sensiblecat: (Does not approve)
So, there is a fannish firestorm about the recent Comic Relief special, in which the Doctor suggests Amy wears more underwear and Rory said she only passed her driving test because she wore a short skirt.

I can understand some people finding that sexist and offensive. However, I have a rather different problem with it, and it's bothering me so much I might even write to the BBC about it.

The thing is, I have a daughter who will be seventeen in a few weeks' time. We are relatively well off but we are still dreading the inevitable request for driving lessons  - and the reason is we would struggle to pay her car insurance. At one time we could have taken some comfort from the fact that as a girl, her premiums would be slightly lower than a lad's, but not any more.

Here's an interesting and innovative approach from The Co-Op (for the information of overseas readers, the Co-Op was started up by a syndicate called the Rochdale Pioneers about 160 years ago to give working people some power against the poor-quality food their employers were trying to get them to buy at inflated prices. They have been at the vanguard of ethical retailing ever since. But I digress).

The Co-Op have realised something important - a whole generation of young people are being priced off the roads, regardless of how safe their driving is as individuals. Now they are being offered the chance to prove themselves responsible drivers and see their premiums become slightly more affordable. That sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

But to get back to DW, I found Rory's comment about Amy's driving test by far the most offensive line, and not only because it is sexist. It trivialises a very important issue that is relevant to the audience. Take a look at this FAQ from the road safety campaigning group BRAKE. We're talking about the needless deaths and injuries of thousands of people every year.

For reasons I entirely support, we never see a character smoking in DW. It sends the wrong message. Even Jackie Tyler, who surely would have liked her fags, barely mentions it (I say barely because there is a reference in AOG). So why is it okay for Moffatt, in such a public forum, to throw in a casual remark that trivialises bad driving and casts doubt on the professionalism of driving examiners?

Am I overthinking? Do I have no sense of humour? Discuss.

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sensiblecat

June 2012

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