Um, I'm a black man who (quite often) leaves his community to fight the good fight with a handful of white folks. And guess what? I don't feel homesick or conflicted about who I am or what I'm doing, as I am an individual first and black second.

I suggest you check yourself before you decide who's an "Oreo."

-- Stacey Lester

The world of sci-fi/fantasy is not the most culturally diverse. Yes, aliens and fairies abound, but black folks are rarer than enchanted gemstones. When you do run into the occasional black person she is usually more a caricature than a character. A white person's idea of what a black person should be like -- an idea based mostly on videos from MTV and BET. Mutant Enemy has been no exception. The audience for the genres tend to be as white as the worlds they portray. (Coincidence?) As such, the few black people who are into sci-fi and fantasy quickly learn to be very comfortable being the only black person in the room. Which is why, for most of us, Gunn's relatively easy adaptation to the world he has chosen is more real than any amount of teeth gnashing angst.

-- Wahrena Pfeister

I was completely disgusted by the article on "Angel" in which the author called the black character an "Oreo." Because he has black skin and now practices law, that makes him an Oreo? To have education is to be an Oreo? To move out of your old neighborhood and move on to bigger things is to be an Oreo? Come off it, this is utterly disgusting condescending racist bullshit. While this attitude is typical of many liberal do-gooders, I am still amazed and outraged that such things would ever be thought, let alone published.

-- Brett Verona

In Laura Miller's article "Methadone for 'Buffy' Addicts," she asks: "Gunn's situation -- a black man who left the community he grew up in and defended with his life to fight the 'bigger' good fight with a handful of white folks -- just naturally generates the kind of internal quandaries that make Whedon's characters' travails so fascinating. Doesn't Gunn ever feel a twinge of homesickness, of identity confusion, of racial alienation?"

Miller should be pleased once the Season 3 box set is released in February, as she will then be able to view episode 3.03, "That Old Gang of Mine," which deals with all of these issues. Granted, that was two seasons ago. Perhaps Joss Whedon felt that one full episode was as much as he wanted to devote to these questions, or perhaps he felt that the issue was sufficiently dealt with, and now wants to take Gunn's character in different directions.

Or perhaps these issues are in fact ongoing. Gunn's current character arc flows directly from his growing dissatisfaction with his role in the group, which was repeatedly touched on last season. That the one character who feels like his mental contributions are being undervalued happens to be the only black character on the show is probably not an accident. Though it is almost never addressed explicitly (which is probably a good thing), there is little question in my mind that the theme of racial tension underlies all of the decisions Joss makes for Gunn's character.

-- Michael Gentry

Being a huge "Buffy" fan, I was excited to read Laura Miller's piece on Spike's new life in the series "Angel." But this quickly soured when I read her critique of the characters, and she described the character Gunn as an "Oreo."

It is offensive that the character doesn't meet Miller's standard of "blackness," whatever that is.

It is offensive that she suggests that an African-American must feel a sense of alienation when constantly hanging out with a bunch of white folks. Never mind the fact that there are also assorted demons, ghosts, vamps and green folks in the picture.

But most of all, it is offensive because she uses such a flippant racial term so casually, one often used with malice to describe African-Americans who aren't "street" enough for ignorant people like Miller. Whether Miller is white or black, it is offensive.

As a reference point, my former university dean essentially lost his job over using the exact same derisive term after being overheard at a school function.

I rarely get offended, but I am shocked that this would enter into and be tolerated in Salon's vocabulary. When political commentary enters into your entertainment section it can be frustrating. But commentary with racially offensive overtones is extremely disappointing.

-- Bill Ardolino

I was appalled by Laura Miller's article for many reasons, but what angered me the most was her preference for Season 4 Spike. Yes, Spike was entertaining as the Fonzie character in Season 4, but his evolution in Seasons 5, 6 and 7 made him one of the most compelling figures on TV. The fact that Miller can't see this makes me believe she missed most of Joss Whedon's deep metaphors peppered throughout the years and just enjoyed the show at its most shallow and accessible level.

By the end of Season 7, Spike's character growth had far outstripped Angel's and the Buffy/Spike story was far more complex and multileveled than the high-school romance of Buffy and Angel, which was the stuff of typical teen dramas we see every night on the WB.

-- Lee Wood

OK, first off, as a black woman that has heard all of the racism possible in my short life -- I have to say I am offended by this. The message I'm getting from this is that black inherently equals an absence of intelligence. I get what Laura Miller is saying, that Joss Whedon should have used this opportunity to show the isolation that Gunn would feel as a black man, the problems that he has now with alienation from his race -- all issues that should have been dealt with -- but to say that he is an "Oreo" is just piss crap.

I have heard too often in my lifetime that I "don't act black enough," that I "act white" and these are the most racist, ignorant things that anyone can ever tell you. Basically, this means that blackness means stupidity, ignorance and hostility against whites. That is not what blackness is about, and I hope that someday Miller understands that what she wrote was not only wrong but a reinforcement of negative stereotypes.

I think that Whedon has failed Gunn as a character. There were plenty of social issues that could have been tackled with him instead of forcing him into the background. I always thought that Gunn thinking of himself as the "muscle" was just a shadow of his feelings of inferiority. It is difficult to be a minority, especially a black minority, in an environment where you don't see anyone else from your race. You can feel isolated when you don't have the liberty to indulge in your culture, to talk about the things that are deemed inappropriate to talk about. But you adjust, you learn from other cultures, and through contact you learn respect. I think we needed to see Gunn's journey toward this kind of respect and the struggles he had with this. But would I call Gunn an Oreo? No, because that's just plain racist.

-- Vedonia Ingram

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