Question What if Buffy wasn't white?

2) Racism can work in both directions, something often ignored by the very vocal victims of it. Is it not just as racist to say the show should have actors of other races on it simply because they are of other races?

I don't see why asking for more diversity is racist.

3) If you are judging Buffy from a modern attitude then you are wrong to do so, because you have to take into context the time period of the show. Things are hugely different now, a mere decade later, than they were in the late 90s. (Just look at how nowadays every teen has a cell phone, for example, whereas Buffy started out with a beeper. "If the apocalypse comes, beep me.")



4) Buffy is a show that helped change the world. There is a rather direct line that can be followed from the 60s feminist uprising, to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, to the Spice Girl's chant of "Girl Power" and then on to Buffy kicking ass on mainstream television. Each step changed the world just enough so that today we find it horrible to imagine that at one time women were relegated to roles of either love interest, sex object or damsel-in-distress. Singling out that it didn't also combat racial stereotypes is asking too much. Change comes in little steps and Buffy helped take on one war and win it. Applaud it for what it did do, not condemn it for what it didn't.

That's a false equivalency. Technological advancements are not the same thing as social advancements, if it can even be said that social advancements have been made.

It ended in 2003, not 1903. Its flaws are still relevant. In context, it's not out of the norm for how race and culture are depicted in pop culture, but that's not an excuse.
Clearly we all love it. The whole posting on a forum dedicated to it kinda gives that away. I know I love it. But I'm confused as to why I'm not also allowed to criticize it for its faults.
 
I don't have much to add except that I agree with everything prophecygrrl is saying (& much better than I could anyway). Nobody is asking for a quota from Whedon or anything like that, just a more accurate reflection of real life. I mean for gods sake I live in freaking Tulsa, Oklahoma and my work and personal life is more diverse than that portrayed on either show!

Comments on this post
NY State of Mind agrees: Me and Joss need to get the series Cain started

OK, so I noticed your banner- which totally rocks!- have you done more and when do we get to see it? <tapping foot impatiently>
 
Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
Woah, you live in Tulsa? I'm totally jealous! One of my favorite books takes place in Tulsa.
NY State of Mind
NY State of Mind
lol thats just a taste nothing significant...its just starting so its gonna be awhile but thanks for the support :)
If Joss had agreed to reboot the tv show, and he decided to be a bit more cultural in his selection of actors, do you think it would be good, or would it flop like most reboots?

I think IF it gets a reboot (highly unlikely) then it is almost a certainty that the cast will have more ethnic diversity, and there's a rather high chance that Giles, if not Buffy herself, with change racial background.
 
Comments on this post
Wishing Oceans agrees: Woah, you live in Tulsa? I'm totally jealous! One of my favorite books takes place in Tulsa.

ROFL- I've never had anyone say they're jealous of me for living in Tulsa!!
 
R
randiann
I'm SO not jealous of Tulsa :P
That's a false equivalency. Technological advancements are not the same thing as social advancements, if it can even be said that social advancements have been made.

hmmm After reading this, and thinking, I think I agree with you. There is a huge difference in the two.

I think IF it gets a reboot (highly unlikely) then it is almost a certainty that the cast will have more ethnic diversity, and there's a rather high chance that Giles, if not Buffy herself, with change racial background.

Ok, there's no doubt that there will be a more diverse ethnic diversity, but the real question is....will it flop? Will it reign? I think it'd be way more acceptable now than before. Look at how succesfull glee is with all the minorities(bisexuality, homosexuality, african-american, a cripple[for lack of a better word], different religious backgrounds)
I think it would totally be less of a racial issue in today's viewing standards
 
I think Buffy was just a sign of the times. Most tv shows back then were predominantly white. Actually they probably still are. I know from reading comics that when re-telling stories, characters often go through a race change and I've always liked it. I will say that Whedon and co were quite bad at writing " street " talk in relation to black characters on Angel, a lot of Gunn's crew all sounded like they fell out of a bad Spike Lee copy-cat movie. I always wondered was Gunn going all Lawyer like in season 5 a result of the fact they couldn't write any decent dialogue for him anymore.
 
I don't see why asking for more diversity is racist.

