Written by Shae RufeThe most recent episode of the new Doctor Who centered around the iconic Rosa Parks and her brave act to not give up her seat on a segregated bus. The sad truth of America’s past was shoved into our faces without any apology; offering a glimpse back into something we claim to have stepped out of. The show also argued that perhaps we didn’t step so far from this embarrassing time as we originally thought. With Yas and Ryan commenting at one point that they both struggled with their own bits of racism. Ryan saying how he got ‘stopped more than (his) white mates’ and Yas’ sad confirmation of ‘being called a terrorist when (she) leaves a Mosque’. The sad truth is, while Mrs. Parks did amazing in taking a step to break those barriers, we in 2018 are still not equal. That is a problem. That is THE biggest problem. Humans are so caught up in the ‘Us vs Them’ mentality that we have forgotten the people who came before us and fought for equality. I’ll be the first to admit that I cried during this entire episode. The depiction of cruelty that segregation openly displayed showcased in a modern TV show, stole my breath away. While some do not want to see it, others do not want to admit it, our leaps and strides have not been so grandiose as they should be. When John Boyega was cast in Star Wars ‘Episode VII’, he received death threats for being Black. He’s still billed below 5 other white actors, despite being a main character. Fans were so upset about his casting they literally sent him death threats, just because of the pigmentation of his skin. I cannot begin to wrap my head around how utterly disgraceful of a notion this is. Yet, this is not the only backlash actors have received. Many fans protested the new Teen Titans Netflix series due to Starfire being portrayed by Anna Diop, before the show was even released. The comic world has had its own share of backlash. When it was announced that the new Ms. Marvel would be Muslim, people lost their minds refusing to read the new series. Same thing happened when Tony Stark was replaced as Iron Man by a smart, African American young woman named Riri. Before that, however, we got fans who were really irritated by a bi-racial Spider-Man. Many argue that comic characters should stay as they are and be portrayed by the correct race. While others, myself included, believe it’s time for a change. Comic characters should reflect their demographic, and why can’t they reach people of other ethnicities? We need more diversity in all media types, because we are a diverse species. Doctor Who has made a lot of progressive arguments, more subtly, throughout its run, and yet this episode struck me to my very core. I’ll be the first to admit it made me super uncomfortable. I didn’t grow up near or around this mentality. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a military community filled with many people from all types of backgrounds. I was lucky to not truly understand that racism was a vapid problem until my teen years. I find racism to be sickening on a bone deep level, and it truly has no place in society. Yet there are some who disagree. Some who claim by changing certain characters, or whatnot, to fit minority needs is disrespectful to its roots. I think Mrs. Parks would be utterly disgusted with such a remark, to which I fully agree. Every child should have heroes to look up to. Doctor Who took a big leap in making the Doctor a woman; one that had many fans petitioning to have her turned back into a man. I think this show is not only going in the right direction. I think it’s doing a damn good job of showing us where we need to be and where we’ve been. The latest episode was a wonderful reminder that there are serious issues we need to work on as a society; lessons from our past that we should never forget. It seems that a change in the Doctor’s gender was a well-founded one at that. A female Doctor might just be the one we need to help us swallow some ugly truths. I welcome the change with excitement! The Doctor is always going to be the Doctor, regardless of gender. Perhaps this show can offer a lot more life lessons. Bravo Doctor, Bravo.
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