fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #1563 ]

[ SECRET POST #1563 ]

⌈ Secret Post #1563 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 058 secrets from Secret Submission Post #223.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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15. http://oi55.tinypic.com/2eklqmb.jpg

I figure people hate her for the same reason they hate any caricature: they hit too close to home.

her spirit is in the right place, but the execution is sometimes lacking, I have to say. But she's probably my favorite character (if I was forced to pick) Britta <3

I've always liked her. And I like her more since PaleyFest when Gillian said she liked that the girl who was "on a pedestal" at the very beginning of the series has sorta been knocked down several pegs and is allowed to be just as ridiculous and annoying as the others. It's not like "the hot girl and the misfits," they're all weird. I like that.

HOLY SHIT YES

I never thought of that! (plus I've just always loved Britta BUT INDEED YAY)

The annoying part of Britta's "PC-ness" isn't that she makes a point to not treat people like shit; the annoying part is the smug self-congratulation that all too often goes along with it (for instance, being a bit of a snide ass about how ~open-minded~ she was in the Season 2 Valentine's Day episode).

Yeah, that's the real problem. I don't think she does it to be kind to people, she does it to prove herself right and push her views on other people.

I still like her as a character, but it makes sense why other characters would be irritated by her as much as they'd be irritated by, say, Shirley preaching her religion. (Actually, sometimes Shirley seems more willing to listen to others than Britta is...)

I don't think she does it to be kind to people, she does it to prove herself right and push her views on other people.
This, SFM. And one of the reasons I dislike her so much is because in this regard she is so much like the typically PC people in fandom, who also often seem more interested in making themselves look good (tolerant, open-minded, concerned about others) than in actually helping other people. And since these people piss me off in fandom, someone like Britta also pisses me off on screen.

Yeah, that's the real problem. I don't think she does it to be kind to people, she does it to prove herself right and push her views on other people.

there's been several plotlines though where it's shown that she actually does have a sincere desire to be a good person

"I don't think she does it to be kind to people, she does it to prove herself right and push her views on other people."

She does enjoy being right and thinking of herself as openminded. Hell, who doesn't? Yes, it motivates some of her actions.
As for pushing her views on other people, wow, if she thinks something is wrong and she cares about it, of course she'd want other people to think so too, you know, like any other human on the planet.

I don't think those are her primary motives for what she does. I think it's been shown that she does genuinely care about people and the various issues she talks about. For example, she seemed genuinely shaken up by the gnom's? (Abad's oppressed character) situation in the D&D game they played (yes, even that example was making fun of her a bit, but the point was that she can't help caring about everything, even when she knows it's stupid/nonsensical/whatever).

That's what makes her realistic, she's can be hypocritical like many people are and she learns from it.

Heh, I know when I do something good I like to congratulate myself. We're only human. Of course, she gets to effing annoying extremes, like in the Valentine's Ep, but that's what happens in comedies - people's characteristics are exaggerated. (Plus, it was hilarious.)

This. Plus I think Britta is one of those, "Oh I'm so PC so it's okay if I treat people in my everyday life like shit" types.

PC-ness is great it's just when she gets smug or doesn't treat her friends the way she should is when she's not really a shining beacon of humanity.

But her being shown as imperfect made me like her more anyway.

I agree, but it's not like this isn't an issue that gets a lot of attention in Britta specific storylines. Even in the ~open-minded~ episode, a lot of it was showing how Britta can get ridiculous in her attempts at being... well Britta. But by the end of the episode it showed the difference in motivation, because Britta had actually liked the girl she thought was a lesbian and was hanging out with her because she thought she was cool (and abusing what she thought was the added privilege of having a lesbian firend), whereas Paige (I think that was her name) didn't even like Britta but was only using her for the cool factor of being ~open-minded~.

I think it's differences like that that make Britta a very well-rounded, flawed, but likable character. She's trying.

The only thing I hate is the way she treats Abed. I know she wants to be sensitive, but she still hasn't realized that extremely to the nth degree quirky doesn't mean stupid. He's not mentally deficient. I'm not sure her infantilization of him can be explained simply by PCness either. It's irritating.

ugh, please give specific examples so i can tell you why you're wrong.

It's kinda like every time she tries to have a ~serious discussion with him. The ep where Britta and Jeff act like Abed's Mom and Dad. The Christmas episode, the Dungeons and Dragons episode with his elf. Every time he does anything remotely weird and she responds.

i don't really get it either. i think that try-hardness about her is what makes her so endearing. i loved her plotline in the documentary episode where she finds out that she really would put her money where her mouth is.

Pretty sure she found out in the documentary episode that she wouldn't really put her money where her mouth is. Didn't she say directly to the camera that, had the camera not been there she would have taken that money for herself?

(no subject)

siriuslynow.livejournal.com - 2011-04-14 22:58 (UTC) - Expand

I feel like the show went overboard in the "Everyone in-universe hates Britta." At first it worked because it turned audience sympathy towards her, when initially a lot of critics complained about the character. But now it's just too much, and too sad. Hypocrisy is Britta's fatal flaw, but she's also a lot more than that. I think the character really worked in season one, especially as a foil to Jeff. Britta was the person who wanted to be everyone's hero, but she just didn't have the skills to do so. Jeff definitely didn't want to be anybody's hero, but deep down he's the only one with the skills to do so.

I think when they moved away from the repetitive Jeff Saves the Day plots, they weren't quite sure what to do with Britta afterward.

That said, Britta actually sucks at PC-ness. Saying, "Yeah I'm a woman, and you can see my whole face!" to Abed's dad? Yikes to the thousandth power.

I don't feel strongly about her, but the reason that they make fun of her for being so PC is that it's largely hypocritical. Which I actually like because it's really realistic.

I think she's as flawed as the rest of the group (except maybe Pierce who belongs in his own category), but I find that she gets her flaws pointed out a lot more often than the rest of them and people rarely talk about her good points.

It's like whenever someone brings up how she treats Abed with kid-gloves, no one ever mentions that without Britta, it's doubtful any of the group would have even said two words to Abed. Britta invited Abed to the study group and gave him the same consideration as everyone else, while everyone else was dismissing him as the weird kid.

Except I seem to recall (and Wikipedia backs me up on this) that Jeff invited Britta, Britta invited Abed, and then Abed invited everyone else. It seems more in realistic to say that the others wouldn't have even said two words to Jeff or Britta if it weren't for Abed.

I used to dislike Britta until i realized she reminded me of myself.
The hate she gets is insane tho.

I don't understand hating Britta, but then I just love everyone in the group (except Pierce, and Jeff sometimes) so, yeah, probably I'm not the person to ask. XD

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