I think maybe I stirred up the debate about the servants' uniforms. If so, it's being taken out of context by some. I didn't personally find it racist at all. However, I was interested that after LOTTL aired it was mentioned by some Americans as being offensive, and when I thought it over I could see that a country where slavery is still barely out of living memory could be a lot more triggered by that image than British people are.
And I think this debate is similar, in the sense that DW simply hasn't taken on board that in America things are different. (Correct me if I am wrong, Statesiders). It's true that in Britain we've learned to live with a lot of casual misogyny and homophobia (Whether that is a good thing is another argument, which I'll avoid here). And in the 70s that was a lot more pronounced than it is now, as anyone who has watched reruns of "The Goodies" with their teenage children and squirmed will have discovered.
On the Comic Relief special itself, I found it derivative and depressing, probably because it was thrown together in a hurry and that showed. Two points I will make, however:
First, it's interesting that a show that would never show a character smoking (not even Jackie Tyler who almost certainly would have done) in case it corrupts the kids, is quite relaxed about a casual reference to what is basically bad driving. That's not trivial or funny. It kills thousands of people, it also prices many young people off the road because their insurance is unaffordable.
And, at the risk of opening up a hornets nest, I feel saddened that because of the way Moffatt discusses sexuality there are probably a lot of Muslim kids whose parents will feel uncomfortable letting them watch DW. That is such a pity. I'm not saying we should have a Muslim companion pointedly praying in the TARDIS five times a day, but the UK is a multi-cultural society and I'd really like the Doctor to be a figure whose positive values everyone can get behind.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-03-23 08:28 am (UTC)And I think this debate is similar, in the sense that DW simply hasn't taken on board that in America things are different. (Correct me if I am wrong, Statesiders). It's true that in Britain we've learned to live with a lot of casual misogyny and homophobia (Whether that is a good thing is another argument, which I'll avoid here). And in the 70s that was a lot more pronounced than it is now, as anyone who has watched reruns of "The Goodies" with their teenage children and squirmed will have discovered.
On the Comic Relief special itself, I found it derivative and depressing, probably because it was thrown together in a hurry and that showed. Two points I will make, however:
First, it's interesting that a show that would never show a character smoking (not even Jackie Tyler who almost certainly would have done) in case it corrupts the kids, is quite relaxed about a casual reference to what is basically bad driving. That's not trivial or funny. It kills thousands of people, it also prices many young people off the road because their insurance is unaffordable.
And, at the risk of opening up a hornets nest, I feel saddened that because of the way Moffatt discusses sexuality there are probably a lot of Muslim kids whose parents will feel uncomfortable letting them watch DW. That is such a pity. I'm not saying we should have a Muslim companion pointedly praying in the TARDIS five times a day, but the UK is a multi-cultural society and I'd really like the Doctor to be a figure whose positive values everyone can get behind.
Okay, rant over.