3/6-3/12 Episode Discussion led by Chosen Enemy

[Chosen Enemy]

Sorry for the lateness, but this week it's my turn to lead the discussion.

Faith told Buffy that because they're slayers, they are better than "regular" people. That people need them to survive. Buffy disagrees. But is she? Because in "Conversation with Dead People" she admits to Holden that she does feel superior.

So the question is, does being a Slayer mean being superior? How much really did the two Slayers (Buffy and Faith) affect the world and does the world really need them to survive? And does being a Slayer mean you get a free pass when it comes to killing and doing whatever you want, like you're above the law?

(This question talks about the period before "Chosen" where all the potentials in the world were turned into Slayers).

 

[BuffyElevated]

I think being the Slayer does mean being slightly superior to others, simply because as Buffy put it "I am the law". Because

Spoiler

up until the existence of demons was made known to the world in Season 8

, it was the Slayer's job to protect humanity from "the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness". The fact that the Slayer is blessed with extra abilities and strength along says that she is physically superior to people around her.
However, with all that being said, I don't think a Slayer has a right to act better than or superior to anyone else. Like Anya said in "Empty Places", Buffy was Chosen. She didn't work to earn her powers like Willow or anyone else. Just because someone is chosen to do something doesn't make them a better person than someone else. It's kinda like those guys and girls in colleges who are chosen to be in fraternities and sororities. Just because they're chosen to join doesn't make them any better of a person than you or me. I think it's the same case with the Slayer.

So my take is that while a Slayer may be physically superior to others and there should be a little bit of respect for their title and gifts, they shouldn't get special treatment or something just because of their Slayerness.

 

[TaylorSwift]

I strongly agree with HisMrs... Buffy is technically superior to all the people around her..physically but also mentally. She saw and fought things people could never dream of, she's been through so many things..sometimes a person naturally says: "You don't the half of what I've been through, I've lived so much more than you, I'm superior in some ways and I've SAVED so many lives". It's not really a cool thing to think but it comes naturally, it's a spontaneous thing. That doesn't mean the Slayer should just go around and do whatever she wants or escape the law...Buffy may be the law in the demon world, but not in the human one...she knows it even if she feels superior..she knows she can't because she's still a girl...she may be the Chosen one but as it was said in The Gift (I don't know if I remember this correctly) a guy says "But you're just a girl" and she says: "That's what I keep saying" (or something like that). She recognizes her role in the society but Buffy could never be capable of killing without consequences..it's also a fact of moral and ethics a person carries around...A person can think highly of themselves in certain aspects in their life but if you have a strong morality it doesn't puts you above everything else...it can make you wander, but not fall.

 

[brinkster130]

I think that what Buffy does is superior to the work that most people do, but I don't think that she is worth more than any other human. Her Slayer powers were given to her, she didn't have a choice and she didn't earn them. I do think that the slayer does superior physical abilities and a superior understanding of the demons world but I just don't think that alone makes them better than those around them. A police officers job is to protect the community and maintain order in society but that doesn't make them better than a banker does it?

When Faith tells Buffy that they are better than regular people because those people need them (the slayers) to survive, Faith seems to be forgetting that they, as slayers, are replaceable. Very replaceable, as soon as they die another slayer is chosen and will pick up right where they left off.

With power comes responsibility, and I don't think that a slayer is above the law. I don't think they get a free pass to kill and/or do as they please. Faith went down that road and we say how bad that turned out.

 

[The Unspoken]

You could make the utilitarian argument that the Slayer's unique position to save lives should exempt her from due justice, or at least reduce her culpability. A Slayer in prison is a Slayer not actively killing demons. Since the Watchers Council views the Slayer as a weapon first and foremost, it wouldn't surprise me if they operated that way.

 

[Hawkbrother]

You could make the utilitarian argument that the Slayer's unique position to save lives should exempt her from due justice, or at least reduce her culpability. A Slayer in prison is a Slayer not actively killing demons. Since the Watchers Council views the Slayer as a weapon first and foremost, it wouldn't surprise me if they operated that way.

But the Watcher's Council wanted to bring Faith back to England to stand trial for her acts as a "rogue slayer"(Giles' words).
Slayers were not supposed to harm humans. And Faith had gone over to the side of evil forces when she went to Mayor Wilkins. Yes, the staking of Vice-mayor Finch was an accident that could have been overlooked as an unfortunate occurrence. But her handling of it, first trying to blame it on Buffy, and then crossing over to the side of evil by helping the mayor was clearly wrong.
Slayers have to make choices, and live with the results. Buffy had to do so when she chose to keep Angel's return a secret from her friends. Though that was not with evil intent, but you can argue it was not good judgment.