Being 'Politically Aware' can ruin your life (or at least your favourite TV show)

Lately there have been a number of aging lefties in the media bemoaning the fact that young folks just don't agitate like in the good ol' days.

The kids appear to have no problems in keeping up with the sexual activity and drug intake of the 60's flower generation but they are just not politically active or aware.

I have seen some evidence of this complacency. When I was at University the only protest I saw was by female students over the prospect of a female strip show coming to town. You know its demeaning to women etc. These same girls were strangely silent when the male strip show came to town soon after ... hmmm cough .... hypocrisy .... cough.  Sorry what was I thinking, of course their selective protest was about restoring the balance.

The argument from these lefties is that everything should be analysed and challenged especially in the media. I don't know how many times I hear the phrase 'but what message is that program/ person/ image sending?' 

Well I decided that this needed to be examined. I mean lefties can't be wrong can they?

For a start I don't think people are any less aware, there has been plenty of protest over contentious issues such as the Iraq war, the Environment and Industrial Relations changes. Sure there was a distinct lack of petrol bomb throwing or rioting (at least here in Australia) but there has been protest. The protests I have seen have had plenty of young folk involved.

So its not a lack of activity or awareness but the old lefties are still not happy. Maybe people are just smarter and pick their battles. I think you can be too aware.

I watched Dr Who the other night (trust me this is going somewhere) and while I am a big fan of this show I was left bemused by this particular episode.  I thought about it for a while and it occurred to me that I had been bombarded by political messages and subtexts.  The only trouble was once you start analysing the messages it can take you places I am sure the script writers didn't want people to go. I mean I picked up on the blatant left wing, right wing and anti feminist messages embedded in the program.

Let me explain this by first giving you the basic plot.

Earth in trouble (yet another alien invasion - are we the only place in the universe rampaging aliens have to go?)
 
Humans unable to do anything about said aliens

The Doctor temporarily indisposed  (he was regenerating - I think this is so that no one actor stays around too long and so can push for higher wages)

Doctor is reawakened just in time (by a cup of tea in case you're interested)

Doctor armed with wit, sarcasm and a long sword kills alien leader thus saving humanity yet again (Humanity seriously owes him a drink)

Doctor tells remaining aliens to bugger off and to tell other aliens that the Earth is defended (ie: if you want to invade you will have to make some kind of effort)

Female Prime Minister overjoyed at being saved tries new alien technology and kills all aliens who are in the process of buggering off

Doctor goes mental, calls PM a murderer and threatens to wreck her career

PM's career starts to unravel, Doctor and friends (with smug and superior facial expressions) walk off to engage in further adventures (amen)

Pretty stock standard Dr Who story line I hear you say .... But is it?

If you're a leftie there is a lot in this episode for you

This is a compelling story about morality in time of war and the abuse of power. You can draw parallels with the current war on terror and argue forcefully that going to war must be for a morally defensible purpose and while some killing is inevitable there are limits. In particular, leaders even in time of war need to control their response to threats. So its ok for the Doctor to kill the head bad guy but the PM's unprovoked attack on the remaining 'innocent civilian' aliens while they were leaving is indefensible murder. 

Ah the lofty heights of the high moral ground ... but hang on

The right wingers can also smile

This show reveals the hypocrisy that is an inescapable part of the left wing world view. The show was made by the BBC (a hotbed of raving left wing loonies) and was put together with the purpose of espousing their anti war and anti American views. However, the show inadvertently shows the methods the Left resorts to in order to suppress real freedom. The PM was totally justified in effectively neutralising the alien threat. 

As she pointed out Earth can't always rely on the Doctor being around at the right time. In any case the Aliens couldn't be trusted and how did we know whether or not they would stick to their agreement to leave the earth alone. In addition if (as the Doctor said) the Earth was defended what better way to show this than to take out a major Alien race. This sends the right message to the other Alien races.

When the PM made her decision the Doctor who was previously her friend turns on her and using a smear campaign destroys her career. This is the way the Left treats anyone who has the temerity to disagree with them and surely makes it impossible for the Doctor to take the moral high ground. He ruthlessly destroyed someone's career over one mistake and murdered an alien after all and surely this type of behaviour is hardly moral. Cough ... left wing hypocrisy ... cough

When you're right you're right ... but hang on 

The feminists would just be aghast at the blatant sexism

Forget the niceties of left verses right, this show is just out and out sexist. Its merely another step in the never ending subjugation of women.

Why is the saviour always a man?  Sure the show had a woman as an authority figure but she was portrayed as a bit of dunce and then being unused (or unsuited?) to the exercise of power goes mad and kills the 'innocent civilian' aliens. What she should have done was to thank the Doctor (ie: a man) for resolving the situation and grin at the camera until the final credits.

When she acts decisively the Doctor destroys her career by undermining her through an attack on her looks. The Doctor sows the seeds of her destruction by starting a rumour that the PM is just not well - "Doesn't she look a bit tired".  There is no way this approach would have been used if a PM had been a male. The message here is that men can always control women if they behave in a way that doesn't meet their approval.

Whew! .... See what I mean ..... at the end of this pointless exercise all I achieved was to ruin a perfectly good episode of Dr Who. Its better to lose yourself in the moment and save the protests for the big stuff.

Listen up kiddies, if being politically aware is a good thing then too much of it is a slippery slope that will ruin your TV watching and your life if you let it.