents. I agree with pretty much all of it. The main takeaway besides what you mentioned imo is knowledge and perspective. Even if you don't agree with somebody, or a position, or why a government is doing something, you should be able to wrap your head around why. Whether that be indoctrination, propaganda, chauvinism, liberation, or being paid by corporate donors. I obviously also have my political views that relate to this (I'm a Marxist), but I think the previous takeaway would help any and all political discussions, from all sides.
also idk if I'm reading too much into it or being presumptuous, but I think you also at least take inspiration from Marxism or at least socialism. just a vibe
@@codenamepyro2350 Totally agree, I've been in politics for way too much of my life and there's always been a constant thread of certain people refusing to understand others, and so it's something I try to push. As for my own political leanings, I'm not sure if I'd call myself a full on marxist or socialist but I'm clearly left-leaning, and the main point of this video is fairly Marx-esque. Honestly it's hard to not be influenced by Marx in some way when his writing is as influential as it is
@@chryysanth 100%, mainstream politics and a lot of electoral politics is just namecalling each other evil, with no understanding. Even though I surely have disagreements and think people are wrong, I can still have some sense of why they think that way. Okay, that makes sense. You seem to already have a pretty great understanding of the world even if you don't assign a label to it imo, so that's good.
im not so sure if one person really does only have a minor impact. I think the butterfly effect does exist, it just becomes apparent much later than youd think
Your choices are influenced by many things. but the choice is still yours. Free will is VERY real, however at times it can be somewhat dampened by extreme circumstance. However the fact is people have individual responsibility for their own actions. That assumption is absolutely required for any form of society or civilization.
I can see many of us doing very similar if not the same thing as Eren Yeager given such a power. People like to talk big about peace and prosperity but almost all of them don't have what it takes to get those, Patience, lots of Patience. I don't think you will wait in your house like a good little boy hoping things will work out for the better while entire Army is coming to kill everyone you love especially when you possess a power to stop them once and for all. People want to build a better world so they and people they love can live better lifes. As my man, Madara, said, selfish intend of wanting to preserve peace will only intitiate more wars because hatred is just a byproduct of love. I lost almost all of my hope in humanity long times ago. Hope i won't live long enough to see they destroy their selves.
This is a really interesting take. As said, i can agree with both sides. War and agresivity is in our nature, thats a simple truth. I think, we as a West, made a huge mistake ignoring this fact, or were channeling it in very ill ways. Now we reap the storm. Things will probably get quite interesting in the near future and there is almost nothing we can do about it, only watch.
25:09 . Again, American politic/social system suck. I am not anti American, but as leaders of Democratic civilised World and think you are not in good condition and not just now. I personally think, that British Dominion as super power and military State would be much better(if results of ww2 were better). Simply cause they had colonies(would be enough countries pro Britain( I am not colony fan)) in every continent so being peace maker would be easier by having more resources and closer to potential conflict locations.
19:14 by one sentances essy understand, that you live in country that last 70 years didn’t have any war on their territory. Such humanistic-idealistic logic exist only there.😐
I'm tired of seeing people use examples from real life when it comes to aot because if you didn't realise aot is FICTIONAL!! It ain't REAL!! Titans are not real and the world doesn't cartoonishly hate a single group of people.
I can't believe that a fictional story about man-eating giants with goofy faces perfectly mirrors our current world accurately in a terrifying way.
I'll choose the Chad Thorfinn option and just leave. I I'm not allowed that, the rumbling sounds like a good idea to me.
@@Mia_2512 I'm not Thors and I have no real desire to be like him in that respect. I don't want to die, just yet, either. If big daddy government wants to force me to do something, and I don't wanna do it, I have no problems defending myself from tyranny. Which is quite actually Eren's original line of thinking. He didn't want to be under the tyranny of the titans - or Marley - or Ymir in the end. I mean, given his choices, he decided along a good line from his own perspective - the only choice that seemed viable that saved everyone he cared about.
Me opting for Thorfinn's option first is the thing you should be grateful for. It saved my life, and the lives of a lot of other people who felt the same or had similar perspectives.
If you really want people to stop thinking like Eren, and you want more people to think like Thors, barring genetic manipulation, you're going to have to create an environment that humanity adapts to in such a way that they become like Thors. Right now, this environment creates Erens.
It really is saying something when violent revolution is seriously considered by millions of people. Sure fear is stopping us from doing it but who'd want to be violent like that, which is kinda tragic
I mean we have tyrants plotting to enslave us who aren't even trying to hide their intentions anymore. if we can't stop them peacefully soon, unfortunately theres only one way left.
