Culture Exchange

In Goth, there is a need for a culture exchange by characters and readers. In a culture exchange, a stranger is brought to a stranger place with unknown prospect, light or dark. In the “Inca Mummy Girl” episode, Ampata, the Inca princess, is a stranger in Buffy’s world who had a “light” prospect. The princess is a 500-years old mummy who has given a chance to return to life and becomes Buffy’s exchange student. Ampata has been living in the coffin that’s been displayed in museums all this time, thus her whole world is limited to the museum celling and visitors’ conversations. Therefore, her whole worldview is mostly remained as of 500-years ago. Ampata needs to borrow Buffy’s cloth, uses her makeup, and asks Buffy to fill her in so she would not feel and look like a complete stranger in her new world. In her new life, Ampata experienced her first love, her first kiss, her first dance. Thus, the Inca Mummy succeeded in blending in, so well that a guy opened up his heart to her, showing his complete trust.

In “Dracula”, Jonathan, a solicitor, is a stranger in Dracula’s world who had a “dark” prospect. Since Dracula purchased a property in England, Jonathan travels to where Dracula lives for legal paper works. Jonathan is traveling through new places where people act strangely towards him knowing his destination. He feels like a stranger: people in groups talking in langue he knows not and looking pitiful at him; an elder woman giving him a crucifix against his religion; his carriage taking him away from Dracula’s castle. In Dracula’s castle, Jonathan experiences stranger and dark things, which helps him to understand this new place a bit more, local’s strange behavior doesn’t seems so strange anymore. Everyday Jonathan wishes to escape from the castle for he fears for his life everyday.

Before we enter Goth, the readers need to go through this culture exchange. The readers are the strangers who need to adapt to how people live and talk in Goth. However, knowing its Goth, we know the prospect will be dark.

Goth vs. Vampire Wannabes

Here is the South Park episode about when the Twilight vampire culture begins to consume the Goth culture with a dash of Butters going crazy. If anyone feels like they desperately need a break, this is the perfect way! This episode is pretty funny and actually applies to today's conversation!

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s12e14-the-ungroundable

Twilight of the Goths?

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1561986/hot-topic-stores-get-lighter-brighter-makeover.jhtml
This is the link to the article I was talking about in class today about the "brightening" of Hot Topic stores. It's pretty interesting, although I don't remember reading it on mtv.com (embarrassing).
Anyway, enjoy!

The Fortitude of Will in "Inca Mummy Girl"

What I found the most interesting about this episode was the difference between Ampata and Buffy in relation to their role as the ‘chosen one’. In both cases each girl must sacrifice her life for the common good, giving up her opportunity for a ‘normal’ life. In the case of Ampata, she was used as an actual sacrifice to please the Incan gods, which robbed her of the normal life that she craved. For Buffy, she must be the vampire slayer and forgo the usual activities and pursuits her of peers. The difference between them, however, is that Buffy takes her destiny in stride and deals with it in the best way that she can, while Ampata is determined to regain some semblance of normalcy. Ampata’s desire for life is even greater than her love or her morality, so she is willing to take the lives of others, including Xander’s, in order to achieve her goal. Buffy, however, is constantly sacrificing herself and her needs in order to protect people and live up to her title as Slayer.

This is part of what makes Buffy such a strong character and is one of her defining features. Although Michele Byers doesn’t specifically reference this element of sacrifice in her article, I think that is one of the better qualities that Buffy exhibits. It is a highly admirable characteristic that can certainly benefit the minds of the young girls watching it. It is part of what demonstrates Buffy’s strength because it requires a great deal of fortitude and willpower to constantly force one’s self into an unwanted position. The Byers’ article references Buffy’s strength, but more in terms of her physical strength, than her mental power, despite the admirable quality and merit that it deserves.

