Reason has finally gotten around to adding to its web site Virginia Postrel’s excellent article that appeared in the print edition, Why Buffy Kicked Ass.
Buffy assumes and enacts the consensus moral understanding of contemporary American culture, the moral understanding that the wise men ignored or forgot. This understanding depends on no particular religious tradition. ItÂ’s informed not by revelation but by experience. It is inclusive and humane, without denying distinctions or the tough facts of life. There are lots of jokes in Buffy — humor itself is a moral imperative — but no psychobabble and no excuses. Here are some of the showÂ’s precepts, a sample of what Americans believe:
. . .
Evil must be fought — sometimes literally, with lives and weapons. Most evildoers are beyond redemption. They are certainly beyond persuasion. War is stupid and wasteful and cruel and necessary. “People die,” says Buffy. “You lead them into battle, theyÂ’re going to die. It doesnÂ’t matter how ready you are or how smart you are. War is about death. Needless, stupid death.” The next day, she goes to war. And good people die.
. . .
We donÂ’t get to choose our reality. LifeÂ’s not fair. ThereÂ’s no point in whining. “I hate this,” Buffy tells her small band before their final battle. “I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that thereÂ’s evil and that I was chosen to fight it….I know a lot of you wish that I hadnÂ’t been either. This isnÂ’t about wishes. This is about choices.”
Yes, yes, a million times yes.