This is the perfect elaboration of how Attack on Titan can be read through a western lens. It's very nice to see a such a well spoken video with this perspective.
Damn, great video. It's always genuinely heartwarming to see actual discussions about AoT and the world it presents. I think I've spent too much time on twitter where vitually everything it shaded in black and white.
twitter is where i go to lose faith in humanity. it's the only place that makes youtube comments look better
I guess you could say Eren just wanted to be ready to rumble.
When you mentioned Paradis should ally with the Mid-East Allied Forces instead of doing nothing, I am so happy! I felt like my voice is heard. I've been trying so hard in order to spread the Heraclius Plan out. But nobody bothered to listen. And RUclips and Reddit clearly have not been helpful in my case either. I know that it will not resulted in the long lasting peace. But the fact that Marley has been internationally humiliated and being forced to sue for peace for the time being is still better than the Rumbling. When most people thought of something, they will usually wanted it to happen right there and then. But that is not how things operated. It takes time to prepare. And not only that, they wanted what they desired to be long lasting. And this is why I admired Emir Timur. Yes, he is the typical brutal Turco-Mongol warlord who caused a lot of destruction in his conquests like the other nomadic leaders before him. But people often forget that his conquests happened in the final decade of his life. And what had he been doing until then? He was preparing himself for that decade by consolidating his power in Central Asian cities such as Balkh, Bukhara and Samarkand. And as a result of that consolidation of power and careful planning, he became the most powerful leader in the entire Islamic world of his time. He even went to the Ottoman realm and defeated Sultan Bayezid I on his own turf. And while you can said that time is against Paradis, you can also said that the answer was already provided to them through the Marley Mid-East War. But what important the most here is the consequence. The consequence of Timur's conquests have both negative and positive impacts. Negatively, Georgia was divided into small kingdoms while Baghdad and Damascus have been sacked and burned. But positively, Iran was united under his banner, the Silk Road that ran through the Middle East is safe for use once again and science once again florished in the Islamic world at his capital of Samarkand. So yeah, Paradis joined the Allies will resulted in laying the foundation for the future generation of the politicians of Paradis to work upon to improve its relations with the rest of the world but also at the risk of the rise of the political theory of revanchism in Marley as well. So what do you think? Risk dealing with revanchism or the Rumbling?
Also, this video made me remembered about the Battle of Ryloth and the Battle of Umbara in the Clones Wars and why I ultimately believed why the Separatists are in the right. In the Battle of Ryloth, I saw how awful Wat Tambor was when he and his forces were occupying Ryloth just because he wanted Passal Argente's treasures. And so, I was more than happy to cheer for the Republic to win and free the Twi'leks from his brutal regime. But in the Battle of Umbara, the Republic are the invaders. They invaded someone's home just because it located on an important trade route in the Mid Rim and when they won the battle, they put it under the military occupation. Throughout the whole Umbara Arc, I actually wanted the Umbarans to win because they didn't do anything wrong but defending their home. And they have every right to defend it. I know, I know, neither the Republic or the Separatists are the good guys in the war. But still, I ultimately sided with the Separatists in the end. Sure, Wat Tamber is anything but a good person. But guess what, Orn Free Taa is nothing but the typical corrupted and bloated politician. And there are so many politicians like him in the Republic Senate. And this is what made me decided to side with Paradis as well. Throughout season 1-3, Eren and the Survey Corps had been doing nothing but defending their home from Marley's aggression. Heck, I even viewed the Raid of Liberio in season 4 being no different from the Battle of Coruscant, in which the Separatists finally struck fear and terror right into the heart of the Republic as the consequence for more than a thousand years of neglect and abuse in the Outer Rim.
By the way, do you think it is right to compare people like Hange and Armin to Count Dooku? After all, both of them are idealists like him. But if that is the case, why are they so different from him? Why they cannot see that Marley has no interest in negotiation and that forcing peace on Marley through war is the only option. After all, that is what Count Dooku decided to go with by forcing the Republic to come to negotiate by causing a lot of damages to the Republic's territories.
