MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Buffy reboot with black lead...More PC c...

Buffy reboot with black lead...More PC crap

posted 6 years ago by horrorfan000 (2164)
27 replies | jump to latest

I'm all for more diversity but IMO the way they're going about it is incredibly lazy.Piggybacking onto someone else's character and altering their race,gender or sexuality isn't progressive to me.Because at the end of the day that new character will always play second fiddle to the original.And most everyone will always defer to the original for character details.Progressiveness and diversity are earned through creativity and originality.2 things Hollywood doesn't employ nearly enough of.

[–] Stratego (29770) 6 years ago

No interest whatsoever.

[–] lennonforever (2453) 6 years ago

Certainly agree with you! I never pander to the PC "enlightenment"- I loathe it. It does nothing to move us forward as a country. It divides and continually keeps us all ,from gaining insight and understanding into each other.

[–] SoCrates (869) 6 years ago

This is how I see the show going:

Buffy: "You just don't understand how hard it is being a black vampire slayer!" "I face so much discrimination patrolling this cemetery every night."

Best Friend: "Well, being your transgendered best friend, who is being shunned by both her parents, who are both alcoholics, I think I can relate."

Buffy: "That's pretty racist... You aren't black! You don't know my struggle!"

Best Friend: "Okay, sorry... But at least you have your super model good looks, right?"

Buffy: "Yeah, that's true. You know all the boys at school wanna get wit me, right?"

Best Friend: "I know! They tell me about it every day while they bully me."

Buffy: "Anyways, we need to go. We gotta pick up our boy Rodrigo. His parents were just deported by our evil vampire mayor, and we gotta find a way to help them."

Perfect show for the CW.

[–] Retromogul (1082) 6 years ago

I'd watch that...The Evil Vampire Mayor deporting children would make a brilliant episode.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6953) 6 years ago

I agree that the reboot is lazy, as are most reboots these days - I'm looking at you, Charmed. However, altering the race, gender and/or sexuality of lead characters has great potential to be very progressive imo. With Buffy, just having a female lead character was considered streets ahead when it was first released. And no, the character won't necessarily play second fiddle to the original, just as TV Buffy never played second fiddle to the original, movie Buffy.

[–] horrorfan000 (2164) 6 years ago

TV Buffy was a direct spin off of the movie which flopped.And TV Buffy wasn't changed in any way to promote a sexuality,ethnicity or gender that she wasn't to begin with.So it doesn't really apply.And i don't think standing on top of someone else's blood sweat and tears and tweaking a character to fit your agenda is progressive.Because it will always be nothing more than a cheap carbon copy of someone else's vision.People will always just see this as a black knock off of a white character.IMO that's not progressive,original or creative in any way.Inclusivity and diversity comes from original content and creativity.Not from lazily shoehorning sexuality's,ethnicity's and genders into characters where they didn't exist before.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6953) 6 years ago

I really think you need to have a quick look-back at Buffy the TV show.

What was the ethnicity of the First Slayer? Before Buffy, what were the ethnicities of previous slayers? What was Kendra’s ethnicity? This show has never had a problem with ethnic diversity among its slayers. Given that lead character Willow was bi-sexual, it also never had a problem with varying sexualities. And since the aim of the show was to lend space to female lead characters, as well as convey more diversity among male character types, I would say it had no problem with challenging the gender binary.

So, sure, Buffy herself from movie to film wasn’t much changed. But when it was first released, Buffy was not the norm for female characters on TV overall – the whole aim of the show was to promote the progression of gender equality. And despite there being a film that flopped, this didn't hinder the TV show in anyway; neither by overshadowing the characters, nor by association.

If the reboot does lean entirely on the former glory of Buffy to squeeze out the pennies, then that’s what I’ll complain about. But Buffy simply being other than Caucasian is, on its own, not a problem for me. If it is for you, fine.

[–] horrorfan000 (2164) 6 years ago

"What was the ethnicity of the First Slayer? Before Buffy, what were the ethnicities of previous slayers?This show has never had a problem with ethnic diversity among its slayers."

The ethnic diversity of slayers has absolutely nothing to do with anything i've said.I'm talking about a singular character not slayers in general.If they had decided to do a Buffy reboot with a different slayer who happened to be black i would consider that progressive because that character would be original and not be piggybacking on someone else's work.That character could stand on their own two feet and not be compared to anyone.

"Given that lead character Willow was bi-sexual, it also never had a problem with varying sexualities."

Never said that the original show wasn't diverse.Buffy featured strong well written gay and bisexual characters long before any one was screaming diversity and inclusivity.I give the show credit for that.

" the whole aim of the show was to promote the progression of gender equality."

Sure.I agree 100 percent.But again this has nothing whatsoever to do with anything that i've said.There's nothing original,impressive or creative about taking someone else's character and slapping a new color,gender or sexuality on them.It doesn't really earn anything in respect to real equality as far as i'm concerned.The character doesn't really earn their place because their just riding the coattails of someone else's earned fan base.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I've got a theory!

🤔😎😜👍

Where do we go...from here?

[–] BillHicksFan (10290) 6 years ago

Do you know what would be progress?

Talent

[–] lordbishop34 (1442) 6 years ago

You know whats funny, when I heard this I thought they are probably going to do something lazy or PC like change the characters race and sure enough the next day I saw the headline on TOR. When it becomes predictable like this (as with Dr Who) you have truly failed creatively.

[–] horrorfan000 (2164) 6 years ago

I've been a Doctor who fan all my life.But i just have no interest in watching anymore.Jodie Whttaker seems like a capable actress and i really thought i could look past the unnecessary PC gender swapping crap.But all i here lately is #feminism this or it's about time that.The show has turned into a poster child for feminist gender politics.I just don't care about the show or the character anymore at this point.

[–] lennonforever (2453) 6 years ago

I can agree with this about the new "doctorette" 😁! Seriously, though, I really have no interest in exploring all the obvious silliness that is going to ensue- The Doctor having to choose which bathroom, hormonal fluctuations ( I can just see it now, "hot flashes"🙄) wearing a dress, etc , etc, ad nauseum.

No, not going to do it.