The final statement does oversimplify things in the interests of brevity and I do understand people’s reservations about the series. In terms of the specific point I’m going for here I do, however, think there’s a significant difference, a change if you like, between the activation we see in Chosen and being chained to the earth and ‘violated.’ The difference between not being and asked being asked and saying no. Still, that’s a point about the culpability of the perpetrator rather than how things are for the victim.
In more general terms, and I’m sure you’ve heard these arguments but for completeness:-
1) We don’t know how the activation spell works but given the words spoken over the montage what we see is a series of girls feeling the power and then some, but not all, choosing to accept and act on it.
2) The existence of multiple Slayers removes the onus on any one individual to take up her calling.
3) The real choice is about what to do with the power, you either have it or you don’t either way there’s no choice about that. In the past potential Slayers would have had the dreams but, apart from one in each generation, not had the power to act on them. As Anya put it, short brutal life or unfulfilled potential. By analogy, American women don’t have a choice about the right to a university education but everyone with the academic ability to benefit from one can choose whether or not to do so, peer or parental pressure notwithstanding.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 06:08 am (UTC)The final statement does oversimplify things in the interests of brevity and I do understand people’s reservations about the series. In terms of the specific point I’m going for here I do, however, think there’s a significant difference, a change if you like, between the activation we see in Chosen and being chained to the earth and ‘violated.’ The difference between not being and asked being asked and saying no. Still, that’s a point about the culpability of the perpetrator rather than how things are for the victim.
In more general terms, and I’m sure you’ve heard these arguments but for completeness:-
1) We don’t know how the activation spell works but given the words spoken over the montage what we see is a series of girls feeling the power and then some, but not all, choosing to accept and act on it.
2) The existence of multiple Slayers removes the onus on any one individual to take up her calling.
3) The real choice is about what to do with the power, you either have it or you don’t either way there’s no choice about that. In the past potential Slayers would have had the dreams but, apart from one in each generation, not had the power to act on them. As Anya put it, short brutal life or unfulfilled potential. By analogy, American women don’t have a choice about the right to a university education but everyone with the academic ability to benefit from one can choose whether or not to do so, peer or parental pressure notwithstanding.