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| Image copyright BBC |
Societal changes never happen of their own accord. You may not agree with anything else I write from this point on, but that's a simple, unalterable fact. You can be assured that there is always some group, large or small, that is driving things forward in an attempt to effect any kind of change in society that you care to mention. Whether it be women's rights, working conditions, the abolition of slavery, the smoking ban, any proposed reduction in the age of consent, the age at which one can purchase alcohol, allowing 16 year-olds the vote, the introduction of Universal Credit - or Brexit - none of these things happened (or will happen) by accident without a motivating force, an agenda, behind them. Every single change in society's mores and morals, whether good, bad, or indifferent (and which is which depends on your point of view) did not come about by coincidence or random happenstance.
Which brings me to the DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special.
The Doctor is now a woman. Sure, falling viewing figures meant that something drastic had to be done, and the more controversial the better as far as generating interest and raising the show's public profile goes, but there's a reason beyond that which explains the timing of this alteration to over 50 years of continuity. We now live in an age of gender politics, where gender distinction is in the process of being eroded by those who are determined to force their beliefs on the rest of us. There is seldom only one reason for anything, so not everyone who welcomes this change (or is prepared to tolerate it) dances to the same tune on the matter, but there are definitely those who view any perceived social injustice inflicted upon women (or any suggestion of social advantage conferred upon men) as being the result of gender distinction, and that without it the world would be a much fairer place.
That's why some shops have introduced gender-free changing rooms and no longer describe the clothes (or toys) they sell for children as being for boys or girls; why some schools introduced gender-free toilets (then were forced to change back again under parental objection), and why it's now being mooted that anyone should be free to identify with whatever gender they choose without any form of medical or psychological assessment. The number of adults affected by such gender-confusion is small, and the number of children even smaller, but the majority of ordinary people are expected to accommodate the minority by having their wants, needs, and preferences quashed underfoot. If there is one single child in school who identifies with the opposite gender, then, in the minds of some, every other pupil must forego the provision of toilets set aside for their own sex and suddenly share mixed facilities. We're not talking about one single, separate cubicle being unisex, but 'public' toilets being open to both boys and girls to use at the same time.
The fact that it's in an atmosphere such as this that the new show-runner of Doctor Who has decided to make the Doctor a woman is no coincidence, but is part and parcel of an agenda to influence the public's perception on the matter of gender. (Yes, and hopefully push up the ratings at the same time - the two aren't mutually-exclusive.) But wait a minute, you say. The Doctor is an alien who can regenerate into a much younger or older being, so why shouldn't he be able to regenerate into a woman? (To which I'd reply why should he be?) The 'regeneration' idea was merely a device to allow for a change of actor in the lead role. It was later suggested that there could be fluidity between genders, but this was most likely initially to stir the pot and keep viewers on their toes, before it was seized upon by certain individuals in pursuit of their own agenda to influence public perception on the topic of gender.
You think that's far-fetched? Then I'd suggest you haven't been paying attention to what's been happening around you in all forms of the media. TORCHWOOD, under the pretence of 'reflecting' society's alleged changing attitude to homosexuality, was in reality trying to influence that attitude. Whether you see that as a good thing or a bad thing will depend on your point of view, but a discussion on 'morality' is not what I'm interested in at the moment. It's evidence that CHRIS CHIBNALL had something else in mind other than just entertaining SF fans, and now that he's in charge of Dr. Who, he's going down a related path. I'm not necessarily suggesting that it's his overriding motivation for such a change (that'll probably be the ratings) - perhaps he has a more casual and less compulsive attitude for introducing a female Doctor, but the timing in today's gender-charged atmosphere is unlikely to be coincidental - at the very least, it's riding the coattails of a trend. And maybe that's why so many TV shows and movies hitch their wagon to such a controversial issue - because it's 'trendy' to do so. However, reflecting any kind of a trend usually results in spreading its influence to a wider audience.
Remember, this change comes at a time when some people have seriously suggested that JAMES BOND not only could be, but should be played by a woman. I'm not making this up; so consumed are they in their desire to obliterate any form of gender distinction, that they think a woman has as much right to play 007 as any male actor. Am I alone in considering their obsessive adoption of such an idea akin to some form of madness? Oddly (though perhaps not), I've yet to hear anyone suggest that MODESTY BLAISE (were she ever to receive her own movie franchise) should be played by a man.
So just think - if you're one of the millions of pupils who'd feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by the opposite gender being able to listen to your farts and splashes in a unisex, multi-cubicled school toilet, or a customer who'd prefer to avail yourself of the changing rooms in a shop without members of the opposite sex hearing you unzip, unbutton, and undress as you try on some new apparel, your insecurities, inhibitions, and preferences don't matter a damn! All that counts is catering to the requirements of a few gender-confused individuals, whose feelings and sensitivities must be considered over and above those of the rest of us - we who constitute the majority.
What must be remembered is that Time Lords are supposed to be the most advanced civilisation in the universe, who are beyond the petty obsession with gender that humans have (according to the Doctor in one episode). Could it be any clearer? Any human concerns over gender are backward and primitive, and the obsession of tiny minds. We're being sold a bill of goods here, to the effect that unless we share the Time Lords' 'superior' attitude in this regard, then we're intellectually-stunted savages whose opinions on the subject are invalid and unworthy. The show is actually trying to embarrass us into jettisoning our perfectly natural views on the matter of gender. Are you seriously denying that there's no agenda? Wake up and smell the coffee, for feck's sake.
Disagree all you want, and I'm sure that many of you will. You may even consider the matter insignificant and nothing to get annoyed about, but I'd suggest that the Doctor changing gender at this particular time is yet another symptom of the madness and chaos which currently threatens to consume us all.
Or... maybe it's simply an attempt to breathe new life into a tired old show? What do you think? As usual, the comments section awaits.
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