Buffy and Racism

Gar Lipow lipowg at sprintmail.com
Tue Feb 23 22:12:01 PST 1999


Paul Henry Rosenberg <rad at gte.net> wrote <snip>

> The nearly complete absence of black people in the series is real. I
>
> > don't think I've missed an episode, and have seen only two blacks in
>
> > the whole series: Kendrick, the first of the "extra" Slayers who was
>
> > killed off, and Mr. Trick who was killed off last episode.
>
> KENDRA! Not Kendrick. Does everyone watch the show from an alternate
> universe?

It's television dude! No one is taking notes. Operating from memory people will get details wrong. Get over it.


> Or is it just me?
Just you.<grin>
>
> > Kendrick was portrayed as less than Buffy in just about
>
> > every way (except hotness). She was technically better
>
> > at fighting, but lacked Buffy's ability to tap into her
>
> > rage, and thus was worse in real fights.
>
> So, let's get this straight. She's MORE rational, MORE in control --
> good ole signs of European/White superiority, and this makes her LESS???

It got her ass whipped in fights. And when she learned to get mad (at her only shirt being torn) she started fighting better. Yes, in the context it made her less.


>
> > She was a "good" type, obedient to her watcher, and thus
>
> > lacked the social circle or help Buffy had.
>
> Well, she had a much shorter period of time as a Slayer, and we only got to see her out of her element. She was pretty damn adventurous in even coming to Sunnydale in the first place.

Sure, that's a reason -- doesn't change the fact.
>
> > She was portrayed pretty much as a naïf,
>
> > sort of a little sister for Buffy.
>
> Buffy was a Slayer more than twice as long as Kendra was during the time
> Kendra appeared on the show. Plus Buffy had all the advantages of
> companionship you list. Kendra was culturally out of her element. Yet
> she had a strong sense of duty and this stood her in remarlably good
> stead in negotiating a foreign land.

Same thing -- the point is she was a sidekick.
>
> All of which is to say I didn't see her as less than Buffy in any of the
> ways you do. She was less developed -- heck she was minor recurring
> character -- but I think it was a real loss that they didn't keep her.
>

She was a candidate for continuing character. But she never really had a chance. Look, every continuing one of Buffy's friends has something they do better. Willow is the computer geek and magic user; Xander makes the wisecracks; Faith is a walking Id etc... Kendra was given no advantage.


> > Mr. Trick the second black character, was one of many vampires. He
>
> > was portrayed as smarter than the average vampire, but also cowardly.
>
> > (Many of the vampires portrayed seem quite fond of risk taking.)
>
> All the dumb vamps are fearless. The smart ones aren't. Mr. Trick was
> not only one of the smart ones, he was deliciously stylish about it, and
> a real technophile to boot.

No - Angelus, the evil version of Angel was quite bright (though twisted) but remained pretty fearless.
>
>
>
> > Then again maybe there are no black people in Sunnydale because the
>
> > writers forgot to put them in, and devoting this much energy to
>
> > analyzing "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is absurd. Anyone for a good old
>
> > fashioned Meta-narrative?
>
> Nothing absurd about it.

Nothing silly about in depth analysis of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- including name calling and flames. BTW Paul, you more or less started the flame part. Yoshie wrote a Post you thought foolish -- but did so in a perfectly courteous tone. You managed to criticize the post in a tone that was disrespectful of Yoshie personally. "Yet another pseudo-hip-left reductionist attack". (Just for the sake of analogy, if I say you acted like an asshole -- is this less rude than simply calling you an asshole? ) This of course was an open invitation to those on the list who make personal vituperation a hobby.

Everybody seems to miss my last point. So once more, no irony. What is the objection to Meta-narrative? As I've said to a couple of people off list: Agreed, the map is not the territory. Still if you are planning a trip around the world someone (you, the pilot, the airline, someone) had better have a pretty extensive map or set of maps. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what people mean when they criticize meta-narratives -- but if it is an attack on all large theories, it seems to me misplaced.



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