Nobody reading allat (jk I've read allat)
glad you liked hearing me bring that up! you've been so committed in my comments getting me thinking about that and i finally had a chance to talk about it. i imagine people might say that it's simply unlikely for paradis to achieve that alliance (due to the extreme racism we see from some of their soldiers), but i think you and me both agree there's a good chance the leaders of their country would be more pragmatic. plus, i think any of these more humanitarian plans are preferable to the rumbling even if the chance of success isn't 100%
i would love to hear you expand on the comparison between hange and armin and count dooku. i love the clone wars but i'll admit it's been a while since i last rewatched it
@@chryysanth Yes, we did see a soldier being racist to Falco and one of the artilery officers yelled at Porco before firing a shot at him. But these guys are soldiers. They are not the ones who make the decisions. It's the Beys of the Mid-East Eyalets. And in the original scenario, the Mid-East Allied Forces almost won the war. And even when they ended up losing the war, they gained worldwide sympathies for putting up a good fight against Marley. So if Paradis joined the war as a member of the Allies, the Allies' chance of victory will increased because Marley will be forced to fight wars on two fronts. And if they did win, Marley will be forced to choose between economic collapse and international humiliation. As for the Allies, the Mid-East Eyalets will most likely be unified under one Sultan and also gaining the flipped version of the Arabian peninsula from Marley while Paradis' prestige is increased on the international stage and its image is shifted positively.
As for why I compared Hange and Armin with Count Dooku, it is because they are idealists like him. But what truly got me is why they are so different from him. Didn't they know that war is the only option? And if they do, why they still refused it? The reality of the situation provided them with either just humiliating Marley internationally and the Rumbling. And they chose neither of them. At least, Count Dooku is willing to embrace war in order to do what that is needed to be done and have seen it through that the Republic is corrupted and the Jedi have become nothing but the Senate's arrogant attack dogs. Well, I know that humiliating Marley internationally will lead to Marley to fall into revanchism and it might not be good in the long run. Maybe that is why they didn't want to go to war with Marley in the first place. But I guess that is the different between those two and Count Dooku here. They didn't see Marley through and they didn't want Marley to hate them more by humiliating Marley through the aggressive negotiation.
@@lerneanlion They definitely didn't want to further escalate things, but they weren't pure idealists either. They were both open to and going to utilize the rumbling to defend themselves against Marleys military might. They just didn't want to go all the way killing civillians and what not. War was obviously a possibility and they wanted to prepare themselves for it without just destroying everything.
@@phthaloboy5558 If they truly wanted to prepare for a war, they will immediately reach out to the Mid-East Allied Forces the minute they heard from Yelena that Marley is at war with them in the first place. But they didn't do anything. Heck, they didn't even consider taking advantage of the situation if the Mid-East Eyalets happened to refuse the offer of an alliance.
Yo Zoomer I just wanna let you know I love your content bro
Honestly the way you bring out your outtakes on these animes has really allowed to see that they are not as simple as they look. Thanks for that
Amazing video man! I also like how the title made it into the finale lol
I remember arguing with a friend that eren as a character wasnt written to be this vengeful God that wants to solve this inevitable violence and pursue peace when everything (full genocide) is done but rather he's written more like a warning or prediction from neglecting the cycle of violence
Eren as a character shouldn't be emotionally supported but rationally understood
Brilliant video! I like how you explain how tragic AoT is for every character.
Just watched your previous video on the Alliance. I think this video really rounds up the core argument nicely and am happy to see the thoughts I also had when I finished watching the series presented so well. Personally, I think what the story of AoT is trying to do is not so much giving its viewers an answer but to present them with questions. And this would be even more relevant if the seemingly credible allegations of its author's pro imperial Japan views in the past are proven definitively true. Because I believe the author would have been seeking an answer to these questions himself, too.
While the world of AoT heavily mirrors our actual horrible history of war and atrocities, there are also enough fantastical settings, such as the actual ability of Eldians to turn into monstrosities, to help us examine this world with a degree of separation. This allows the show to be shown to all kinds of different people from different countries and different backgrounds and present them with these questions in different ways. Like: Do the island Eldians have the right to defend itself by wiping out the world if it becomes the only solution? What is the right answer to the "Eldian Question"? Or the most important question, one that the show itself directly asks at certain points, "At what point could something have been done differently so that the worst doesn't come to be?"
While the Eldian diaspora is heavily inspired by the infamous Holocaust perpetuated by Nazi Germany, I believe not only Jewish people will be able to identify themselves in the Eldians. Many other oppressed groups will also be able to see themselves in the Eldians who are quarantined away from general society, face discrimination and are often viewed as less than human or seen as accomplices of terrorists who committed crimes against the innocents. In this scenario, what is the right thing to do? Are they obligated to be disproportionally selfless and productive just so they can be accepted by a society that hates them, or will that just make them an expendable tool of their oppressors? The Island Eldian royalty also presents a meaningful strawman of absolute pacifists. Should the future generations of oppressors of the past be completely subservient to the people they historically oppressed in order to atone for their sins? Isn't the announcement of absolute pacifism tantamount to absolute submission if the peace is not backed up with power? And to the Isolationists, is it right for the royals to secure peace for the Island Eldians while the entire Eldian diaspora suffer on the mainland? And so on and so on (in Zizek accent).
