"With great power comes great responsibility." – Ben Parker "SPIDER-MAN")
"You should know that I personally consider any form of military conscription to be a violation of basic human rights, no matter whether the cause is a "righteous" one или not – it’s still coercion. The intended cannot freely choose to serve. Buffy has already been drafted against her will, when she was "called". – "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" Фан (All Things Philosophical About 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Site)
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What is it about humans that they demand that Герои - fictional или otherwise - sacrifice themselves so willingly for the sake of society? Humans especially seem enamored of fictional characters with special abilities – whether they are comic book Герои или those with a Сверхъестественное slant – coming to the rescue of society, especially humans, at the expense of their own personal lives. Is the idea of someone еще powerful или special coming to our rescue all the time еще appealing . . . instead of learning how to help ourselves?
This belief или idea seemed to originate from the world of comic book heroes. And no quote has ever personify this belief than the famous one from the "SPIDER-MAN" comic book franchise. Before his untimely death at the hands of a robber/thief, Ben Parker spoke these words to his radio-active nephew, Peter Parker - ”With great power comes great responsibility”. Not only did these words lead Peter down a path as comic book hero, Spider-Man. But this idea that great powers is a precedent as a protector/savior of the public at large has become even еще apparent in successful Телевидение series like "CHARMED"
When I had first began watching "CHARMED", I found the series about a trio of magical sisters battling Сверхъестественное evil on a weekly basis rather appealing. I had never questioned the series’ premise about the Halliwell sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) having no choice but to face Сверхъестественное evil in order to protect the "innocents". Like many other viewers, I had felt it was their duty. But over the years, my Просмотры changed. I still managed to enjoy the series’ early seasons, because I like the chemistry between the three leads, some of the stories and actor T.W. King as Prue’s Любовь interest, Andy Trudeau. But I had hoped that the Показать would evolve beyond the simply morality of that first season. Unfortunately, my hope failed to materialize in the series’ following seven seasons.
I realized that one of the series’ problems for me was the concept that the Halliwell sisters had been born as witches. Thinking about it years later, it struck me that this concept smacked of the old 1964-72 sitcom, "BEWITCHED", starring Elizabeth Montgomery. If Constance Burge, the creator of "CHARMED", had been that serious about Показ the Wicca aspects of being a witch on the series, why did she even bother to include the ludicrous idea that one is born as a witch? Wiccans do not believe in one being born as a witch. The Season 4 episode, "Lost and Bound" went out of its way to express contempt at the old Elizabeth Montgomery series. If that was how Brad Kern (who had replaced Burge as the series’ main producer) felt about it, why continue the belief that witches are born, due to possessing magical and psychic abilities? Why did Burge add that aspect to the series in the first place? Then it occurred to me. Burge, Kern and their writers used this concept as an excuse for the Halliwells to be obligated to "fight evil and protect innocents" – regardless of whether they wanted to или not.
Not only did Burge, and later Kern, used the idea of bloodline as an excuse for the Halliwells being fated to act as Сверхъестественное protectors, but also the family’s Book of Shadows. This object not only contained spells, potions and lists of Сверхъестественное beings within it, the Book also included an entry that instructed the Halliwells’ duties as witches. Because of this, I realized that nothing could be done about the whole concept of the Halliwells being born witches by Season 4. But I had hoped that the series would grow еще complex and that the sisters would realize that they were not obligated to fight demons, warlocks, etc., beyond that point. In other words, I hoped the Halliwells woud not continue to be obligated to act like a bunch of glorified demon hunters. Unfortunately, the Показать had failed to evolve beyond that mindset.
Frankly, I believe that no one should be "obligated" to get involved in such a dangerous lifestyle in the first place. Even police officers are not obligated. The reason cops have this "duty" to protect innocents, (etc.) is because they had MADE THE CHOICE to pursue that profession. They were not obligated to do so, because they were born with special powers или whatever. And even if they had been born with special powers, I still believe that fighting crime или confronting some form of dangerous evil should be A CHOICE on their part, not an obligation. Unfortunately Burge, Kern and their writers never considered this.
For example, I and many other Фаны used to complain about Phoebe Halliwell или Piper Halliwell’s occasional to put their personal desires over their duties as witches. Now that my philosophy on the matter has changed, I no longer see anything wrong with Phoebe или Piper putting their desires above their so-called duties as Зачарованные Ones. None of the sisters should have NEVER been duty-bound to being a witch in the first place. The whitelighters, who act as the "guardian angels" of all witches, seemed to have this mentality that they have every right to coerce witches to act as their personal foot soldiers against Сверхъестественное evil. Quite frankly, I found that tasteless. In the Season 4 finale, "Witch Way Now?", the Энджел of Destiny offered the sisters (which include half-sister Paige Matthews, who had replaced the dead Prue) the chance to give up their magical powers and lives as Сверхъестественное crime fighters as a reward for vanquishing the вверх demon – the Source. Frankly, I do not believe that the sisters had to wait for the Энджел of Destiny to make that offer to them. They could have made that choice on their own. As far as I am concerned, they should have made that choice. It is one thing to "fight evil" for self-defense или if someone they cared about was in trouble. It is another to do so because it is supposed to be a duty.
As I had stated earlier, "CHARMED" was an entertaining series at times. But the еще I contemplate about its concept, characters and stories, the еще I dislike the idea of people being "born" as witches. And I hate the idea that a witch is DUTY BOUND to hunt down demons, warlocks for the sake of society and at the detriment of one’s own life. Constance Burge and Brad Kern might as well have claimed that they do not believe in free will. Because it seemed quite obvious that they did not . . . judging by this series.
