Small Buffy Rant

[shipperx]

Can someone please tell me what it is about Buffy that inspires people to make excuses for the character's pattern of behavior?

How many times do people say "Well, she's only 17," "She's only 18," "She's only 19," "She's only 20," "She's only 21," "She's only 22." When, please tell me when, is it ever going to sink in that it wasn't/isn't her AGE? It's HER! It's who she is written to be?


Whenever something comes up where Buffy did something stupid, childish, or reprehensible (in whatever season) apologists repeat M.E's constant mantra, trotting out her age and "she's in a bad place." Please! A three year old throwing a tantrum in a mall is conceivable because of their age, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable behavior! You don't turn a blind eye to the fact that the three year old is behaving inappapropriately. You don't go "aw..." Odds are you want the behavior to cease because it's annoying. Age doesn't make the behavior right. And You hope like heck that the child grows out of it.

Worse, a three year old who throws a tantrum in a mall who becomes a four year old throwing a tantrum in a mall, who becomes a five year old throwing a trantrum in a mall, who becomes a six year old throwing a tantrum in mall who becomes an (3+8=) eleven year old throwing a tantrum in the malll. . . Honey, that's not age. That's a BRAT!

After 8 freaking years, stop using age and "bad pwace" as an excuse. Buffy behaved in a certain way. Consistently. It's a pattern. Either the behavior is acceptable or it isn't. If her behavior is acceptable to you, fine. I won't argue with that (roll my eyes, but won't argue it). But her age isn't an excuse. That she's stressed isn't an excuse. All Whedonverse characters were/are stressed all the damn time. They're ALL in a "bad pwace."

And it's all beside the point because, an excuse is good for when a behavior is an exception. When it's the rule it's not an excusable aberration, it's not exception-- it's a characteristic!

Guh.

Note to self. Stop getting into arguments with Buffy apologists. It never leads to anything but frustration.

Comments

[cy-girl.livejournal.com]

But OMG Faith totally raped Buffy when she took over her body! - Now that's an excuse that really grates my cheese.

The first time I saw season 3, I didn't dislike Buffy but as I kept watching the show, I grew to like her less and less. Partly because of her dual sense of entitlement and burden and partly because SMG isn't that great of an actress. I see Season 3 in a different light now. I feel much more for Faith trying to fit in and gain acceptance. Her pain is so palpable. In Sanctuary, when Angel hit Buffy, I want to shout "Do it again!"

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. The "Faith raped her" thing also made me roll my eyes. Funny, most times when someone is raped -- they actually have to be PRESENT! You aren't raped by proxy! It just can't be done. And if walking around in Buffy's skin is Faith raping Buffy... then Buffy raped Faith, too I guess. (I'm really annoyed by people pitching "rape" around whenever they feel like it.) No. Buffy wasn't raped. Faith slept with Buffy's boyfriend. You can't have it both ways. Either Buffy was "raped" or FAITH slept with Buffy's boyfriend. It can't be both things at the exact same time.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Season 3 and Sanctuary...

This is the primary part of the problem with Buffy. She whines and exacts privilege at the same time! Buffy was PRIVELEGED. She had all the things that Faith didn't have. She had a loving home. She had a caring Watcher. She had supportive friends. She had the "broody with superpowers" boyfriend. . . and Faith had squat. Add in a Mayor who was the only one who actually gave a damn about her and it makes sense that Faith fucked up royally and went off the rail. The thing is, Buffy had all sorts of advantages above Faith. . .but instead of being GRATEFUL for any of them, she just turned it into a superiority complex and a sense of entitlement.

[kassto.livejournal.com]

Yep, yep, yep and yep. And I almost could have forgiven her, but for two telling things in season 7. Straight after Spike's traumatic scene in the church, when he's bared himself and his agony completely, is Same Time Same Place and the gang are looking for Gnarl and Spike is dragged in to sniff him out (useful for something even if he is off his rocker). And while the gang are following Spike through the woods, they are making jokes about him being a dog (ie a bloodhound) and Buffy is in on this joking. It nearly made me sick. Talk about lack of respect, particularly after his scene in the church. I mean if he was ever going to be treated with some respect by her, surely it might have been then. But no.

Then the classic, right at the end. ``Does it have to mean anything?'' emotionally pinched little Buffy says to Spike after he's just confessed about the best night of his life. I gave up then. I don't blame Buffy the character, I blame the writers, who, for some odd reason, became blind and deaf to what they were doing with their characters, particularly their erstwhile heroine.

You're right about the stress too. Grace under pressure is a sign of character. What happened kind of undermines the supposed girl power message of Chosen. Girly heroine turns into unfeeling monster because she can't hack her superhero responsibilities. That's a great message to send.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'll tell you the moment where Buffy became irretrievable to me -- that damned pencil balancing scene!