With a situation this complicated, it is only natural different people would end up with different answers or simply realize they don't have an answer at all. What I think is meaningful however, is that the show also provides counter arguments to many of these positions so that the viewers would be challenged. The most obvious one being with the Jaegerists. While a not insignificant amount of viewers believe the Jaegerists are right to call for the extermination of the world outside in order to secure peace and security for the Island Eldians, there are many problems of this solution presented in the show itself. How do you justify the extermination of nations not actively hostile to Paradis? And if one points out the general widespread hatred toward Eldians, what about Hizuru? If one is an Eldian nationalist who only care about Eldian lives, then what about the Eldian diaspora? It is clear to see, if one is to morally justify this position, it requires a low enough moral standard that one would not dare to share in the public in the real world we live in. And to another point that I think is most important, that the show itself also speak of through the words of Hange, will the elimination of all of Paradis Island's current enemies truly secure peace and security for the Island? Thousands of years ago, the Eldian Empire itself fractured into civil war over the possess of the nine titan shifters. With the absolute selfishness, authoritarianism and cruelty already shown by Floch of the Jaegerists, who can confidently say this disastrous history will not repeat itself in the near future? Overall, I think what made the show meaningful to me is that it does not just ask these questions and made all sides of the dilemma sympathetic in some way to pander to its audiences, but instead challenged all of those positions in different ways, and also showed them without ambiguity what the consequences of their beliefs would look like.
Finally, like you, I am also not someone who grew up in conflict, poverty or hatred so I naturally lean toward conflict resolution most of the times. I do agree that the negative emotions of those who are hurt need to be heard, understood and resolved instead of it being often ignored or used as justification to further perpetuate violence. As for war, I believe that prevention is often way better than the cure. Take it from Sun Tzu himself in his Art of War, to fight and conquer in all battles is not supreme victory, the supreme victory is one that is achieved without fighting. My own take away from the show is that peace can be achieved without violence, but it nevertheless needs to be fought for. It is not a simple rejection to violence but a constant fight to prevent the conditions for war to manifest. And that is also the final message from the Alliance members at the finale as well.
Great comment
Absolutely fantastic video! I would just like to address and correct some points that I think you may have gotten wrong about the plot of the show, but it doesn't really invalidate any of the points you're making.
- You mention multiple times that the Paradis government didn't do enough to try to find a diplomatic solution. I would rather say that they didn't get the opportunity to do much to find a diplomatic solution. After learning about Zeke's (fake) plan for Paradis to use the threat of the Rumbling as a deterrent for 50 years while developing their nation with the help of Hizuru to a point where they would catch up to the world and not have to rely on the Rumbling to defend themselves, they decide to search for alternatives within the time that they have (so either the end of Zeke's term or Marley launching a new attack) that wouldn't require the sacrifice of Historia and her children and pushing this burden onto future generations.
They try to establish new relations with other nations, but the problem is that they have no knowledge of the outside world and are forced to rely on people more knowledgeable than them, namely Hizuru/Kiyomi Azumabito and the Anti-Marley Volunteers. In chapter 108/Episode 69, Hizuru rejects Paradis' request to help them form relationships with other nations through trade, as it's only in Hizuru's interest to help Paradis' development if they are their sole trading partner. Nevertheless, Kiyomi later does help them cross the ocean, but she also later admits in chapter 133 that she didn't try her hardest to help them, as it wasn't in her clan's and country's best interest (or so she thought). As for the Anti-Marley Volunteers, while most of them would be happy to help Paradis if that means undermining Marley, their leaders, Zeke and Yelena, are actually conspiring against Paradis and plotting to cause the extinction of Eldians by sterilization to save the world from Titan (and "save" the Eldians from suffering). So for them too, it wasn't in their interest to help Paradis find alternatives and form other diplomatic relationships. They only introduced them to Hizuru to gain their confidence and hide their true intentions.
