My five-year-old is on his way to kindergarten this fall, and oh how I worry. He’s small for his age and wicked smart; an easy target for bullies, in other words. In the future, he may even be teased because his parents are queer and nerdy. Now, my son is pretty assertive, and he’s already had practice on the playground dealing with kids who don’t play fair, so I know he’s got some essential skills. But bullying is a serious problem and good role models can be hard to find.
Thank geek-ness for the internet!
Poking around on YouTube yesterday, I found a fantastic new music video that rocked my socks as a geek, a survivor of bullying, and as a mother. I shared “What Would Buffy Do?” by Kristina Horner with my son and it was instantly his new favorite – he must have watched it half a dozen times before bed! And I couldn’t be happier that he’s suddenly a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanboy. We had a nice conversation about standing up for ourselves and others, and saying no to drugs while we were at it. It’s never too early to give kids good ideas, and it really helps when we can reinforce them with positive role models outside ourselves.
I love it! Especially the line, “you’ve got what it takes to beat the uber-suck.”
It’s a great line! I’ve been dancing around the house singing WWBD with my son, and that’s the line we never flub, haha.
Wow, thank you for writing this article. I am the director/producer of the video and it makes me incredibly happy to hear that people are watching and enjoying it. Having dealt with serious bullying in school (it got so bad that I had to change middle schools) I wanted to create something that was entertaining, relevant to a geeky audience, and carried with it a strong positive message about standing up to bullies. Buffy is a great show to look to, as it has a strong female protagonist, and caries with it positive message about being gay which was a very bold stance at the time. It is wonderful to hear that the video is already having a positive impact on those who are watching it. Again, thank you so much for your article.
Hi Forest – I’m happy that my post found its way to you across the web!
You did a great job with the video. I like that it’s enjoyable in layers. Purely from an entertainment perspective, it’s a fun song with a clever video narrative. Its geeky angle stands alone, too, because oh how we fans love a tribute song (for a double-whammy, this one also conjures nostalgia for the BTVS musical episode). And, of course, the social message is strong with this one, without being cloying.
The question is: What will you do for an encore?
Hi, this is a great post! Thanks..