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kilroyI'm not quite sure what to say in response to people who wanted the Doctor to not be a white male again. My feelings are not clear cut on the issue.
If I run the thought experiment of actually watching Doctor Who with a female Doctor, or a black one, or a transgendered Pakistani one, I find myself enjoying it just as much if the actor is of the same quality as their predecessors. The character is not defined by its race or gender in any meaningful way-- the Doctor is a hugely complex role, but it's not as if the Doctor needs to have a penis or blond hair to function. There exists professional fiction already in which the Doctor is not a white male, and it all works just fine.
And yet the idea of that change in the canon still makes me a little uncomfortable. The idea of a white guy turning into a black guy is more problematic to me than the idea of just having a black Doctor. Same applies for any other gender/ethnic change. The idea is way more complex and loaded than it would be to start Doctor Who today with a black Doctor. It's something I can't quite wrap my emotions around.
All of this is not to say that they shouldn't do it at some point. Making the courageous choice of a non-white-male Doctor would be absolutely landmark. It's an opportunity no other television show will ever have, and it would be such a huge symbol. But it still feels... risky? Unnecessary? Disrespectful? Just wrong? I don't know. It's not something I can throw my enthusiastic support towards-- at least not yet.
Like many other things, the act of thinking about it will probably change my mind eventually.
Side note: people who talk about Chiwetel Eijofor or Paterson Joseph as being awesome also confuse me. I know both those actors and I just don't like them very much. Your mileage will probably vary, but I just can't envision it for either of them based on their work that I've seen.
Edit: for clarity purposes, keeping the proposed change consistent in the third paragraph.
If I run the thought experiment of actually watching Doctor Who with a female Doctor, or a black one, or a transgendered Pakistani one, I find myself enjoying it just as much if the actor is of the same quality as their predecessors. The character is not defined by its race or gender in any meaningful way-- the Doctor is a hugely complex role, but it's not as if the Doctor needs to have a penis or blond hair to function. There exists professional fiction already in which the Doctor is not a white male, and it all works just fine.
And yet the idea of that change in the canon still makes me a little uncomfortable. The idea of a white guy turning into a black guy is more problematic to me than the idea of just having a black Doctor. Same applies for any other gender/ethnic change. The idea is way more complex and loaded than it would be to start Doctor Who today with a black Doctor. It's something I can't quite wrap my emotions around.
All of this is not to say that they shouldn't do it at some point. Making the courageous choice of a non-white-male Doctor would be absolutely landmark. It's an opportunity no other television show will ever have, and it would be such a huge symbol. But it still feels... risky? Unnecessary? Disrespectful? Just wrong? I don't know. It's not something I can throw my enthusiastic support towards-- at least not yet.
Like many other things, the act of thinking about it will probably change my mind eventually.
Side note: people who talk about Chiwetel Eijofor or Paterson Joseph as being awesome also confuse me. I know both those actors and I just don't like them very much. Your mileage will probably vary, but I just can't envision it for either of them based on their work that I've seen.
Edit: for clarity purposes, keeping the proposed change consistent in the third paragraph.