Even when they ventured into the outside world in hopes of learning more and finding new solutions, Eren, who was either forced to go along with Zeke and Yelena's plan to gain their trust and/or had abandoned all hope of finding any solutions due to his future memories, suddenly left them without a word after only one day on the continent. After that, finding him probably became their top priority, which most likely slowed down their search of alternative solutions or put it on hold. So yeah, I wouldn't say they didn't try "hard enough", I would say that circumstances really didn't allow them to try harder.
- You mention the Paradisians (Eldia) freeing themselves from the Titans is what's perceived as a threat by the world and that's why they want to pre-emptively take care of it. I don't really know where you got this idea, I don't think that's ever mentioned or even implied. The reason that the world perceives Eldia as a threat is its History of conquest, domination and oppression with the Power of the Titans, and the existential threat of the Rumbling. As for Marley, the main reason that they originally attacked Paradis wasn't about the perceived threat, but to seize the island's ressource to stay ahead of the rest of the world. The pretext of the threat was only to enroll the Warriors. Even later on with the festival, while this time it was more because of the existential threat of the Founding Titan falling in the hands of someone who could actually potentially unleash the Rumbling, it was also a way for Marley to divert the world's attention off of them and towards the threat of Paradis and improve their own reputation. After the war against the Middle-East Allied Forces, Marley was weakened and needed time to develop their conventional weaponry after relying too much on the Power of the Titans. But they needed to buy that time, as they were hated by the world for their expansionism and their use of Titan weapons in warfare. This is all explained by Zeke in chapters 93 & 95 / Season 4 Episode 2.
Amazing comment, I agree with all you said
a lot of people don't actually get this
Fantastic video! As someone who's never watched Attack on Titan and who was never really inclined to do so despite it being The Number One Anime Thing Ever, Of All Time, largely due to the sheer amount of vitriol and instances of people aiming for the point and missing so badly it ends up in the opposite arm of the Milky Way galaxy I've come to associate with it, I appreciate this not just for making my brain go haywire about the state of the world and how easy it is for people to perpetuate conflict for one reason or another and how much or how little an individual's actions and willingness to change things for the better matter on a grander scale, but for letting me see this series with a fresh pair of eyes, too. Personally, I hold the belief that all we can do is our best, and that even something as small as that will always matter to someone, and it doesn't seem like much, let alone enough, but even so, what we can do is not nothing, and so it should be done. I also understand why people are inclined to believe that the only solution is the most radical one, or nothing at all. I get where that kind of urge to resent comes from, and I can understand that a lot of it is a result of many different things piling up into this massive bundle of hatred. I also get those who decide to live their lives in apathy. Which isn't to say I support either of these groups of people - I frown upon both of them, but I believe that it's important to at least try to understand where these people are coming from, even if you can't help them or change their minds. It's important to try and understand as much about why people act the way they do as possible, because, if you don't look at it as deeply as you should, you'll often find that these ways make very little sense, or find yourself wondering if people are just that stupid or spineless or evil or whatever bad thing a person can be OR resort to coloring your world white and black in order to make things simpler and easier to understand, even though they can't possibly be changed in those ways.
I'd also like to say that the video on the topic of how there is no benefit to being a good person made me smile, lifted my spirits, made my day and got me thinking about just how truly delightful it is to be able to watch someone heal like Thorfinn did, both because you're rooting for him to find peace and be happy with his life so seeing him achieve exactly that makes you immensely happy in turn, and because witnessing him find his peace can give one hope and help to convince them that there are many benefits to choosing kindness in spite of the world revolving around those who only seek to do what benefits them, even if it means trampling others. (In my case, I'm just a huge sucker for characters who've been through a lot and did terrible things because of it, among other reasons, changing for the better and finding themselves and their happiness in something that doesn't entail the destruction of themselves and/or others, but getting some additional encouragement in the "choosing kindness" department made me feel good also.)
This is definitely not all I have to say, but it's getting late where I am and I'm really tired. Your videos genuinely mend my soul in the sense that they put my brain to work and usually cause me to rant about serious topics to the nearest wall for prolonged periods of time. I have a deep appreciation for you and the videos you make because of it, and I'm very glad I stumbled upon that Bocchi video of yours a while back. Thank you for doing what you do, and keep talking about the things you love and find meaningful, always.
Thanks for the wonderful comment! It means a lot to hear that you've gotten a lot out of not just this video, but the Vinland Saga and Bocchi vids as well. Feeling the same way about other people's videos is what got me inspired to make my own in the first place, so I'm super glad whenever it sounds like I've been able to achieve something similar. I also agree with a lot of points you made here about certain themes and morals related to the show, especially that as individuals each one of us just has to try our best to be good. When things go wrong despite that, all we can do is move forward and try our best the next day. Thanks once again
More people need to at the VERY least, hear the first minute and a half of this
TOO REAL!!!
