Editing Joss Whedon (section)

==Early life==
Born on June 23, 1964, in New York City and raised on the [[Upper West Side]] as Joseph{{ref|1|1}} Hill Whedon,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=John |title=Shakespeare gets black and white Californian treatment |url=https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/cinema/84339/shakespeare-gets-black-and-white-californian-treatment.html |access-date=June 17, 2024 |newspaper=[[Henley Standard]] |date=July 15, 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=biography.com>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/joss-whedon-17181746|title=Joss Whedon Biography: Screenwriter (1964–)|publisher=[[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV network)|FYI]] / [[A&E Networks]])|access-date=March 30, 2017|archive-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150509110239/http://www.biography.com/people/joss-whedon-17181746|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="born as jhw">{{cite web|url=http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/004080455.cfm|title=Joss Whedon: A to Z|first=Paul|last=Florez|date=April 2, 2007|publisher=Wizard Entertainment|access-date=May 14, 2015|archive-date=May 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509045317/http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/004080455.cfm|url-status=dead}}</ref> he would later become a third-generation TV writer<ref name="3gTV">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/joss-whedon/|publisher=[[PBS]]|title=Writer-director Joss Whedon|access-date=July 12, 2014|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609133340/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/joss-whedon/|url-status=live}}</ref> as a son of [[Tom Whedon]], a screenwriter for ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' in the 1970s and ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' in the 1980s, and a grandson of [[John Whedon]], who worked on ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' in the 1950s and ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' and ''[[That Girl]]'' in the 1960s, as well as writing for radio shows such as ''[[The Great Gildersleeve]]''.<ref name="NYT-2002">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/magazine/must-see-metaphysics.html|date=September 22, 2002|author=Nussbaum, Emily|title=Must-See Metaphysics|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=April 16, 2012|archive-date=January 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101054228/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/magazine/must-see-metaphysics.html?|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother, Ann Lee (née Jeffries) Stearns, originally from [[Kentucky]], was an activist and a teacher at [[Riverdale Country School]] as Lee Whedon,<ref>''Riverdalian'', (Riverdale Country School, the Bronx, yearbook), 1971, p. 17; and 1972, p. 22</ref><ref name="bookrf1">{{cite book |title=Joss Whedon: The Biography|last=Pascale|first=Amy|date=2014|publisher=Chicago Review Press|pages=9–13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jhECBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|isbn=978-1-61374-104-7|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> in addition to being an aspiring novelist.<ref name="NYT-2002" /> [[Jessica Neuwirth]], a former student of Stearns, has often cited her as her inspiration, describing her as a "visionary feminist".<ref name="Vulture2021">{{cite web |last1=Shapiro |first1=Lila |title=The Undoing of Joss Whedon The Buffy creator, once an icon of Hollywood feminism, is now an outcast accused of misogyny. How did he get here? |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/joss-whedon-allegations.html |website=Vulture |date=January 17, 2022 |publisher=Vox Media Network |access-date=January 17, 2022 |archive-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412004306/https://www.vulture.com/article/joss-whedon-allegations.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His parents both acted,  appearing in a play together at the [[Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club]].<ref name="bookrf1" /> The family would spend vacations reciting Shakespeare.<ref name="Vulture2021" />

Whedon is the younger sibling of Samuel and Matthew Whedon and the older sibling of writers [[Jed Whedon|Jed]] and [[Zack Whedon]].<ref>Rochell D. Thomas. "Is ''Dollhouse'' a family affair?" ''[[TV Guide]]'' March 16, 2009; p. 19</ref> Whedon stated that his parents expected constant creativity from their children and were often verbally [[demeaning]] and gave them the [[silent treatment]] if he and his brothers were not amusing or  entertaining, or if they simply disagreed with them. He stated, however, that he was more afraid of his older brothers who constantly bullied him. At the age of 5, a friend (age 4) [[drowning|died by drowning]] in a pond on the Whedons' [[Upstate New York|upstate]] property. His parents divorced when he was 9. Whedon cited his [[childhood trauma]] as having a direct influence in his relationships, addictions and behaviors into adulthood and has stated that he suffers from [[Complex post-traumatic stress disorder|complex post traumatic stress disorder]].<ref name="Vulture2021" />

At a young age, he showed great interest in British television series shows like ''[[Masterpiece (TV series)|Masterpiece]]'' and comedy group ''[[Monty Python]]''.<ref name="british television">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/02/joss-whedon-reading-comics-pay-off|title=Joss Whedon: 'I kept telling my mum reading comics would pay off'|first=Emma|last=John|date=June 2, 2013|work=[[The Guardian]]|location =UK|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=December 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223120511/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/02/joss-whedon-reading-comics-pay-off|url-status=live}}</ref> 
Whedon attended Riverdale Country School in New York City where his mother taught history.<ref name="ROOKIE">{{cite web|url=http://rookiemag.com/2011/09/higher-learning/|title=Rookie – Higher Learning|date=September 5, 2011|publisher=rookiemag.com|access-date=July 14, 2014|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927184746/http://rookiemag.com/2011/09/higher-learning/|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting at age 15, he spent three years at [[Winchester College]],<ref name="three years">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joss-whedon--and-they-call-it-buffy-love-1687099.html|title=Joss Whedon – And they call it Buffy love|date=May 19, 2009|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=April 27, 2015|archive-date=August 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826213037/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joss-whedon--and-they-call-it-buffy-love-1687099.html|url-status=live|location=London}}</ref> a boarding school in [[England]]. There, taking note of omnipresent bullying, he concluded, "it was clear to me from the start that I must take an active role in my survival".<ref name="ROOKIE" /> Whedon graduated from [[Wesleyan University]] in 1987, where he was awarded an honorary [[Doctor of Letters]] in 2013.<ref name="decades later">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/joss-whedon-commencement_n_3349743.html|title=Joss Whedon Wesleyan Commencement Address: 'You Are All Going To Die' (Video)|date=May 29, 2013|work=HuffPost|access-date=July 13, 2014|archive-date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530122208/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/joss-whedon-commencement_n_3349743.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There, he also studied under renowned academic [[Richard Slotkin]].<ref name="slotkin">{{cite magazine|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/63120/qa-joss-whedon-super-heroes-killing-characters-and-existing-outside-pop-culture|title=Q&A: Joss Whedon on Super Heroes, Killing Characters, and Existing Outside the Pop Culture Mainstream|first=Dana|last=Schwartz|date=April 15, 2015|magazine=Mental Floss|access-date=April 15, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417001411/http://mentalfloss.com/article/63120/qa-joss-whedon-super-heroes-killing-characters-and-existing-outside-pop-culture|archive-date=April 17, 2015}}</ref> It was at Wesleyan he would meet [[Jeanine Basinger]], a [[film scholar]] who became his mentor.<ref name="Vulture2021" /> After leaving Wesleyan, Whedon conceived the first incarnation of [[Buffy Summers]], "Rhonda, the Immortal Waitress".<ref name="The Courant">{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2009/06/02/writer-joss-whedon-speaks-at-wesleyan/|title=Writer Joss Whedon Speaks at Wesleyan|first=Susan|last=Dunne|date=June 2, 2009|publisher=courant.com|access-date=July 14, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153633/http://articles.courant.com/2009-06-02/news/nujavawhedon.art_1_joss-whedon-buffy-tv-character|url-status=live}}</ref>