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![]() Buffy s1e3 I don't want to defend Catherine's actions, what she did was wrong and she was deservedly punished for it. I am more interested in whether or not she should be considered as wasting her powers in taking such extreme measures to achieve a goal which, from many perspectives, is relatively trivial. Some initial points:
So we are left with the premise that Catherine cannot be considered wasting her power if she only used proportionately as much as the value she placed on the goal achieved. The real anti-feminist comment in this episode emerges from Catherine's value system, which holds a position that many women consider demeaning in such high regard. That regard is evidenced by the power she uses to attain it for her daughter.
Why is cheerleading held in such low regard? Within the high school society it represents a social pinnacle of sorts, as Cordelia ably demonstrated. The cliché of the quarterback - head cheerleader couple being considered the leaders of their year, holding power not because of the people they are, but because of the power people grant them solely in lieu of their positions, of their ability in other fields. So why is cheerleading looked down on? Boys do better at football, girls do better at cheerleading. Just because the different sexes excel in different areas should the areas in which girls excel be considered less important? Or is it that cheerleaders define themselves by the team, just as wives used to define themselves by their husbands? Or is it that the team is essentially a pro-active organisation, while the cheerleaders' role is essentially supportive? Or is the reason that the girls are so much better than boys because it is done for the appreciation of men hence the costume that, while admittedly being practical for freedom of movement necessary for dancers, is often patently designed with making the occupant more sexually desirable? Ultimately cheerleading can be admired as empowered young women excelling in their chosen field or condemned as girls debasing and prostituting themselves for the titillation of men. Which leads onto a feminist's dilemma:
Where a woman does an act which plays into male-orientated society's prejudice of a woman. It comes down to whether her choice, i.e. her determination of the subjective value, was truly independent of the expectations that society imposes on us. Gee, give us a harder one why don't you. Catherine would not have 'wasted' her powers if she, truly independently, considered her daughter becoming a cheerleader to have sufficient subjective value to warrant their use. However, because the male-orientated society's opinion of cheerleader is low due to the factors mentioned above, the burden is on Catherine to justify her subjective evaluation in an objective fashion rather than on others to condemn it. Which is going to be quite difficult for her given that she's in a trophy case. Go to Masquerade's Your opinion Or you can
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