Asking for more diversity is not racist. Asking for more diversity simply for the sake of diversity is.

That's a false equivalency. Technological advancements are not the same thing as social advancements, if it can even be said that social advancements have been made.

You've misread what I wrote. I was pointing out that social attitudes were very different back when Buffy was made, even though that was only a few years ago. You are quite correct: technological advancements are not the same as social. I referenced the cell phone phenomena to highlight just how quickly the world can change. It is an analogy.

It ended in 2003, not 1903. Its flaws are still relevant.

Totally agree with you. Never said they weren't. I was merely pointing out that judging it by the social standards of 2010 is wrong, because the social standards of 1997 were rather different. While nobody would bat an eye at a strong female lead now, it caused a sensation in 1997. Hindsight is a valuable tool to be learned from but not to judge from.

I'm confused as to why I'm not also allowed to criticize it for its faults.

Again, that's not quite what I said, you're taking it out of context. Of course you can criticize the show for whatever reasons you wish. If you read what I wrote you'll see it basically says "Yes, it was flawed, but focus on what it achieved."

Personally, I have a very bitter rant about the character of Gunn, and to a lesser degree Wood, for their "Tokenism", so I too feel there are flaws. I just feel that to run the show down from an unfair stand point is a little, well, unfair. If the show got made today then this wouldn't even be a topic, because there'd be much more ethnic diversity in the cast, but because it got made when it did makes it a sign of the times, not of its own moral views.
 
Z
zobothehobo
[No message]
Asking for more diversity is not racist. Asking for more diversity simply for the sake of diversity is.
Except the sake of diversity is to be realistically inclusive, so...yes, I would like some. :3


You've misread what I wrote. I was pointing out that social attitudes were very different back when Buffy was made, even though that was only a few years ago. You are quite correct: technological advancements are not the same as social. I referenced the cell phone phenomena to highlight just how quickly the world can change. It is an analogy.
So it's a flawed analogy. used to support an argument. That is a false equivalency, isn't it?

Again, that's not quite what I said, you're taking it out of context. Of course you can criticize the show for whatever reasons you wish. If you read what I wrote you'll see it basically says "Yes, it was flawed, but focus on what it achieved."

You said: "Applaud it for what it did do, not condemn it for what it didn't." in direct reference to criticism of the show being non racially inclusive. You can see how someone could draw the conclusion I did.
 
-What if Buffy had been African-American, Asian, Hispanic, or Indian?
-What if BtVS had been filmed in Japan, or maybe even France (I can totally see the Eiffel tower being the hellmouth!)?

Honestly Jo, that is very hard to answer. For me, if Buffy had not been who she WAS, then it would have been a different Buffy. She would have had a different family, different culture and who knows what it would have impacted on?

As for the show being filmed in Japan or France... LOL! I can't even imagine it. The show feel very american, so it's really difficult to imagine a french or japanese version. You do realize that it would have been a pain with the language being different and all?

As for what's been debated here concerning racism. I think both BtVS and Angel could have used more ethnicities(I really would have liked to see an asian character), but I'm afraid they could have been very stereotyped. In the first few episodes Gunn appeared in, I actually thought he sounded a lot like the *token* black guy. It got better over time though, but still.
 
NY State of Mind
NY State of Mind
lol token.....and yeah there's definitely a hard lack of Asians...I feel your pain guys cause there's no Ricans either
So it's a flawed analogy. used to support an argument. That is a false equivalency, isn't it?

No, it most definitely is not.

An analogy is using one thing to compare it to another. The fact that one is technological and one is social is of no relevance because both of them can progress in ultra quick leaps. Sure they don't always, but they can and therefore saying they are not equivalent is wrong. In the analogy used, they did. Cell phones changed the world to a place where it is now unlikely for a person to be unable to be contacted (unless their battery dies or they forget their phone). Twenty years ago that wasn't the norm and if you wanted to talk to your friend you had to basically be at home to use the phone and hope they were at home too. In today's world where you can now be contacted in only a moment wherever you are "“ on the bus, at work, in the supermarket, - it is hard to fully appreciate the incredible speed in which that change happened. The same goes for the shift in attitude towards women. In 1997 when Buffy was made it caused quite a stir because she was young and female and yet could kick ass.

