Late to the party on all fronts, and a diehard Doctor Who fan here. For those not in the know, the most recent season finale, The Timeless Children, decided to overwrite 57 years of television history for a cheap plot twist. The main character was now always destined for greatness, had always been a suitably diverse woman first and foremost, and the reason that nobody mentioned this up until now is "hurr durr she had her memory wiped". As you can imagine it did not go down well with longtime fans, but the SocJus crazies ate it up, most likely because of the flashing colors and lights.
I only mention this because I recently came across a review on the dedicated Doctor Who review site for the episode in question which epitomises the infestation currently in the show and in all other facets of media. Exerpt as follows:
"Now let’s be honest here. People hate Chibnall [showrunner and episode writer]. And I’ve held off on saying my peace but I won’t anymore. Chibnall has changed Doctor Who forever. People hate him and love him, but you can’t ignore his vision. He may have made the show far more geared towards children, but he also added messages. Yes, even as a diehard libtard myself I find them often shoehorned in and annoying, but they will alter how the next generation behaves, and I can’t applaud that enough. As for those who think Chibby Boy hasn’t grown since last season or who think he’s gotten worse… how? It’s not what you like, boy oh f*cking boy does it have issues. Yes, he has completely rewritten continuity… but need I remind you of the BS that our last two showrunners did? One wrote out the timelords, the other wrote in 2 characters who have always been by the Doctors’ sides AND retconned the writing out of the timelords. I think Chibnall has grown, he’s far from the next John Nathan-Turner, he grows. He listens to criticism and grows. He went from too slow to too fast and I hope that next time he will get things perfectly. I thought he’d improve, I called that he would be better this time, and he was. He’s not perfect. His run is a massive change. And if you don’t like it, fine. I think it’s one of those things that you can just leave behind, but don’t ruin the fun for those who like it, and let the kids enjoy it at least. I think we can all learn something from this new era and the reaction it’s had… but let’s move on."
Emphasis mine, and it should be noted that despite the author acknowledging that it's poorly written with a mess of pacing, they still give the writing and every other aspect of the episode a 9/10.
So, if ever you get told that the comics about SocJus folks invading a space then kicking out the old guard are a strawman, or the criticism that there are those who think that brainwashing the kids comes above everything else is not representative of how any real person thinks, I hereby provide you with a counterexample.
In the meantime I'll go back to enjoying the niche and far reaches of Doctor Who which remain largely uninfested by this crap.
I really can't even bring myself to watch any TV produced in the last couple years. Good scifi books are way way way more thought provoking and enjoyable than anything coming out of Hollywood anyway.
I've been meaning to get back into reading... Can you recommend a few?
If you like really heady scifi, definitely check out Blindsight by Peter Watts. It's pretty conceptually dense, but has a good punchline. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is my favorite scifi, but it's slow moving and philosophical. Hyperion is a fun romp and considered one of the greats, couldn't recommend it more.
Is there anything you're looking for specifically that you tend to gravitate to?
Thanks!
Not really looking for anything in particular. I used to read quit a lot but that's a decade ago now. Back then I would read mostly canonical works. Wilde, Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Dostroevsky, Dickens, Hemingway, Poe. Stuff like that. Of those I'd say I liked Dostroevsky and Poe the most. Maybe also Wilde for the prose and Fitzgerald for the short stories.
Then one day I just stoppd reading.
I think like many here I'm just tired of the constant propaganda and would enjoy some respite in entertainment.
I think I need something more fun and light to get back into reading. Sci-fi would be nice. Was never much into fantasy, but I love LOTR and The Hobbit (so much so that I decided not to watch the Hobbit movies).
Fun scifi, I'd say Hyperion is the way to go.
Iain Banks also wrote some pretty fun and eccentric scifi stories. Player of Games is very enjoyable.
There's always Hitchhiker's Guide.
And if fun fantasy is your thing, anything by Terry Pratchett is golden.