Where no woman has gone before

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author: annie trussler | op-ed editor

Credit: Wikimedia

 

The fact of the matter is that men hate women.

You can distantly hear the crying of man-babies. Their beards can hardly contain the amount of tears and Dorito crumbs; their hands remain occupied with tissues, keyboards, and Mountain Dew. Can you believe it? They cast a female Doctor Who. The Doctor, a creature that has the potential to take any form, and therefore, any gender, is now a woman. Finally, a lady can save the galaxy from mediocre writing and tired plotlines. I will excuse the fact that, yet again, a cis white woman is once again the media’s way of diversifying sci-fi – that’s a different issue in and of itself.

Let’s tackle the main issue, the tip of the feminist iceberg. I have a little game I like to play with myself that I have just now unofficially titled “Talking to Boys.” Here’s how to play: you find a cis male, you sit him down, and you say, “Aren’t you glad they cast _____________ as ______________?” From there, you listen to them rant and ramble about how the casting of said female has ruined the integrity of their popular sci-fi show or movie. Let them get all their grossness out, and then, when the dust settles, ask them why a woman ruins the medium. Remind them that it’s space: there are talking elephants with eight legs that speak Russian, so why would there not be women?

“Because he’s always been a man!” they say. Well, except that’s not true. The Doctor can take any form, so perhaps they (oh no, the ever-frightening single they) got tired of becoming average-looking British men. I mean, one can only hope. I’ve had about enough of people pretending Matt Smith is attractive. My lesbian affinities can only handle so much.

The fact of the matter is that men hate women. This misogyny is everywhere: on the playground, in politics, homes, and especially in comic and sci-fi culture. If a woman so much as touches the lead role, or any role, for that matter, everyone loses their minds. Rey? Forget about it. Black Widow? Not a chance. Wonder Woman? Impossible! Almost every cis man ever is appalled and horrified to think women would dare to exist in the same consumer culture as them (if you’re offended by this, I’m talking to you).

I have a secret for you: sci-fi and superhero media is the most popular form of media there is. You are not exceptional for reading Batman comics; you are not God’s gift to a conversation if you’ve watched Star Trek; you are, shockingly, more or less, just like everyone else. Breathe your normalcy in for a moment. There is absolutely no reason to be surprised that women could have the same superpowers/intelligence as their male counterparts. Women are perhaps even more likely to be special, but you didn’t hear that from me.

I have no doubt a cis man is reading this article and fuming, and to you, I say hello! How does your hypocrisy taste? Burning in the back of your mind, on the tip of your tongue, you want to scream that feminists are so sensitive, so easily offended, and therefore you must throw a temper tantrum to make it better! Do you know the last time I threw a hissy fit over Star Trek? I was seven. Maybe. I was a feminist then, I’m a feminist now.

There is no reason for the doctor not to be a woman, and about four hundred why they should no longer be a man. Male characters are an enormous demographic, whereas women make up 51 percent of the world. She can’t ruin the integrity of your program because space is space and therefore allows for infinite possibilities. I promise a cis white woman is not the most bizarre creature you will face in the depths of the galaxy. You are upset over this because you hate women. This might be a truth you accepted a long time ago, or it may be news, but either way, you do. Breathe that in; think about what that means.

Now, grow up, and let that shit go.

 

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