Do you remember this piece of dialogue from the beginning of "The Gift":

"But... you're just a girl!" to which Buffy responded. "That's what I keep saying."

Think about that dialogue exchange, what it really means and why it was needed to be said.

You said: "Applaud it for what it did do, not condemn it for what it didn't." in direct reference to criticism of the show being non racially inclusive. You can see how someone could draw the conclusion I did.

You are correct, yes, I can see how you can interpret it that way.

The written language is exactly that, written, and so all you have to go off are the words themselves, not other facets like a person's tone when speaking or facial expressions. Those things are very important to communication. If a person turns to their goofy friend with a huge smile on their face and laughingly says "You are such an idiot!" it is cute and won't cause offense. If someone says those exact same words with a harsh snap and angry expression the meaning becomes quite different. Verbal expression is hard to mistake.

Unfortunately written words are easy to take the wrong way. How they are interpreted mostly depends upon the mood of the reader at the time. If a person is in a happy, positive frame of mind then they'll take the "glass half full" interpretation and if they are tired, angry or depressed thy'll take the "glass half empty" version.
 
Personally, I have a very bitter rant about the character of Gunn, and to a lesser degree Wood, for their “Tokenism”, so I too feel there are flaws. I just feel that to run the show down from an unfair stand point is a little, well, unfair. If the show got made today then this wouldn’t even be a topic, because there’d be much more ethnic diversity in the cast, but because it got made when it did makes it a sign of the times, not of its own moral views.

I can see that in Gunn's case, although he quickly became a part of the team & I didn't really see it after awhile. If he was a more one-dimensional character I'd have more problems with it. In Wood's case, well obviously it made sense since he was Nikki Wood's son- we've known about that Slayer since season 5.

Comments on this post
NY State of Mind agrees: lol token.....and yeah there's definitely a hard lack of Asians...I feel your pain guys cause there's no Ricans either

Well, being in California, the hispanics would more likely be Mexican than Puerta Rican, compared to NY or somewhere else on the east coast, but I understand what you're trying to say.

In general I think you can tell a difference over the 7 years it was on-air (talking about Buffy here). Compare the kids you see walking around the high school in season 7, Dawn's new friends, the kids talking to Buffy at school, the Potentials, Xander dating Ashanti, both Faith & Buffy with Wood. The only person of color we see in the first few seasons was Kendra, whose accent waas quite cartoonish.
 
No, it most definitely is not.

An analogy is using one thing to compare it to another. The fact that one is technological and one is social is of no relevance because both of them can progress in ultra quick leaps. Sure they don't always, but they can and therefore saying they are not equivalent is wrong. In the analogy used, they did. Cell phones changed the world to a place where it is now unlikely for a person to be unable to be contacted (unless their battery dies or they forget their phone). Twenty years ago that wasn't the norm and if you wanted to talk to your friend you had to basically be at home to use the phone and hope they were at home too. In today's world where you can now be contacted in only a moment wherever you are "“ on the bus, at work, in the supermarket, - it is hard to fully appreciate the incredible speed in which that change happened. The same goes for the shift in attitude towards women. In 1997 when Buffy was made it caused quite a stir because she was young and female and yet could kick ass.

Do you remember this piece of dialogue from the beginning of "The Gift":

"But... you're just a girl!" to which Buffy responded. "That's what I keep saying."

Think about that dialogue exchange, what it really means and why it was needed to be said.
Yes, times changed. Do I seem like I am disputing that? I don't mean to. I'm simply saying that using technological advancements as support for social advancements is a logical fallacy. You can make a case for progress in gender roles without comparing it to beepers and cell phones. It's a minor point, but it is a flaw in argument.

The written language is exactly that, written, and so all you have to go off are the words themselves, not other facets like a person's tone when speaking or facial expressions. Those things are very important to communication. If a person turns to their goofy friend with a huge smile on their face and laughingly says "You are such an idiot!" it is cute and won't cause offense. If someone says those exact same words with a harsh snap and angry expression the meaning becomes quite different. Verbal expression is hard to mistake.

Unfortunately written words are easy to take the wrong way. How they are interpreted mostly depends upon the mood of the reader at the time. If a person is in a happy, positive frame of mind then they'll take the "glass half full" interpretation and if they are tired, angry or depressed they'll take the "glass half empty" version.

