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Date Posted: 15:39:09 10/30/05 Sun
Author: Finn Mac Cool
Subject: Re: But it really isn't
In reply to: Sunshine 's message, "Re: But it really isn't" on 14:35:30 10/27/05 Thu

Thing is, though, when Buffy became the Slayer, she was faced with a situation where she was pretty much the world's only hope. If she doesn't step up into the role of Slayer, no one else can, and a lot of people are gonna die and the world probably destroyed before too long. The new Slayers, however, are probably well informed that there are plenty of other Slayers in the world. I have money I could give to charity but instead decide to spend on myself; I don't feel much guilt about this, however, because (a) it's just how the human mind works to care about yourself first and others second, and (b) I know that if other people in the world were that generous there would be no need for me to give away money, so I start thinking, "why should the responsibility fall on me?" Because there are so many other people in the world with money to give, I quite readily "pass the buck along." When she became the Slayer, there was no one to pass the buck on to; either she saved the world, or no one would. The new Slayers aren't in that sticky situation. With many other Slayers in the world, they don't have to feel so much pressure; they can go about their normal lives without using their Slayer abilities, content in the knowledge that more charitable or heroic people will pick up the slack.

Also, what if Buffy came to each of them and offerd them the choice of becoming Slayers? Wouldn't they then be faced with just as much responsibility? Wouldn't refusing to gain the Slayer power be just as much an abandonment of responsibility as having it but not using it to do good? As soon as you're given a choice, you're given a responsibility.

Now there is the argument about Willow's spell given people like Faith or Dana powers to inflict much more harm, but, the way I look at it, I'm thinking that the number of people in the world who would use Slayer powers to kill people is probably less than the number who would use them to save lives. From what I've read of the Milgram Experiment and similar psychological experiments, people's first instinct is to try to remain uninvolved in matters where other people are in jeopardy, their second instinct is to help people, and hurting people is the third instinct. So, while the Slayer spell might give some immoral or deeply troubled people the ability and/or incentive to do great harm, I think that is more than made up for by those who gain an incentive to do great good.

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