Buffyverse Meta Essay -- Questions List

[dlgood]

Have signed up to contribute an Essay for buffyversemeta - planned date July 11 - and am looking to tackle the following topic:

The Initiative, logical answer to the Demon world? Does the Buffyverse still need such an organization even now?

So I figure - as an added feature of my journaling experience - that I'd crack this open a little and give a small glimpse of my process. And for me, if I actually take time to write something rather than just wrenching out of my rear, the #1 step is the Question List.

As most of you might guess - given my professional and academic background - my initial inclination is to say that something resembling the Initiative would certainly be needed in a world where demons exist. But we're working with a question that can either be broad or specific...

So let's look at the topic, and see what issues are springing to mind, to see what I might want to investigate.

1. Roles of a "Government Demon Research Initiative" - what are differences between the Initiative as revealed on the show vs. Initiative-type organizations on a conceptual level?


2. Failures of Shown Inititive - how much was Institutional Bureaucracy and how much was Institutional Mission/Vision?


3. An otherwise normal world, where demons & magic secretly exist. What does that mean for 'normal' society?


4. Where are the intersections between the world of demons and the official world? (Citizens, Civil Institutions, Military, NGOs)


5. Issues of scale - how we treat this at varying levels of social organization (Local / State / International)


6. What are my Paradigms? (Public Safety / Homeland Defense / National Security)


7. What are relevant Organizational Models & Mission Areas? (Neighborhood Watch, FBI, Navy SEALS, Interpol, NATO, etc...)


8. Building an Initiative: What's my Mission & Vision?


9. Who are my Constituencies & Stakeholders?


10. What is the role of Transparency & Accountability?


11. What is my funding mechanism? Budget? Oversight?


12. What resources do I need? How am I going to staff such an agency?


13. How do we maintain relations with existing actors within this shadow community?


14. What are my metrics? How do we measure success/failure? What is our improvement process?


15. What are the likely costs and benefits? Can it be made to work?

I could pretty easily bite off enough to write a GVPT401 Term Paper, so I'll probably have to scale this back quite a lot. But, off the top of my head, anyway, this is a starting point for issues of concern.

It's both a theoretical and concrete matter.

In a world with long-time secret demons and magic, it is tempting to default to the position that this works for society. And that a secret world requires a secret response. There are three primary tensions that leap out at me, though:

1. For the general population, Ignorance is not always a viable protection from predators existing in the secret world.


2. Defenders operating in the secret world may ultimately identify more as part of the secret world and consider their status paramount over the condition of the general population.

Generally speaking, open governments with substantial checks and oversight serve the public far more effectively than highly secretive, unchecked governments run by unaccountable political leaders. The Founders of the American republic well understood that transparency would be critical for detecting errors, uncovering corruption, and ensuring accountability, while political leaders who operate in the dark, wielding vast powers with little oversight, virtually always conceal their mistakes and act to maximize their own interests rather than the country's.

And the fundamental case of taking a "Yes More Government" position is that we are using collective public interest as a baseline. Which may well be harder to do in the aftermath of Katrina, but I guess that'll just mean more fun for me working out this case...

Comments

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

Wow, dude... I don't even understand the questions -- but that's why you're the expert, huh? *G*

I'm emotion girl, and my first question in considering the subject was: is progress always of the good? In season four, we were looking at magick vs. technology, but it can go even deeper than that philosophically. Tradition vs. progress or the like.

Could the world "use" a project like the Initiative (if it worked on paper as opposed to the way it failed in "real life")? In theory, sure. But "need"? Since demons don't seem to evolve technologically as quickly as humans, it seems that the old tried and true methods (with some technical improvements, ala the rocket launcher in Innocence) still work, especially now that there is a veritable army of Old School Slayers with improvements.

But it looks like you're going to address some of these issues in your own way. I'll be waiting to read with OED in hand! *G*

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

But "need"? Since demons don't seem to evolve technologically as quickly as humans, it seems that the old tried and true methods (with some technical improvements, ala the rocket launcher in Innocence) still work, especially now that there is a veritable army of Old School Slayers with improvements.

I can understand that. But my issue really isn't a case of Technology vs. Magic or Tradition vs. Project. It's more an issue of citizenship and constituencies.

The Slayer and the Council of Watchers, are non-state actors. Basically, at best, a benevolent private army with a charitable mission. Which is nice. But they also have no legal sanction or statutory responsibility...

which can be quite disconcerting and problematic from a community-wide perspective. Government, in theory, is legally established to serve you. NGOs are doing you a favor.