And yes, inflection matters. Acknowledgement of this concept doesn't mean that people are immune to interpreting things differently than one originally intended. It also doesn't mean that I'm in the wrong, or that you are. You clarified your statement, I understand what you meant now.

If I sound terse or angry here, it's because to be honest, I am. Not necessarily at you, Mindfiend. But a few of the comments on this thread are just ridiculous.

I find it ridiculous that a conversation on wanting more diversity turns into "racism against white people". I find it ridiculous that wanting to talk about a lack of diversity means that I and other likeminded people are perpetuating racism. I find it ridiculous that people are taking Livejournal raceswap memes as serious attempts to change racial balance. I find it ridiculous that people take the term "minority" literally, or that people believe acknowledging differences in a society of race privilege is wrong.
 
M
Mindfiend
Well, that's fair enough. We'll agree to disagree and let the OP have their thread back.
prophecygrrl said:
I find it ridiculous that a conversation on wanting more diversity turns into "racism against white people". I find it ridiculous that wanting to talk about a lack of diversity means that I and other likeminded people are perpetuating racism. I find it ridiculous that people are taking Livejournal raceswap memes as serious attempts to change racial balance. I find it ridiculous that people take the term "minority" literally, or that people believe acknowledging differences in a society of race privilege is wrong.
I find it ridiculous that this is even an issue. Joann's post was a "what if" question. What if things were different? How would the story have gone? It was not a thread about why racial diversity is needed in Buffy or isn't met in Buffy. I find it ridiculous that while the racial lack of diversity in BtVS is used as an aesthetic tool to show the "ridiculousness" of the story, people still criticism it. I get that diversity is necessary... I mean I live in Wake County in North Carolina. Up until last year we've had one of the best racial diversity programs in the country. (our idiot newly elected school board killed that and if you keep up with US national news about education, you should have heard of us because we made some pretty big headlines last year). But I also don't think that we have to be so politically correct all the time. BtVS's "whiteness" had legitimate reasons for being there and was used as a tool in storytelling constantly. It really does bother me that people that some people can call it racism in general. Also, I find it ridiculous those LiveJournal re-racing things even exist. I don't take them seriously... but I find it ridiculous they even exist.

I don't know if I said this well... but hopefully I said it well enough.
 
S
SlayerOfVampyrs
I love you. Plain and simple, I love you. I won't post anymore in this thread, because my points have been twisted, but I love you.
M
Mindfiend
Can I copy and paste SlayerOfVampyrs approval here? Nice points, well said, Zobo.
I don't think Buffy herself should have been anything other that the cute little blonde, because it really was a change to see the cute popular blonde as the one kicking ass instead of having her ass kicked.
The rest of the cast, however, should have been more diverse. It always bothered me how, in the first 3 seasons, ALL of the main characters were white. Seriously, in what world (besides back woods Klan land) is every single friend you have white, from an upper middle class family? I thought it was very weird that the casting directors didn't try harder to be more inclusive. It would have been really nice to see some culture in the casting process.
 
Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
[No message]
I find it ridiculous that this is even an issue. Joann's post was a "what if" question. What if things were different? How would the story have gone? It was not a thread about why racial diversity is needed in Buffy or isn't met in Buffy. I find it ridiculous that while the racial lack of diversity in BtVS is used as an aesthetic tool to show the "ridiculousness" of the story, people still criticism it. I get that diversity is necessary... I mean I live in Wake County in North Carolina. Up until last year we've had one of the best racial diversity programs in the country. (our idiot newly elected school board killed that and if you keep up with US national news about education, you should have heard of us because we made some pretty big headlines last year). But I also don't think that we have to be so politically correct all the time. BtVS's "whiteness" had legitimate reasons for being there and was used as a tool in storytelling constantly. It really does bother me that people that some people can call it racism in general. Also, I find it ridiculous those LiveJournal re-racing things even exist. I don't take them seriously... but I find it ridiculous they even exist.

I don't know if I said this well... but hopefully I said it well enough.

