~~ eventually i -have- to run out of steam. i believe that.

I wonder how that works. I mean... selfishness. Arrogance. Self-centeredness. Pride. Over-confidence. Control, domination, etc.

These are all part of the same package, aren't they?

I've been thinking about what nothingbutfic said about post-S5 Buffy's selfishness, especially reading `Bachelor Party' (yep, that's a rec). I mean, the "All About Buffy" syndrome... her arrogance and selfishness, and why that doesn't really bother me. Then again, most people's flaws don't really bother me in theory. Unless they're pompous. That tends to piss me off.

But anyway. It's like... people equate goodness with selflessness, right? But... shouldn't it be more complicated than that? Isn't everyone selfish to some degree, and to different degrees at different times in their life? People call OoTP Harry selfish too. We want our heroes to be... normal, right. Down to earth, anyway, where the power doesn't go to their heads. We want to elevate them but keep them with us at the same time, so that we can identify with them, right?

It's weird how mean people are to each other about the whole selfishness thing-- they tend to accuse each other of it as a last resort, almost like there are few things worse to call someone. I mean, it sort of follows that a selfish, arrogant person can't really -love- because they're... trapped in their heads, maybe?

( So I guess this is my non-apologist take on these people, mostly talking about post-S5 Buffy and Brian. )