The bitch had the nerve to go give Spike a snippy lecture about "heroism" (funny the year before we were supposed to think how awful Spike was for saying that the bitch needed to stop wrapping herself in her martyr complex after Buffy had gone 75% of the YEAR wallowing in her own self pity! Meanwhile, Spike was insane and being TORTURED and Buffy KNOWING THIS, gave snippy lectures and then went upstairs leaving him there (after having seen his heartbreaking speech in Beneath You) for the oh-so-urgent task of balancing pencils on her forehead! Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Heartless little bitch.

Somewhere in the fictional retirement facility for retired sci-fi "heroines" Aeryn Sun is SO kicking Buffy's sorry little ass.


Oh and don't forget the fanwank for the bitchery of "does it have to mean anything" remember Spike was unfairly trying to "demand a committment." Oh yeah, riiiiggghhhhtttt! He starts the convo saying "Don't make fun of me it would kill me" and ends it by DEMANDING A COMMITMENT! What show are you WATCHING?!?!?! Spike was asking pretty much "were you just using me. . .again? Do I mean ANYTHING to you? Or was I just 'convenient'. ..again?" And the bitch proved it was just he was there. Never turn a cheerleading squad down when you have a moment of self awareness that your a heartless little bitch that people have grown sick of. Let someone boost your ego then prance away.

No. Spike wasn't "demanding committment" he wanted to know whether he was an actual person to Buffy and not just a convenience. Buffy's actions said everything that needed to be said and invalidated her words.

And Chosen was such a piece of crap.

Buffy comes up with an insane, suicidal plan where the power that she's hated, that SHE turned down in Get It Done is spread irresponsibly throughout the world so that she can take the 30 girls nearest to her on a SUICIDE MISSION that would have completely failed if a man hadn't sacrificed his LIFE for her sorry ass. Those girls and that man DIED so that Buffy could go off to shoe shop in malls in Europe.

Buffy hated responsibility. . .and the show ends with her slipping free of it.

Only in the Whedonverse does growing up (or not as the case may be) mean having LESS responsibility! Buffy does a spell of huge proportions and takes no responsbility for it and feels no regret for having gotten a bunch of young girls -- who were just like her --killed because, hey, she has a happy ending!

Also, Buffy had one tiny moment of clarity in "Touched" where it finally got through to her that SHE was responsible for the heartless little bitch she became. . .and here trots in Joss NEGATING the Buffiphany! Yet again what small bit of self awareness Buffy gained is utterly negated "I thought something was wrong with me. But nothing is wrong with me. I'm just cookie dough who isn't finished baking yet." No, Buffy, it IS what's wrong with you and your cookie dough will NEVER bake if you can't take responsibility for ANYTHING. Growing up IS taking responsibility for your actions. Saying "It's not my fault. I'm not grown up yet." Isn't an statement of growth. It's excusing the fact that you behave like an overgrown spoiled brat!

The whole show is episode is how Buffy DOESN'T grow up. How she basically continues to live like a kid... bought on the sacrifices of OTHERS!

Buffy's current hedonistic crap in Rome is bought with the blood, tears and deaths of others... and it's reprehensible.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

And then we have the life of a man who suffered, who had been tortured, and then who died unmourned by the very assholes he just saved.

Whatever Joss was going for, he missed by a mile. What Chosen shows is just how worthless Buffy and the Scoobs really were. The heroes were the ones left in the crater, NOT the users patting THEMSELVES on the back for "saving the world."

Sigh. Whatever happens, the Fang Gang are infinitely better people than Buffy of the Scums.

Glad Angel and Spike are free of the bitch. THe Fang Gang are heores. Buffy and the scums are worthless little spoiled brats.

And Joss doesn't see how much more worthless he's made them by having them off partying around the world while those in LA, abandonned by the "good guys", sacrifice themselves so that others can be happy.

It amazes me how Joss really has completely trashed the BtVS characters without even seeing it. The real heroes were the ones on the spin-off.

[drujan.livejournal.com]

Heh. I hear you.

Wanna a quick pick-me-up? Head over to Babble board and watch the feathers fly in view of latest spoilers. The usual suspects, as always, exhibit astonishing degrees of delusion, rudeness, and complete lack of any sense of logic. It's funny. And to think, once a upon a time, we tried debating in earnest with them. Really puts things into perspective, it does. ;-)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to the exploding duck head action when they get a gander at what the cookie dough reference REALLY is in Ep 20. (Please, TV Gods, don't let it be edited out. I need to see the duck head explosions! I neeeeeeeeed it! :)

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Any chance of sharing the good news:) I'll keep quiet.

Though I'm still trying to work out how any Buffy apologists on any side of the shipper wars can think that the bitch becoming the goomah of the supernatural version of Roma's Tony Soprano is something other than showing the slag as the rancid cunt she is.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I am too wonky to write much more, but "hell, yeah" kinda sums up my feelings.

Hmm..maybe I shoulda said "I'm in a bad pwace and can't make sense!" ;)