I like getting the last word, I'm sorry. It's a thing about being me. You can kick me out after this, I promise. 😛

I answered msfantastico's original questions in my first post. My subsequent responses were directed at claims in this thread that people are "playing the race card", (a phrase which in itself is dismissive and trivializing as hell in conversations about race, wtf) and the implication that racism is whenever anyone does something on the basis of race.

It's a bit contradictory to be proud of a racial diversity program in your school, operating under your logic that treating races differently=racism. Besides that flaw in reasoning, the fact that your school has (or had) a good racial diversity program has nothing to do with this conversation. That is a non-sequitur that provides no context into what you actually believe or understand. Your posts, however, do:

Any way in which another race is treated as different is racism in my opinion.
If you do something BECAUSE of race (that means ANYTHING), you're being racist in my opinion.

Racism cannot be defined in simply acting on race, considering race, or talking about race. Racism as it manifests in our society and culture is the marginalization of racial groups- historically, economically, politically, and culturally. And no, white people are not a marginalized group. This is not to say that white people individually cannot be marginalized on the basis of nationality, class, or gender, sexuality, etc. but that in a dialogue about race (and I repeat, in a society built on race privilege), whiteness is not marginalized.

Representations in media, culture, and entertainment that are not fairly or realistically inclusive matter. This is why people are talking about race. This is not "playing the race card", as someone on this thread claimed.

Your continued insistence of "whiteness as a storytelling tool" operates under the idea that 'whiteness' is a standard, or default. Your further implications that people need to be satisfied with this notion are just as problematic.

Those Livejournal raceswaps are done for fun, in a deliberate nod to the lack of diversity in BtVS. It is not meant to be taken seriously in the first place. Many of them exist for the same reason this thread initially was created: what would be different if the characters were of another race? Do you find this thread ridiculous?

That's it from me. Anti-racism stan out. 🙂
 
Tome
Tome
Good points.
VisionGirl
VisionGirl
Great post!
I like getting the last word, I'm sorry. It's a thing about being me

Obviously.

It seems that getting the last word, therefore "winning" is more important to you than being right, fair, accurate or even sensible.

And no, white people are not a marginalized group.

Do you really believe that or are you now just saying anything to prove yourself correct?

I think you are forgetting that you are talking with people on the internet, therefore a global platform and not merely discussing things with people from America.

You are quite correct, in places like America, Canada, England and Australia, then no, white people are not a minority and therefore not marginalized. True. (That doesn't, as you finally admit, mean they still can't suffer racism, though.) However, the world is a far bigger place than that.

I said right at the start of my posts here that I am in an interracial relationship. Have been for years. In her country whites are very much marginalized. Her mother often cries floods of tears to her on the phone about the way her neighbours won't talk to her because of "the shame her daughter brings upon the family." When we walk down the street, even in the city she was born in, people move out of our way and say nasty things to her thinking I can't understand, will spit in our direction or any one of a dozen other ways to make their feelings well known.

Racism is a very nasty beast, and it is not restricted to certain colours of skin.

However, to try to return to what this thread was originally about before you derailed it, the question was simply would the show have been as popular if Buffy had been anything other than white.

The answer to that is no, because to get the show made it had to make the network think it would be popular and therefore make lots of money. To be popular it had to appeal to its main demographic. Its main demographic (at that time!) was white middle class America. Sure, that's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. As has already been pointed out here quite astutely, over the seasons the casting did start to improve and breakthroughs were being made. If the show gets remade today then it will fully reflect our times, as well as political standpoints.
 
S
SlayerOfVampyrs
[No message]
Z
zobothehobo
[No message]
If you cannot discuss this topic civilly; without making personal, rude comments, then it will be closed.
 
Obviously.

It seems that getting the last word, therefore "winning" is more important to you than being right, fair, accurate or even sensible.
I lied. Anti-racism stan back...personal attacks are fun, right? 😵

LOL, remember our conversation on Internet inflection? 😉 It's a joke.

I think you are forgetting that you are talking with people on the internet, therefore a global platform and not merely discussing things with people from America.

You are quite correct, in places like America, Canada, England and Australia, then no, white people are not a minority and therefore not marginalized. True. (That doesn't, as you finally admit, mean they still can't suffer racism, though.) However, the world is a far bigger place than that.