Goths R Us (er, me)

http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/31/where-my-goths-at/

Diversity/ Need vs Desire

I’d rather stray away from the issue of feminism in this post, and instead discuss the issues of diversity that Michele Byers brings up in her article “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Next Generation of Television”. Apparently Buffy has been criticized by some for having little racial or class diversity. While I certainly am not in support of a media controlled only by white, upper- and middle-class Americans, I do believe the lack of diversity is necessary to emphasize one of the main points of the show: that outward appearances do not necessarily reflect the true inner workings of a character. Everyone will agree that Buffy appears to be the epitome of the California Beach girl: she’s beautiful, blond, and not counted among the more academically formidable. Furthermore, for possessing these same character traits, she fits the stereotype of a Hollywood superstar. But Buffy, as we all well know, is no typical California girl. She’s a superhero. It is necessary for all of the characters to appear as part of the beautiful, privileged, and yes, white stereotypes in order for this idea that all people are layered to shine through to full effect. I think the show does an excellent job of making every character unique and multi-dimensional, so I truly believe a lack of diversity can be excused.

Now on to some observations from “Inca Mummy Girl”. One aspect of Ampata’s demonic character I found intriguing is that Ampata, unlike many other Buffy villains who fall under the category of incubus/succubus, must continue to feed on others to survive. Kathy, our demon friend from “Living Conditions”, implies that she will only have to suck out one soul, namely Buffy’s, in order to forever after be considered a human. We also see later in the series, when certain vampires become unable to feed on humans for whatever reason, that they can live, if uncomfortably, on pigs blood from butchers. These demons do not need to feed on the life force of humans, but they choose to anyway. It seems possible that this is the reason Ampata inspires more sympathy for the average viewer. She has no choice but to go on sucking the life force from whoever is closest, no matter how much she may want to stop. We all wish Ampata could get what she wants and just live the life of a normal girl, but because we see from the start that this is not possible, we sympathize with her. Some might argue that when at the end of the episode Ampata tries to bargain with Xander, saying “Just this one and we can be together” that this implies Ampata would eventually be able to stop feeding and live a normal life, but it seems more likely this was a trick to get Xander to let her live.

This is perhaps why some of us also feel sympathy for Carmilla. She seems to want a normal life with Laura as a companion more than she wants to drink Laura’s blood (she does indulge but leaves Laura alive, much like how Ampata begins to suck Xander’s life force but decides he means too much to her). Carmilla continues to feed on the villagers while she spends her time with Laura, which would indicate that her thirst for blood comes from a place of need rather than desire. Maybe it is this notion of need overcoming desire that makes us sympathetic for certain demons and not others. Whether Dracula fits into this thesis still remains to be seen.

Smart Girls are Sexy

For this blog entry, I want to focus on feminism, and how it relates to Buffy and Dracula. Through the characters of Willow Rosenberg and Mina Harker, I feel as though both texts emphasize and esteem the power of the female mind. Michele Byers writes, “(Buffy the Vampire Slayer) reveals that within a mundane exterior (not just of the body but also of lifestyle) lurks the possibility of excitement, of greatness” (Byers, 173-174). I see Willow and Mina as being characters that embody the idea from that quote.

For me, Willow was one of the main reasons I began to watch Buffy. I loved seeing a female character portrayed on television with so much intelligence, integrity, and grit. However, it’s not just Willow’s existence in the series, but the way that Joss Whedon highlights these qualities through other characters that makes it a great example of feminism in a modern series. For example, in the episode “Inca Mummy Princess” there is a dance scene in which the guitarist in the band, Oz, asks his friend “Who’s that girl?” in reference to Willow. We heard in an earlier scene that Oz is incredibly picky when it comes to girls, so this sets Willow apart as something special. The typically “hot” yet bland lead singer in the band thinks that Oz is referring to the sexy, foreign exchange student. However, Oz specifically identifies Willow although she is not the most beautiful girl in the room, as extraordinary and an equal. Thus, Joss Whedon demonstrates that qualities such as intelligence and integrity set women apart; and, in a certain sense, elevate them above their peers.

