I don't watch Dr. Who and I don't plan on ever watching it. Although, this whole debate around it sparks something I find rather annoying.
In essence, you don't make friends by punching people in the mouth.
Perhaps there are some lore aspects of it that make people upset with the direction that's being taken. Perhaps some people are genuinely sexist and don't want to see a female lead. Perhaps some people politicize this entire thing as the left pushing diversity for the sake of diversity.
I'm branching off from Dr. Who here and speaking in a general sense.
With lore, fine, cool, voice concerns so that the writing doesn't become lazy. If a character has to go through some kind of trial before accepting a certain role then it's good to voice your concerns if they don't go through that trial. Or if there's going to be a reboot then it's not wise to have your reboot hinging on diversity for the sake of diversity. It's better to create something unique instead of riding the coattails of something established
One of the things I find so ridiculously annoying with a lot of the hubbub surrounding female casting is the narrative of "Hahahaha look at all the whiny men complaining." I get the feeling there's this underlying notion from the left of satisfaction from angering men(especially white men).
I'm sure 10 years ago female casting wouldn't be as polarizing as it is now but the internet has given everyone a chance to express themselves. This has created a trend of people using different forms of entertainment to beat up on those they disagree with. The problem with this is that it increases the politicizing of art and something that was once met with a shrug is now viewed as an attack.
The way I see it, much of the anger stems from liberal media shoving their opinions down people's throats. Then you have some people who support liberal media bashing the other end of the spectrum. This has the other end of the spectrum vetoing nearly everything they come across that could be construed as liberal media because they're worried that there's no line in the sand.
Side note: I'm sure if you looked for more than 3 seconds, you'd find women who disagree with this casting. The notion of "LOL fucking whiny men who cry about everything," does nobody any favors. It overshadows all the nuance of debate by claiming the subject is steeped in nothing more than sexism.
I understand the importance of female leads. I understand the importance of representing those who haven't been widely represented in the past. I also understand the creative freedom people have to design what they wish.
What I don't understand is how the left can throw punches left and right then be surprised when they meet fierce opposition. I'm not saying the right doesn't do the same but I sure do see a good bit of the left telling the right to go fuck themselves followed by the left thinking they've proved their point when the right says "Fuck you too."
Dr. Who is a nice movie