Thanks to Dmitriy T.M. for sending this speech by Joss Whedon (responsible for Buffy the Vampire Slayer) at an Equality Now event. His comments begin at 2:00 (after an introduction by Meryl Streep):
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 11
Jen — June 22, 2009
Could we get a transcript? Not all of us can hear...
Dmitriy — June 22, 2009
Here you go, Jen.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/josswhedonequalitynow.htm
Jen — June 22, 2009
You star!
Cate — June 22, 2009
Just a head's up - this speech lead to a global fundraising effort by Joss fans for Equality Now. Can't Stop The Serenity is in its fourth year now and still going strong. More info & list of participating cities: http://cantstoptheserenity.com.
(I'm the organizer for Pittsburgh, so I couldn't resist a plug!)
nonfictions — June 23, 2009
I love Joss Whedon. I don't consider his female characters in "Dollhouse" as strong, but then again I haven't watched much of the show. From what I watched the main character has her brain wiped cleaned every episode and she takes on a different persona each time. Before taking that persona she's in a doll-like state (think "nothing behind the eyes"; empty; malleable; childlike).
I never watched Buffy.
thewhatifgirl — June 23, 2009
nonfictions, I watched the whole season of Dollhouse and though what you say is true, they also let elements of her real personality bleed through from time to time (it's one of the main plot elements) and it becomes very clear then that she IS a strong woman.
also — June 24, 2009
nonfiction,
It also has to be noted that although the main character in Dollhouse is a woman who's mind has been erased, she's not the only one that this has been done to. There are men as well as women who've been mind-wiped in the Dollhouse. Many people talk about the show's exploitation of women, but if you watch, the men are just as exploited. And besides, examining that exploitation is kind of the point. It's not like they are saying it's a good thing.
Dmitriy — June 24, 2009
In The Dollhouse, it is a women who fights back against the system.
Caitlin — June 29, 2009
Love this man. What a fucking excellent thing.
Being a Brit « Lurking Musings — October 17, 2011
[...] to say, he has had an influence and there has been much said about his attitude to strong women (‘Why do I write strong female characters?’), his feminist ideals both positively (Joss Whedon on Feminism) and negatively (A Rapist’s [...]
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