I see a similar treatment of women in Dracula through the relationship between Van Helsing and Mina. Although Lucy is the tragic, beautiful female character, Van Helsing holds Mina up as the feminine ideal for her intelligence and her compassion. He states, “'Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man's brain - a brain that a man should have were he much gifted - and woman's heart” (Stoker, 274). Although this may seem like a sexist statement, I feel as though he’s combining classical masculine and feminine archetypes (man’s reason and woman’s empathy) and demonstrating that women can have both. He also describes Mina as being a “teacher” (Stoker, 394) to the men in the novel because of her ability to use reason and intelligence to see clearly what the men could not. Thus, according to Van Helsing, Mina is on equal if not superior terms with men.

To Be or Not to Be...a Feminist

Both Buffy and Carmilla can easily be construed as feminist expressions in entertainment, however I do not believe neither the show nor the story was solely centered, purposefully, on the dominance of women. It is apparent that both Buffy and Carmilla portray strong, capable women surviving and thriving without the aid of men, but I somewhat disagree with Byers and think that Buffy can be related to all genders, ethnicities, and classes. Buffy touches on numerous overarching themes of adolescence, such as surviving high school, talking to someone you like, getting good grades, and learning how to maneuver in the real world, through medians involving supernatural elements. These occurrences are experienced by both young men and women, black and white, and of all classes.

I do agree with Byers, however, when she says Buffy teaches us that women are not reliant on men, and are, in fact, sometimes the ones that need to save the males, like with Xander in "Inca Mummy Girl". Whedon encourages modern, female viewers to understand that women can be "powerful, independent, strong, smart" and also yearn for affection and to be taken care of, just as Buffy does, even though she kicks ass as a slayer (Byers, 173). Buffy loves when Angel cares for her and usually needs a little help from her friends to get by.

On the other hand, Carmilla is portrayed as the typical villain and monster, a role usually played by men. She is feared by all genders and even hurts the General with her physical strength, which surpasses his own. Her feminine beauty and contagious good nature draw people to her, which can be viewed as a deadly element of female sensuality and power. Similarly, Buffy is your typical, blond cheerleader who easily takes on male vampires and destroys them, which surprises many viewers. Both Buffy and Carmilla demonstrate role reversals between male monsters and male heroes and their female counterparts, while also embodying overlying themes for all genders to relate to.

Inca Mummy Girl vs. Feminism

I've never been a huge fan of "Inca Mummy Girl." Of every episode of Buffy, that has to be one of my least favorites. Regardless, when I was reading the critique by Byers, the comment "The series dramatizes the struggle that many young women face to be strong, independent, articulate, ambitious, and powerful. And this is done without erasing women's desire for connection," stuck out to me. It stuck out at first because Buffy and Impata are both trying to do all of these things and they're both facing similar problems (they're both 'the chosen one,' they're both trying to maintain impossible relationships.) The more I thought about it though, the less alike Buffy and Impata became. Buffy's life was taken away, but she still kept using her power to fight for what was right. Impata's life was taken away, and she used her power for selfish purposes only. Then again, as easy as it is to write Impata off as a villain, it's just as easy to see her as a good person who was put in a bad circumstance. This ambiguity makes it difficult for the audience to decide wether or not Impata is actually good or evil, and follows the audience long after the episode is over (becuase Buffy never actually does kill Impata.) While it may seem that Buffy chose to defeat Impata, that's not exactly what happened. Impata simply dies because she runs out of time to feed off of another human.

This lack of a decision, makes it impossible to label Impata as either good or bad.

In hindsight, that may actually be why I don't enjoy watching this episode...