I said right at the start of my posts here that I am in an interracial relationship. Have been for years. In her country whites are very much marginalized. Her mother often cries floods of tears to her on the phone about the way her neighbours won't talk to her because of "the shame her daughter brings upon the family." When we walk down the street, even in the city she was born in, people move out of our way and say nasty things to her thinking I can't understand, will spit in our direction or any one of a dozen other ways to make their feelings well known.

Racism is a very nasty beast, and it is not restricted to certain colours of skin.

BtVS did not sell itself on a global platform, and it's a icon of Western pop culture. When I speak of problematic representation of races here, I am referring to the Western world BtVS presented itself in. Whiteness is not marginalized here in the slightest.

I think you're speaking of individual racist attitudes, not how racism works institutionally or systematically. We're talking apples and oranges. BtVS is not racist in that it says "WE HATE BLACK PPLZZZ, AND THOSE DARN ASIANS TOO". It obviously doesn't say that. It is problematic, however, in that it only shows the major viewpoints of white people and that it's not inclusive realistically. To tell a story of humanity and empowerment solely through the eyes of one, dominant race and expect it to be universally received and universally true? That's problematic. That's the issue people (including me) take when representations are not diverse/inclusive. Whiteness should not be the standard or default. Moreover, we should not have to accept that. Criticism is a way to change things for the future. Criticism of a show like BtVS, which is lauded over and over for its feminist and LGB representations, is important as well- all that praise overshadows other concerns.

I do happen to be familiar with interracial relationships and the hateful attitudes that can come with them. Your girlfriend does not happen to be Asian, is she? Cause...been there. 🙁 Chinese society does not look well on interracial relationships. And even though I'm American, my parents are immigrants.
That said, a stigma against interracial relationships does not necessarily mean that there is a stigma against white people. That's a minor point I'm trying to make, cause I get what you're saying. Even then, I repeat- I'm speaking of Western representations. Whiteness is not marginalized here; the idea that it can be in other cultures doesn't erase that fact. Not to mention, those cultures are not globally dominant in the way that the U.S. or Europe is. Popular culture, global politics and economics (and yes, that is relevant in that other cultures are oppressed politically and economically), etc. are still largely influenced/controlled through Western society.

Uh, I am not solely responsible for "derailing" this thread. I'm really sorry for doing it 😱, which is why I initially intended not to come back after my last post. But if you read back a bit, people are talking about race in the Buffyverse before me. I was responding to their arguments. Why am I the only one getting called out? 😕

(Lol, I did not just sit in my room and make up these ideas. Critical race theory, yo. I read.)
 
NY State of Mind
NY State of Mind
[No message]
D
destruct0slinky
I agree with this so very much.
Why am I the only one getting called out?

Sorry you feel this is a direct attack at you. Wasn't meant that way. Can't speak for others, but I was responding to remarks you made.

Now, I'll confess I'd written another long post in response to your previous one, and yes, we still don't see eye to eye. I think it is pretty fair to say that I am not going to convince you of my point of view, and you aren't going to turn me to yours either, so this will just go on and on until the thread is full and locked or the mods close it.

However, like all good debates should be it has been very stimulating, interesting and thought-provoking to discuss these issues. Directly because of that, I've realised that there is something that I think we BOTH should consider before pursuing this further:

The debate started because of Buffy being criticized for not being diverse enough. Does anyone have any proof that Buffy is so white simply because of racism? I think it is only fair to at least admit there may be another reason. Do any of these people criticizing it for not having enough minority actors in it actually know the figures of minorities who auditioned? If they didn't audition it can't really be blamed for not having them, can it? If say, only one in four actors for the part were of minority status then the odds alone would slew the chances of it being someone white who got the part and it would have nothing to do with skin colour other than that. Similarly, if lots auditioned but none were genuinely better actors than Sarah and co, that is not racist either. Could it not simply be a case of here the best actors got the job in the end? I know the original Willow was recast from the pilot, for example, and Charisma, who Joss once said was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, didn't get the part she auditioned for (Buffy) because she wasn't right for it.

I'm not saying this is indeed the reason, but until it can be genuinely discounted then I believe it is unfair to find the show guilty as charged.
 
