Quote Originally Posted by industrious View Post
Personally, I see them more as Luddites (pop culture Luddites, not the actual Luddites who weren't actually anti-Technology) than Communists.

The Equalists haven't gone from each according to his ability... as far as I can tell. In fact, they're taking away people's abilities.
Luddites were artisans angry that a machine had invalidated their centuries old skill while using cheaper unskilled labor. They proceeded to practice sabotage by wrecking textile machines. So I think anti-tech is no great mistake of pop-culture. Obviously they were really more concerned about their own livelihoods but then again so is pretty much EVERY social movement. Ultimately what is distinctive about word luddite is the fundamental conservatism, that something new should not be adopted because the way it has been is just fine.

More to the point though bending does not equal technology in particular because it is not new. Luddites and bending would be say the Guild of Earthbending Hole Diggers attempting to stop steam shovels which are more economical then their skills.

Communism by contrast saw itself as the coming revolution where the old forces of the world would be thrown off to create a new future. It was all about the new and empowering those underneath and shucking off the privileges of class. We already see this in their rhetoric about benders time being done. Also "economic equality" (without discusssing if their definition of it is valid) is at the very heart of the Communism.

Also... everything is China.