A few late comments on the "My Emotions Give Me Power" reading by Elyce Rae Helford. . .

Not having watched "Buffy" prior to seeing "What's My Line" in class, I found the characterization both interesting and disturbing, particularly in the area of race.  Helford states that Buffy ridicules Kendra in order to marginalize her while maintaining her own rebellious outsider identity.  She seems to accomplish her goal of marginalizing Kendra, but is it out of jealousy or fear or maybe a feeling of superiority because of race? Whatever the reason, it looks and sounds racist.

In another scene, Buffy makes fun of Kendra's not understanding US slang, which Helford calls "invoking anit-immigrant racism."  She also calls Buffy's mocking of Kendra's language skills, when she says "no kicko, no fighto," racist.

I find these examples of Buffy's attitude toward Kendra more than the "impatience" and "frustration" Helford says Buffy is experiencing in trying to explain their situation to Kendra.  My opinion  is that her comments to Kendra are not anger masked as humor, but offensively racist.  If it's true that "Buffy" makes its strongest appeal to those who see themselves as never having been able to achieve popularity in high school, as Helford says, is this audience being given the impression that it's acceptable to mock someone's language or someone's lack of understanding or someone's "otherness" if that's what it takes to maintain one's own position?

To me, this is scary.  I think this is what we see all too often in life, not just on TV, as an attitude, often carried out in action, in individuals and in groups of people who think they are justified in negatively treating others because they are "Others."

We watched the show together in class, talked about the ideas of anger and humor and had the opportunity to take apart the ideas in Helford's article.  But what about the young (and not-so-young) people who don't talk about the show or if they do, just to discuss the plot--the violence, the cutting humor, the killing?  Are they accepting what they see and hear as acceptable?

Not able to do this on home computer (??)  No time today to do from Computer Center--will try later.

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