Posted in: Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: abuse, angel, Auteur, bryan singer, buffy the vampire slayer, charisma carpenter, firefly, harry potter, house of cards, j k rowling, Jose Molina, joss whedon, kevin spacey, Michelle Trachtenberg, ray fisher, sarah michelle gellar, x-men

Buffy: A Teachable Moment in Cognitive Dissonance After Joss Whedon

Published Sun, 21 Feb 2021 07:35:19 -0600

by Tom Chang

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In light of the news of how far down the rabbit hole, we're finding out how horrible a person Joss Whedon allegedly really is. While it was previously based on rumors until Justice League star Ray Fisher started speaking up, we're finding out more by the day how much of an abusive auteur from his Buffy-verse actors starting with Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase across the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel. We also heard the likes from her co-star Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's sister Dawn Summers, that there was a clause in her contract that forbade Whedon from being alone with her.

Buffy-Verse and Firefly Take Stand Against Joss Whedon

More damning personal testimony emerged from writer Marti Noxon and Firefly writer Jose Molina about Whedon's behavior toward others. Cast members from stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Eliza Dushku, J. August Richards, James Marsters, Anthony Head, and Amber Benson have all emerged in support of Carpenter. While Whedon's had hands-on several projects throughout his career, including with Disney/Marvel and DC/Warner Bros, there still many who haven't spoken up, and the man himself hasn't responded to any of the allegations. So the question now is: can you really enjoy anything he's created knowing what he's been alleged to have done?

Many People Worked Hard on These Projects Beyond the Disgraced Figures

My answer is simply "Yes." You can still appreciate the art and those involved while tempering who you praise in the process. There was still a final season of House of Cards despite the allegations against star Kevin Spacey, who was fired prior to filming. You can still enjoy the work of the X-Men franchise even after what people found out about Bryan Singer. I don't think it's fair to judge anyone regardless if they support or identify as part of the LGBTQ community if they still love the Harry Potter franchise despite J.K. Rowling's TERF beliefs.

It's hard to keep track of everything because what's done is already done, and nothing is going to erase what's in the can. We can only do things that affect the present and in the future. Obviously, there's a line of which you can't think of things the same way again, but at the same time, a lot of hard-working people put in their soul to create what you love. Can you imagine shuttering away in a vault every single thing that had Harvey Weinstein's name on it? It would deprive such a significant piece of cinema history away that doesn't make any practical sense to punish those who weren't involved. The way we learn and what is a teachable moment is to just speak up while we can and do what we can now because the worst that can happen is nothing is said, and suffering continues.

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