Easley one of the best aot videos and understanding of these themes and concepts and being able to spot them and apply to the real world is amazing. And very palatable. Get this to 1M
1 minute in, this is going to be a banger fr
I was right, but I'll still put in my 2 cents.
I agree with pretty much all of it. The main takeaway besides what you mentioned imo is knowledge and perspective. Even if you don't agree with somebody, or a position, or why a government is doing something, you should be able to wrap your head around why. Whether that be indoctrination, propaganda, chauvinism, liberation, or being paid by corporate donors.
I obviously also have my political views that relate to this (I'm a Marxist), but I think the previous takeaway would help any and all political discussions, from all sides.
also idk if I'm reading too much into it or being presumptuous, but I think you also at least take inspiration from Marxism or at least socialism. just a vibe
@@codenamepyro2350 Totally agree, I've been in politics for way too much of my life and there's always been a constant thread of certain people refusing to understand others, and so it's something I try to push. As for my own political leanings, I'm not sure if I'd call myself a full on marxist or socialist but I'm clearly left-leaning, and the main point of this video is fairly Marx-esque. Honestly it's hard to not be influenced by Marx in some way when his writing is as influential as it is
@@chryysanth 100%, mainstream politics and a lot of electoral politics is just namecalling each other evil, with no understanding. Even though I surely have disagreements and think people are wrong, I can still have some sense of why they think that way.
Okay, that makes sense. You seem to already have a pretty great understanding of the world even if you don't assign a label to it imo, so that's good.
You can change the world, but you can't change human nature
im not so sure if one person really does only have a minor impact. I think the butterfly effect does exist, it just becomes apparent much later than youd think
Great video love the Vinland saga vids too
thanks!
Freaking great video, hopes many more see this video
you actually made me like the final part of AOT more
W as always dude please keep up the amazing work
ay thanks!
Your choices are influenced by many things. but the choice is still yours. Free will is VERY real, however at times it can be somewhat dampened by extreme circumstance.
However the fact is people have individual responsibility for their own actions. That assumption is absolutely required for any form of society or civilization.
You remind me so much of some old friends, you're a badass!
Love the content man.
10/10 video
Incredible. Just..... Incredible.
Coomertalk uploaded woooo!!
I can see many of us doing very similar if not the same thing as Eren Yeager given such a power. People like to talk big about peace and prosperity but almost all of them don't have what it takes to get those, Patience, lots of Patience.
I don't think you will wait in your house like a good little boy hoping things will work out for the better while entire Army is coming to kill everyone you love especially when you possess a power to stop them once and for all.
People want to build a better world so they and people they love can live better lifes.
As my man, Madara, said, selfish intend of wanting to preserve peace will only intitiate more wars because hatred is just a byproduct of love.
I lost almost all of my hope in humanity long times ago. Hope i won't live long enough to see they destroy their selves.
Thank you
That’s the way the world is lines damn
That was fantastic
This is a really interesting take. As said, i can agree with both sides. War and agresivity is in our nature, thats a simple truth. I think, we as a West, made a huge mistake ignoring this fact, or were channeling it in very ill ways. Now we reap the storm. Things will probably get quite interesting in the near future and there is almost nothing we can do about it, only watch.
W video papa
You are immensely based
Manga spoilers?
None
@@YarMyk ty!
@@YarMyklmao
@@Dachusttinrip
Anime sucks you should make a video on Wizards101 instead
Israeli Palestinian conflict be like
Not a liberal, but this video is pretty good nonetheless.
Glad you could still enjoy it!
25:09 . Again, American politic/social system suck.
I am not anti American, but as leaders of Democratic civilised World and think you are not in good condition and not just now. I personally think, that British Dominion as super power and military State would be much better(if results of ww2 were better). Simply cause they had colonies(would be enough countries pro Britain( I am not colony fan)) in every continent so being peace maker would be easier by having more resources and closer to potential conflict locations.
19:14 by one sentances essy understand, that you live in country that last 70 years didn’t have any war on their territory. Such humanistic-idealistic logic exist only there.😐
Sounds like nonsense
I'm tired of seeing people use examples from real life when it comes to aot because if you didn't realise aot is FICTIONAL!! It ain't REAL!! Titans are not real and the world doesn't cartoonishly hate a single group of people.