The Slayer must work in secret, Kendra tells us, yet she confides in Buffy later on, saying that she was 'given' to her Watcher by her parents. Obviously, in cultures where vampires and other magicks are recognised as a genuine threat, they can announce that a girl is a Slayer hopeful and take her away to train her. In 'our' society, though, a concept such as magic would not be accepted (behold the denial in Sunnydale). So, secrecy is a must.

If the secret of the Slayer was unleashed on an unsuspecting (or denial-ridden) town like Sunnydale, chaos would be the result. The forming of MOO (an unfortunate acronym - Mothers Opposed to the Occult) by concerned parents is ostensibly to protect the Sunnydale children from otherworldly forces and their destructive influences. In reality, this quickly turns into a witch-hunt (quite literally, as poor Amy is forced to turn herself into a rat to escaoe the mob - and can't turn herself back) that threatens to destroy the very foundations of the town. For people who have grown up with a concrete 'reality', the concept of magic and a black and white good and evil is too foreign to understand. One *does* wonder, though, what would happen if the concept of The Slayer was accepted - and Buffy 'got funding', as Spike so succintly put it. After all, vampires are at a definite disadvantage - they can't operate out in daylight or on 'holy ground' like churches (although some eventually overcome their fear). Crosses, holy water, fire.... all ways in which to disable an opponent from a distance. And, apart from Spike and a few others who are obviously smarter than the rest (e.g. Darla), vamps don't carry guns. They prefer to fight as a predator would - with their bare hands. They could be taken out in droves by a well-armed military unit - like The Initiative.

In Season 4 Buffy's 'secret' gets out, and we find another reason why The Watchers' Council normally inisists on secrecy. Initially, Buffy works well with The Initiative - it seems like a match made in heaven. Government backing and resources and Buffy's knowledge of demons and her fighting abilities would seem to spell 'hell' for the demons. But pretty soon, things turned sour. The government wasn't interested in maintaining a mythical balance between good and evil, but in creating better soldiers - soldiers like ADAM. When the Slayer began to present a problem - she knew too much and wasn't interested in assisting with government research - she was targeted for 'elimination'.

In other words - politicians, military tacticians and anyone else who has a fair amount of power should *not* be trusted. And it's not a good idea to reveal your secret identity to your boyfriend if he's associated with a group of commandos you know nothing about (except that they de-fanged the luscious Spike. Buffy, how *could* you!). However, if your highschool friends express an interest in your extra-curricular activities, welcome them with open arms. They'll probably turn out to be a witch or a werewolf or a demon of some kind. Which is bound to come in handy at some point (even if it's just to cover for you in class while you go out to 'slay').