While browsing the site of Flow TV, I came across the article Becoming the Other: Multiculturalism in Joss Whedon's Angel, by Jane Stadler. I found this article particularly interesting because I felt it could be best translated for classroom use. I think about all of the multicultural literature that we teach, but never thought of using science fiction series to teach important issues such as immigration and race. This show could be used with my novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. In this novel, the society is controlled by a person called The Giver. No one in the community is allowed to think for themselves, no one is allowed to choose their profession, what they eat, or even feel emotions. Everyone is treated the same. They believe that sameness is so important in order to protect their people that they even look alike in appearance. Students could look at ways by which the characters in the show Angel are different and critique how they are treated the same or different based on their appearance. Once they have had time to critique and compare the Giver's world to the characters in Angel they would have to explain which world is better and why in a five paragraph essay.
Another part of Stadler's criticism that I found interesting is that the characters in Angel seem to be two-dimensional in the sense that characters seem to possess both good and evil traits and it is their struggle in controlling the two that makes the characters both dynamic and intriguing. Although we are all human and possess the ability to be both good and evil, science fiction seems to make these attributes more physically visible. Jane Stadler further argues that "Whedon's cult status suggests that characters and conflicts represented in his work tap into widespread concerns and warrant scrutiny. Examining how ideological messages about race, culture, and power are communicated through the interplay of heroism and villainy, she argues that the show Angel can be interpreted as a critique of this fear of foreigners" (Stadler, page 1). If you can then hook the viewers into the show by making the characters both vulnerable and heroic and then teach a message to them on the underlying conflicts in our world, you have a successful show. Therefore, it would be a media of high interest to students and another creative way to get your curriculum across to your students.
In other shows, they seem to tackle race and looks specifically at "white anxiety" in association with unwelcome foreigners. These foreigners are looked at directly as a threat that needs to be taken down in order to preserve their way of living. These episodes in general would be a great place for students to look at our current issues in regards to immigration and compare and contrast the views on the show to people's view of immigration in society. You could have students look at people who are both pro-immigration and anti-immigration and compare/contrast their different points of view. They could then have a formal debate where they would need to persuade the class to their side. They would need to do research, create an outline, use note-cards, and include one visual aid.
Interestingly enough, one way the show Angel undermines negative stereotypes, according to Stadler, is through casting people of color in central roles (Stadler, page 1). One demon character, Doyle, is actually protected in the show by fascist soldier demons who attempt genocide to ensure a pure bloodline. This episode in general would be great to have students look at in comparison to the unit I teach on genocide in the Holocaust. What role does the demon character play that would be comparable in Nazi controlled Europe? How do you think Doyle feels having to be in fear of his life and those like him just because of the way he looks? How could we re-write this episode with Doyle being the lead character? How can we re-write history to portray a more democratic and unified nation that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, etc? I think after reading this critique, I will definitely explore the science-fiction series such as Angel, Star Wars, Buffy, Star Trek and others to help teach critical themes in the classroom.
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