"Lie to Me" and the Appeal of Immortality

“Lie to Me” was an important episode to watch, as it explored the motives and allure to what we currently know to be “goth culture.” In the vampire nightclub, lonely youth gathered in costume to watch Dracula films. It can be deduced that from these bits of popular culture, these lost “youth of the night,” wanted to be turned into the immortal. Angel, aptly named, as he is the “good” vampire, is extremely suspect of Ford and his “goth” peers’ actions. He acknowledges the hardships in the “life” of the un-dead and is furious with the young woman in the nightclub for not only glorifying their way of life, but for seeking to become a vampire. Ford’s case is certainly more interesting as his reason for wishing to transform into a vampire is to conquer his pending mortality. Because he his dying of brain cancer, Ford looks to old Dracula films as hope for escaping what will destroy his physical body. He wants to remain “young and beautiful” forever, thus he hopes that exploiting Buffy and offering her as a trade to Spike and his vampire cronies will give him immortality. When Buffy ultimately learns why Ford wishes to become a vampire, she pities him momentarily, but still argues that what he is doing is selfish and wrong. She calls his actions a “mass murder” and chastises him, despite the fact that he is dying of cancer. Life isn’t easy and it doesn’t get easier, Gilles admits. Buffy obviously feels sorrow for her childhood friend’s desperate situation, but as the slayer, she has to be pragmatic. I found this episode to be incredibly poignant because the viewers were confronted with an emotional power and maturity in Buffy. Even during the desperate time of being trapped in a basement before Spike’s arrival, Buffy is able to speak eloquently and attempt to dissuade Ford and his followers from actualizing the worst possible mistakes they could make. She wants them to move past their “goth” fantasy and realize that the life of the vampire is not, in fact, “charmed,” as the “goth youth” perceive it to be. The vampire and gothic culture continue to be popular with youth today. Shows and books such as Trueblood and Twilight have a mass following. “Lie to Me” sheds light on why the “goth” culture remains popular. I don’t want to oversimplify people’s motives for being drawn to vampire culture, but I think it is important to consider that the followers, such as those youth in “Lie to Me,” romanticize what it means to be “un-dead.” There is a fear of getting older, of course. When you’re young and beautiful, one feels immortal. We don’t want to lose our youthful beauty and charms. Aging, even as a twenty-year-old, is a concept with which it is hard to cope. Vampires are like the religious promise of afterlife, in that becoming a member of the un-dead will promise an interminable youth. For those of us who are young and afraid of no longer being as we are, there is an undeniable force drawing us to a way of life that promises to preserve our youth.

Feminism mixed with Adolescence

Though little things like the misspelling of Whedon and a few innacurate comments about the show (Buffy isn't thought to be dead at the end of season five, she is dead...just not for forever), I must say I really enjoyed a lot of what Michele Byers had to say. I especially liked the part about "the body problem." In "Inca Mummy Girl" we are shown the dance, where Ampata and Willow are the two contrasting 16 year old girls. Willow, always the shy one in the earlier seasons, has covered her body in her Inuit apparel. We see no curves, no signs of womanhood, and she even says "...or I could have worn something sexy" when she sees Ampata walk in with the form-fitting dress. We also addressed in class how Ampata develops throughout the episode into a more mature looking woman, adding more and more makeup as the episode progresses. When we reach the dance, Willow is in childish pigtails hidden under a hood and Ampata's hair is flowing. Both of them have power over men, however. Sure, this is partially because Oz is, well, odd, and noticed the other odd and quirky person in the room, but I am more pointing all of this out because I think it is a really blatant example of the conflict for an adolescent heroine.
For a woman, the body can bring stress or can make you feel great, it is a back and forth that makes you want to flaunt and hide at the same time. It is frustrating, especially in adolescence, and "Inca Mummy Girl" really demonstrates this. In Willow's jealousy, we see her resent her body and wish that she could be "sexy" like Ampata, but we also see Ampata wishing that she didn't have to grow up so fast, and didn't have to be a savior. She wishes she could relive her adolescence, but even in her "fitting in" at Sunnydale High, we see her grow up much faster than she should.
It may seem slightly sexist, but the most visual example of a powerful woman is a seductress, a woman who makes men physically weak just with her appearance. Whenever Buffy gets on a power trip, especially in the earlier seasons, she puts on some micro mini and struts in front of Xander or Angel or whoever, and she is clearly powerful. The more visual form of power for a man is fighting, and winning that physical fight. We also see Buffy perform all of these things, but surprisingly, she is not masculine in doing these things. When she fights, she always has little high pitched grunts, and her pony tail bounces around, and she cartwheels, and she is wearing leather pants, and she does all of these things that preserve her femininity. This is what makes Buffy such a successful heroine, and such a great example of a feminist character. She is able to be a heroine without embodying the typical hero, and she is able to fight equally as hard as a male hero would while still being her girly self on and off the battlefield.