I wouldn't say "on my terms," since that wasn't what I was trying to say, but it is true to some extent. However, if that's the assumption you're going to make, then why bother engaging detractors in a debate about Spike's motivation at all? If there is no selfless motivation, then it doesn't matter whether Spike's motive was love, or trying to make himself feel better, or even to get in Buffy's pants (which, I'll agree, doesn't make sense), because the result is still the same.
However, I would say that motivation does matter. Even if nothing is purely selfless, there are good motives and bad motives, as you illustrated with your examples. And I think without the good motive to balance out the bad one, it's hard to see something as a good deed, even if the result is a positive one.
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Date: 2009-01-26 11:53 pm (UTC)I wouldn't say "on my terms," since that wasn't what I was trying to say, but it is true to some extent. However, if that's the assumption you're going to make, then why bother engaging detractors in a debate about Spike's motivation at all? If there is no selfless motivation, then it doesn't matter whether Spike's motive was love, or trying to make himself feel better, or even to get in Buffy's pants (which, I'll agree, doesn't make sense), because the result is still the same.
However, I would say that motivation does matter. Even if nothing is purely selfless, there are good motives and bad motives, as you illustrated with your examples. And I think without the good motive to balance out the bad one, it's hard to see something as a good deed, even if the result is a positive one.