A British politician has recently claimed that changing the gender of iconic pop culture heroes like the titular character of Doctor Who is leaving young men with criminals for role models.
A few years ago, English actress Jodie Whittaker made history by taking up the sonic screwdriver and filling (literally) Peter Capaldi’s shoes as the first woman to tackle the role of the Doctor.
While the Broadchurch star has more than proven herself as a worthy successor in her short tenure, the unprecedented development initially prompted a wave of skepticism among Whovians. After all, Doctor Who is one of the most popular sci-fi shows in the history of television, not to mention one of the longest-running, so it’s not surprising that some take a while to adapt to change.
It seems that Conservative Party MP Nick Fletcher has stronger sentiments when it comes to female alter egos increasingly replacing men in roles that have traditionally and popularly been theirs. Speaking during a parliamentary debate marking International Men’s Day, here’s what he had to say on the matter.
“Is there any wonder we are seeing so many young men committing crime?” He commented, eliciting bewildered reactions from the others in the debate. “There seems to be a call from a tiny, but very vocal minority, that every male character or good role model must have a female replacement. In recent years we have seen Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, Luke Skywalker, The Equaliser, all replaced by women.”
Fletcher seems to think that these replacements like Doctor Who‘s Jodie Whittaker and the rumored female James Bond have left the youth to look up to the likes of Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders.
It’s not particularly difficult to undermine the validity of the MP’s assertions, but since we’re already discussing it, I think it’s safe to say that people could do much worse than the Peaky Blinders protagonist as a role model.