Well first off, really great thread idea Jules! Something that really you can talk and talk and talk about (and hey, major kudos for that 😉)
I too think that Buffy did a really great job of raising issues from real life, putting them into the light, and allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about it. And because this is a "sci-fi" kind of show, it really did give the writers a lot more opportunities to talk about these kind of issues, they could spin them a lot of different ways (and they do; sometimes the issue was right in your face, while others you did have to think a little bit). As for the issues themselves, I think, like Buffy Summers said, that they would be "dictated" a lot by the original time the show was aired and the issues that were of concern then (the world changes quickly!), and not only that, but I think that they had to keep in mind the general age of their audience/characters, the shows main direction, and how popular they were (so they could bring up these issues without fear of losing most of their viewers 😉).
For example, like BS said, back in '96 meeting people or buying products online would have been a much bigger concern than it may be now. It's been ten years, we know a lot more about the internet and have been able to do things to make it a little safer. But back then, it was still pretty new (I know that was around the time that my family first started using it), so keeping that in mind "I, Robot... You Jane" (and BOTD I agree, that IS the worst name in Buffyverse history :silly: ) makes a lot more sense.
In season one as well, everything was new in Buffy. They were establishing their audience and getting people to tune in week after week (aka us- the future addicts 😉). When they were filming the first season, I imagine they would have a general idea of who their target audience would be, but in television there is no sure way to predict whose going to tune in the most. Although the issues in season one were serious ones, they definitely took on a more "severe" edge over the seasons (from being ignored at school to killing another human being), at which time they would know who their audience was and what they could get away with. They also had to keep in mind the age of the characters, I can't imagine having sixteen year olds acting in parental roles, skinning people alive, and having the kind of relationship s6 buffy/spike did would have gone over too well- they had to keep it all in line with the story. (Which also ties in with the shows main direction, as it got older, a more solid fanbase, and older characters themselves, they could play around a lot more with what issues to tackle, and it did get shadier and less "everything is black and white" over the years).
But again, I do think that Joss and the writers did a really good job at targeting tough issues, even in their earlier seasons. Short recap of some of what was tackled:
Season One: Starting at a new school, being seen as "the freak", pressures from parents (sometimes all too controlling, ie: The Witch), adults praying on teenagers (Teacher's Pet), dangers of the internet, adults physically abusing young children, how profound an effect constantly being ignored by others can have, and dying to save others.
Season Two: Dealing with death (near death experiences and that of a loved one), dangers of college frat parties, not knowing what to do after high school, dealing with a parent's new boyfriend or girlfriend, sex and the impact it can have on a relationship, teacher and student romantic relationships, and steroid use.
Season Three: Running away from home (the dangers there, and trying to make it on your own), abusive romantic relationships and where they can lead (Beauty and the Beasts), cheating, suicide (of Angel and Johnathon), murders of children, killing another person and what that can do to someone, "silbling" rivalry taken to the extreme (Faith and Buffy), school massacres, breakups/heartaches/trying to put back together broken relationships.
Season Four: Dealing with college life, dangers of alcohol, drug use, homosexuality, more cheating and relationship problems.
Season Five: Family (both with Dawn/Buffy/Joyce and Tara), a parent getting sick, teenage identity crisis, being abadoned by boyfreiends, a parent's death, going catatonic (trying to escape the outside world), and again, death (of Buffy).
Season Six: Dealing with the death of a loved one, financial issues, depression, not being able to find employment, addiction, sex (the not so fairy-tale side of it), heavy drug use (was magic in the series but all the same), more heavily shed light on a sibling going into a parental role, rape, insanity, another main character dying, revenge (and more on murder).
Season Seven: Adjusting to high school is brought up again, councilling and teaching young people, another bit of suicide, more identity issues, trust issues, and revenge (Wood).
And I KNOW I missed a lot in there! There's been so much that Buffy covered in its run, and if you compare seasons one to six, it shows that as the show evolved, so did the kind of issues it tackled; and I really have to give BTVS credit for going for some of the things they did.
So ANYWAY, now that I've strayed almost to the point of not knowing what I'm talking about anymore (😉), to the point I orginially made, I really do agree that Buffy raised a lot of serious issues in some interesting ways, and that's definitely one of the things that I loved about the series. The episodes made you think, more than anything; brought up an issue and really did leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions about.
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