You Ever Get That Feeling...

[fenderlove]

Have you ever felt like you were sorta alone in your fandom opinions? Sometimes, I feel awkward asking fandom questions for fear that it might unintentionally offend someone. I'm trying to stop arguing on the internet because Tara threatened that if I didn't stop she was going to make sure that my grave marker would read, "She argued on the Internet. A lot."

Comments

[diebirchen.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmmm! Well, I think that Buffy is in some senses an excellent role model, and in others not. In Buffyverse, essentially all characters are flawed to one degree or another, which is precisely true of all people. I'd be hard pressed to think of something truly negative to say about Tara or Amanda besides being usually too self-effacing, but they are human and, by nature, not perfect. Most of the characters have differing levels of unkindness, cruelty, selfishness, bigotry, hubris, egocentricity, dishonesty, narrow-mindedness, criminality, vanity, and so on. Whedon's main characters are usually painted in varying shades of grey. I agree that a hero is a hero based on heroic deeds, but only the most unexamined life can be seen as praiseworthy in all aspects. We humans are by nature flawed creatures, a thing Whedon knows.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

I agree that a hero is a hero based on heroic deeds, but only the most unexamined life can be seen as praiseworthy in all aspects.
Exactly! I suppose I could say that for those exact reasons is why I don't believe anyone could ever truly be a role model for anyone else, that people need to build their fulfillment upon themselves. Specifically, for Whedon's characters, I see a lack of self-reflection (and not just for the vampiric pun). They don't really learn from their mistakes; they just seem to get stuck in these self-destructive loops where nothing gets resolved and they just hurt themselves and others further, and I don't see that as role-model-y. I couldn't see myself pointing out Buffy or any Whedonverse character to a group of children as a role model... Maybe Fred or Tara... Then again, I couldn't point out Beowulf, Launcelot, Batman, Superman, or really any fictional character as a role model either. If one ignores or excuses the flaws, especially flaws which hurt others, then one is building an image of a role-model that doesn't exist, putting that person on a pillar without really acknowledging why they don't need to be up there on said pillar, then it's like one has just created a new character.