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

Ah! I see where you're going now. From a conspiracy theory point of view -- whose to say that just because the army is legally sanctioned and responsibile to the community at large... doesn't mean they're necessarily protecting anyone's interest but the PTB's (the earthly kind, not the others. *G*).

But that's not what you're asking, is it? Just ignore me. Carry on.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

From a conspiracy theory point of view -- whose to say that just because the army is legally sanctioned and responsibile to the community at large... doesn't mean they're necessarily protecting anyone's interest

Perhaps. But that's no less true of the situation without the Initiative.

In general, one could expect an organization drawn more evenly from the general population, reliant upon the community for it's budget, would be more accountable.

The 'legally sanctioned' works in two ways. Viewed without conspiracy worries, in best cases a non-state actor, like Buffy, risks getting arrested in the course of action - most obviously in the case of trespassing. Whereas, a policeman can get a warrant.

Also, a policeman is generally going to at least be credibly outfitted and supplied. While I can't discount the possibility that super-budget-immunity is a possible slayer power, your slayer might not always be conveniently equipped.

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

So you're looking at Buffy et al as vigilantes, right?

While I can't discount the possibility that super-budget-immunity is a possible slayer power, your slayer might not always be conveniently equipped.

Hee. That would be a really convenient superpower.

Vigilantes?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Their core mission functions (essentially boiled down to military/policing/pest extermination) are conducted beyond any recognized bounds of civilian oversight, support, or involvement.

So yeah, they're vigilantes. That doesn't make them bad people, but it's very problematic if you're just some random civilian. (for a whole host of reasons that I'll get into in the big piece)

Re: Vigilantes?

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to read what you come up with! :)

Re: Vigilantes?

[lettered.livejournal.com]

Are you going to address how an organization might deal/interact with someone like Buffy, Slayers, the Council, et al?

Re: Vigilantes?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's covered under:

9. Who are my Constituencies & Stakeholders?
13. How do we maintain relations with existing actors within this shadow community?

Re: Vigilantes?

[lettered.livejournal.com]

Oh! I completely forgot 13 by the time I read all these comments. Oops.

Also. Stakeholders. *snorfle*

I'm really interested to see what you come up with.

Re: Vigilantes?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I've loved the stakeholder pun.

I should remind you that S4 & the Initiative arc first aired back when I was in grad school taking my Public Management course. If we had played a "every time you run across the phrase 'involve key stakeholders' in class readings" drinking game we would have been far to wasted to graduate.

Re: Vigilantes?

[lettered.livejournal.com]

HA, that's brilliant.

I wasn't sure what you meant at first by 9; I'm afraid a lot of your list deals with jargon used in ways I'm not familiar with. Probably because my drinking games all involved "authorial intent" and "the persistence of phallic imagery"; otherwise I'm ignorant.

Re: Vigilantes?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

We had authorial intent, although we used "intent of the framers" instead.

I'm going to have to look out for jargon. Feel free to ask questions if I use language in ways you find confusing.

Re: Vigilantes?

[lettered.livejournal.com]

Okay. But most of this kinda stuff becomes accessible once one actually starts talking about it. For instance, I didn't get what you meant by "Transparency", and then I read the comments and went, oh, duh. I tend to be slow on the uptake, anyway.

[http://users.livejournal.com/peasant_/]

The Slayer and the Council of Watchers, are non-state actors. Basically, at best, a benevolent private army with a charitable mission. Which is nice. But they also have no legal sanction or statutory responsibility...

I am no apologist for the COW, but I do wonder if they had some sort of legal status from the Crown and hence the UK government - a couple of things that Wes says in S3 sound very formal. And it seems unlikely that a long established British based organisation would not have sought Royal approval at some point. Apart from anything else, until a few hundred years ago they would have been very illegal and the members liable to some extremely brutal punishments if they were caught assembling without authority.

Of course the difference is subtle these days but still important in that British institutions of government evolved to serve the Crown, not the people. They are Her Majesty's servants, not public servants.

(And this makes me wonder about the fate of Ethan Rayne, a UK citizen who was held without trial by an US NGO.)

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I do wonder if they had some sort of legal status from the Crown and hence the UK government - a couple of things that Wes says in S3 sound very formal. And it seems unlikely that a long established British based organisation would not have sought Royal approval at some point.

I've wondered about this too. The Council is also interesting to me in that it seemed (to me anyway) to be an essentially British organization rather than a transnational one. The relationship (presumably more toward the Crown than the Parliament) would be an interesting one.

