Last weekend I decided to read The Queen's Gambit. Yes, the book that got turned into an inaccurate miniseries by Netshits.
People praise the show for encouraging women to play chess.
Here is the thing. We do have female chess players. Since 1941, we have female Grand Masters. My tiny ass country even has three sisters who are renowned champions and the youngest one is the head coach of the national men's team now.
The idea that women/minorities/gays need fictional characters like them to prove they can do THINGS is ridiculous and so condescending. The actual, real life people did the things. Take it or leave it, they are the way they are, if you need some prettified, perfect parable character who throws sassy one-liners to get into a thing then you were never passionate about it in the first place.
Specifically, in The Queen's Gambit novel the main character, Beth does just that. She isn't doing it because someone told her she can. She gets no support that way, people either don't care or just say "ah, this is your thing, have fun".
Which is why I'm annoyed by this show in specific.
It also makes it obvious she is not great at many other things and somehow idiotic people still YAS KWEEN the character. She is an alcoholic drug addict, who only cares as long as other people serve a purpose in her chess playing.
Quite the contrary: I have found that most of these people know of and DESPISE Thatcher. Based on the merits, they should love her. She started at the bottom, worked her way up, and showed through determination that she would have her way one way or another. But she is an icky conservative, so she doesnt count.