The PATRIARCHY!!! *Muahahaha!*
The Crimson King by Leopardsnow @ Deviantart
I've been listening to a podcast for a while now called "Buffering the Vampire Slayer." The hosts, Jenny Owen Youngs (yes, the one I referenced in the last Blog) and Kristin Russo, rewatch and review every episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" one episode at a time (spoiler free!), and then they recap each episode with a delightful (sometimes tragically beautiful) song. These ladies are hilarious, their guests are delightful (and also hilarious), and, more than anything, they provide a thought-provoking and insightful look at a TV series that broke a lot of ground regarding social constructs and female empowerment in the late 90s/early 2000s.
They've also broken my brain on several occasions, but I'll get back to that.
Kristin and Jenny are a married couple. In case it needs to be spelled out, yes, they're a married lesbian couple (though they get a bit fuzzy on personal identity labels throughout the progression of the podcast so I use that term hesitantly). More relevant to this Blog post, they're also feminists and LGBTQ/social activists. (Literally, that's what Kristin does professionally. It's pretty cool.) As such, they approach their podcast with these perspectives in mind. Kristin and Jenny have no issue looking at scenes in their favorite, much beloved TV series and calling things out that are "problematic." Even as they do so, they still maintain their enthusiasm and love for the show as a whole. Overall, it's really quite fascinating to witness this balance and hear what they have to say about a show that I personally love.
Between their insights and what's been breaking loose in the news lately, I find myself reviewing TV, movies, music, and literature (including my own work) with a different perspective than I had in the past. As it turns out, there's a lot of messed up, patriarchal B.S. and negative social conditioning that has passed as entertainment in my lifetime. (I caught some episodes of "Three's Company" over the holidays. Ho-ly-shit. I had no idea some of these issues were so blatantly bad.)
"OK, so you found a thought-provoking podcast. And?"
I have been contemplating Ash to Ashes again (and Book 2 as I write it) with the question "What would Kristin and Jenny say?" Now let me be clear, my book is my book. I'm not rewriting anything or apologizing for the story I've told. But I do find myself curious how well it holds up against the rapidly changing social climate and the gradual progression of enlightened social awareness that seems to be gaining traction (in spite of painfully obvious evidence to the contrary over the last few years).
Here are some things I noticed:
The main character is an attractive, younger, athletic, straight, "white," cisgendered male.
Wow. Ok. Yeah, I pretty much hit every branch of the patriarchal normative tree on that one. But, to be honest, I wasn't really paying that much attention to issues of representation when I originally developed the character back around 2010. I was really more interested in his personality than the package it came in. That said...
Ashton is surprisingly self-aware and emotionally mature for a 21-year-old man. He's atypically vulnerable in his relationships for a leading man in a story. He even cries a few times. His relationship to other male characters is unusually positive and supportive.
He may be a patriarchal normative hero physically, but that doesn't mean he has to be a poster child for toxic masculinity. People have layers. Go figure. Ashton is the hero we need, if not one we actually deserve.
*Spoiler* The lead female is abducted by a group of men in a classic "damsel in distress" trope.
Guilty. Yup, I did that. That said, the handling of this scenario and the description of the perpetrators illustrates the dangers of power, authority, and entitlement when left unchecked. Also, the book would be pretty damn boring if nothing bad ever happened to kick start the adventure aspect. Did it have to be a female character in this situation? Not exactly. But there are details tied to her abduction that make it more compelling and less random in terms of story motivation (and even more indicative of patriarchal B.S. at its finest).
Sexual assault is a defining character background event for a female support character. Was that really necessary?
Yeah. See, I actually struggled with this one myself in the editing process. I left it in the character's background for three reasons. First and foremost, I wanted it blatantly clear that the antagonists (the aurators) are prone to being despicable human beings who abuse their power, influence, and authority, not just in dealing with magic users, but in general. They are the epitome of patriarchal toxicity in action. Two: the character in question needed a motive to act against the aurators that would be sufficient enough for her to justify making the decision and sacrifices that she does. Could I have used other motivations? Sure. But most of them didn't add up to giving up everything she knew to strike a vengeful blow against her oppressors. Three: Sexual assault is a terrible and scarring thing. It's also a very real thing when power balances are out of whack. Pretending it doesn't exist as a problem doesn't make it go away. Pretending it doesn't have an impact doesn't make it less harmful. I would hope that the message of "This is a bad thing done by bad people." might stick in case anybody was having doubts in the matter. Also, I'd like to draw attention to Ashton's reaction to her story. He doesn't press for details. He doesn't ask questions that put blame for the incident back onto her. He believes her and supports her, end of story. I think that's a pretty important representation in and of itself.
I'm sure there's other points I could address, but these are some of the main "red flags" I could think of. My brain is frying right now. This was not a quick or easy Blog to write today, but I do think it is important to look at these issues as a writer. Is it my goal to be a mainstream activist or to use my platform to address social issues? Not necessarily. I really just want to tell my stories. But I do acknowledge that it's my responsibility as a creator to make positive changes where I can and to avoid propagating harmful systemic crap when I actively know better. I don't have to try and fix the world all by myself, but I can certainly make sure I do my part to avoid making it any worse with what I create.
If you or a Buffy fan you know are interested in finding out more about Kristin and Jenny's podcast, "Buffering the Vampire Slayer," check out their main page at https://www.bufferingthevampireslayer.com/ where you can also find links to their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages. I enjoy it immensely and have learned a great deal while listening to it. Hopefully some of you might too!
(If you see this, Thanks Kristin and Jenny!)
Still need to get your own copy of Ash to Ashes so you can make a decision on my level of adherence to patriarchal norms? Get yours HERE!