And this makes me wonder about the fate of Ethan Rayne, a UK citizen who was held without trial by an US NGO

It was my understanding that, last we saw, he was detained by the Initiative - which was a Federal Agency. I would not be surprised if he were already not on some Terrorist Watch (in multiple countries) list or another given his Chaos-worshipping proclivities...

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

Now that's an interesting point I never really thought of. But since the COW no longer exists, we're left with whatever organization Giles, Buffy and the Scoobs have pasted together with the NuSlayers.

Dave, are you looking at this question as it might have stood through the series on TV, or as it stands now? And are you including the new "Comics Canon," because the question is directly relevant there.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

My inclination is to look at what we saw of the initiative and use that as a jump-off point to examine what sort of institution I'd build in the wake of Chosen/NFA.

I'm not going to use the Comics. I haven't been reading them, and I'd prefer to stick with what was closed out on TV.

[theantijoss.livejournal.com]

I concur. Please carry on. ;)

[lettered.livejournal.com]

Kinda Torchwoody.

Or Illuminati. -y. I mean, although the Council is British based, the idea is that there were Watchers before there was a Britain. I wonder if the Council is actually more like a branch. Though it's made to look like the head I suppose it's possible that there are Watchers elsewhere governed by different rules. Anyway that's really neither here nor there.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can't wait to read this. *beams*

[fresne.livejournal.com]

"1. For the general population, Ignorance is not always a viable protection from predators existing in the secret world."

Something I've been thinking about more and more as we approach the later seasons of Stargate.

and certainly,
"Where are the intersections between the world of demons and the official world? (Citizens, Civil Institutions, Military, NGOs)"

Is something I find fascinating when fiction approaches the issue of Other and yet citizen. In the otherwise fluffy, "Kitty goes to Washington" a werewolf is called before a Congressional fact finding committee, and ultimately makes my favorite comment of the book. To wit, she may be a werewolf, but this does not obviate her citizenship. How Buffy's citizenship, how Darla's (okay, she's pre-citizenship, but you know, insert American vampire/demon here) can/should affect an Initiative like organization's interaction with them is an interesting question.

I look forward to reading what you write up.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

a werewolf is called before a Congressional fact finding committee, and ultimately makes my favorite comment of the book. To wit, she may be a werewolf, but this does not obviate her citizenship

That's certainly in play. Not that it was made directly in the scenes with Riley & Oz - but it's an issue.

[bastardsnow.livejournal.com]

You've read Kitty Goes to Washington? That makes you the 2nd person, not including me, that I'm aware of!

Sorry, had to comment on that. A coworker of mine is actually in the dedications in the 3rd book, which is how I came across it. Anyway... that's me being a big nerd. I'll go now.

[fresne.livejournal.com]

Indeed I have. Fun book(s). And psst... there is at least one other.

[bastardsnow.livejournal.com]

This sounds fascinating. I don't understand most of it, but I'll be interested to read. Will there be a 'for dumb people' version, without all your big fancy words?


And how's the stadium coming?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I'll try to shoot for some accessibility, and go back and do some de-jargoning if it looks overmuch. Otherwise, feel free to ask questions.

As for the stadium, haven't been outside the site recently. It looks like it's coming along from the window, though...

[http://users.livejournal.com/peasant_/]

I find your thought patterns and the general ethics of those working in the US civil service that they reveal, enormously reassuring!

[lakrids404.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to your paper.
Some stray thoughts about the secrecy. It seems to be something of and semi open secrecy BtVS, that there are a supernatural world. So people who are persistent could probably find evidence of the supernatural. The question I ask then is; why have the supernatural not become fully evident for most/all people?, with all the recording and information sharing technology in todays world. The reasons for that could be
1. Powerful agencies keeps a lid on the information’s and discredit the information that comes through. The reasons for this could be from good to bad. Bad in the case in the case that said agencies, wants to act with out any control or oversight. Good could be because, that there were made a cost benefit analysis, that humanity at large is better of not knowing about the supernatural world.
2. Humanity as specie have some perception filter, that makes humans discard information’s of the supernatural world.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I have to be careful about that, because 'secrecy of the demon world in modern times' is a huge issue and really an essay topic unto itself...

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

On re-reading this...
1. Agencies the Council of Watchers certainly would have tried, the Initiative Tried, Buffy and her friends also try to keep a lid on it. Even though a Google Search apparently yields a treasure trove of dark supernatural secrets on the first page...

2. Whedon has repeatedly used the Human veil of ignorance to answer that question. That most people never notice...