Ok, going to reply here without replying to anyone directly....

I think Buffy herself could not be anyone but who she was; Joss meant her to be the stereotypical blonde bimbo who dies in the first 10 minutes of any scary movie. If the show was Nikki Wood the Vampire Slayer or Kendra the Vampire Slayer it would have been a very different show indeed. That being said, I don't think the race of the other characters matters all that much. To me, it is more about the people than their race.

Race is a VERY touchy subject. But let's think about real life here for the most part. I am more or less Caucasian. I identify myself as bi-racial Caucasian/Native American, but most people looking at me objectively without meeting me before would probably perceive me as your run of the mill, really pale typical white female. In my city; I'm in the majority. In my neighborhood, I'm in the VAST minority. Practically all of my neighborhood is a certain race, and it isn't white. Think about where you live. Do you live in the middle of a major metropolis, or in suburbia? If you live in NYC, you're more likely to have more diversity in your area's population. If you live in suburbia, you probably are less likely to have this diversity. People tend to flock towards those of a similar background; it's true. In my own city, we have "Little Mexico" "the Asian district" and lots of neighborhoods that are mostly Black. We have whole towns in my state that are "Black" towns. We have others that are "Native" towns. It's a voluntary segragation that our society has inflicted upon itself. I'm not saying it's 100% all White or all Black or all Native or all Asian. But there are heavier concentrations of certain races in certain areas. Is it right? Not necessarily. But it's life.

It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my skin color. This may sound odd, but to me, I was always too pale. I come from a background where both my parents are White/Native American. My mom is about 7/8 White, and 1/8 Choctaw. My dad is closer to 30/70-40/60 White to Native(and here's where it gets complicated because it involves multiple tribes and lots of calculations if you want to be accurate). What does that make me? I'm 1/8 Comanche, approx 1/4 Choctaw, smidge of 2 other tribes, and a little over 1/2 White. Within all that, I tend to identify with my Choctaw heritage more than the others, because of how I was raised. But because of how I look, I'm not always accepted by other Natives because I'm too White. I'm not a real Choctaw because I'm tainted. I'm just some little White girl who is bored with being mainstream. But I can't let their opinions of me affect MY opinion of me. I've accepted me for who I am, and to be honest, the actual pigmentation in my skin, hair, and eyes has little to do with this. I really want to bring up the theory of decolonization and how (and if) other people on here of different races have any imput into these theories, but that's for a different thread. In a nutshell, decolonization means accepting who you are and shirking off the perceived notions of who you are supposed to be as defined by society. Society can be cruel. I've literally seen someone make one of my best friends (who happens to be Korean/Caucasian) cry because they told her that her parent's interracial marriage was an abomination, yet they have no problems with my parents. It's sick. But it's the world we live in. Anywhoo, back to Buffy.....


Does it really matter to me whether or not Buffy's friends are Black/Native/Asian/Latino etc. etc. etc.....not really. I like the characters for the characters, not the color of their skin. Yes, race is important. And yes, it is important to have race represented in television accurately. Hell, the only Native person on Buffy I can think of off the top of my head is the Native spirit guys in season 4, and that's about as stereotypical a portrayal as you can get. Do the members of my family look like them? Nope. Do we turn into spirit animas or cut people's ears off? Nope. But does this or any issue of race affect the integrity of the show itself or whether or not the show could succeed? Nah. Buffy's a young White female; it only makes sense to me that the people who she would most identify with are other young White individuals of similar socioeconomic background. In a city with a predominately Caucasian population, I really don't see a problem with Buffy's friends being mostly White. Besides, what city do you know of where every single race is represented equally? Like I pointed out above, it's social behavior for us to segregate ourselves to a degree. Any portrayal where the population was 17% Caucasian, 17% Black, 17% Asian, 17% Latino, 17% Arabic, 15% Native American/Other would come off as completely unrealistic. If Buffy was White, Xander was Asian, Willow was Arabic, and Giles was Black it wouldn't be as belivable to me. That being said, could Buffy have diversified some of the more minor characters some? Sure. But again, it doesn't affect the show all that much in my opinion. Plus, aren't we forgetting that Willow was Jewish? 😉

/Ramble over.
 
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