Paul Henry Rosenberg wrote:
> I am way past tired of all this theory-heavy postings that are
> oh-so-resolutely contemptuous of anything within a country mile of an
> empirical observation.
When I first made my observation on the all-white cast of Buffy I was merely having a little fun. But as I read and reread Paul's increasingly wild swings at anyone who doubts the show's profundity I am reconsidering my little fun as perhaps of some importance.
By the time what Paul calls "theory" came along I was too old and too occupied with other things (mostly politics and staying alive) to more than taste it, so his *ad hominen* nonsense here is beside the point in my case.
And my original observation was grounded in (a) a quite self-evident empirical observation about the show and (b) some principles of literary interpretation which may be correct or incorrect, but stem from rather old-fashioned textual analysis and history of ideas, not from sudden obsession with theory. (Incidentally, Yoshie's posts for several years have always been highly respectful of empirical actuality, rather more so than these recent posts of Paul's, which seem pretty theory-heavy and light on fact to me.)
Are you really becoming supersensitive Paul about indulging in the enjoyment of a show which, as I think it over, seems more and more obviously intended for a primarily white audience, an audience that enjoys not being bothered by the presence of blacks. It is so comforting to relax luxuriantly in a world where the physically different is also evil.
Carrol