AFFIRMINATE! AFFIRMINATE!

Dr Who is racist because of cricket, or cricket because of racists, and urgently warrants affirmative action:

Doctor Who is ‘thunderingly racist’, say academics

American professor Amit Gupta, an American professor argued that Peter Davison’s Doctor’s passion for cricket was a sign of the inherent racism in the programme.

‘[He] portrayed the amateur English cricketer of the late 19th Century when the game was characterised by both racial and class distinctions. Cricket also had a role in maintaining the status of British imperialism through the exercise of soft power as it was successfully inculcated by the colonial elites. Davison’s cricketing Doctor once again saw the BBC using Who to promote a racial and class nostalgia that had already outlived its validity.’

Thanks, Mong.

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Comments

[Cameron]

You seem to have inadvertently filed this under 'shenanigans'.

[Tony Tea]

Uninadvertently.

[Carrot]

Good Lord - save us all from the American (and English, for that matter) Loony Left. If they had their way they'd have us all carrying signs around saying "I'm sorry for being a white, heterosexual male. I know it makes me a racist, mysogynist homophobe. I'll try not to get in your way with my collared shirt and short-back-and sides - obvious symbols of the patriarchy, I might as well be wearing a swastika - and will pop off and shoot myself as soon as is convenient".

Y'know, 'cos including references to a traditional, not to mention popular Anglo-Saxon sport in a television series is just totes racist, and perhaps worse - gasp! - non-inclusive. Why aren't they catering more for the black Muslim lesbians with club feet and speech impediments? It's outrageous.

I used to read the Metro everyday on the way to work, and I know you're not supposed to take this sort of story seriously - it clearly belongs in their bullshit, whimsy trolling section along with the stories about us falling into the sun at any given moment, but it doesn't mean that this sort of stuff doesn't give me the shits. Wankers.

[Carrot]

PS - love the title, Tony.

[m0nty]

Gupta should look at the current English cricket side. Barely a pale homegrown lad among them.

[Tony Tea]

The England side is doing a marvellous job of reconciling the empire.

[Russ]

Well put Carrot. They also seem to have their decades wrong, as the doctor is set in the early 1890s, pre-dating the MCC interest in tours, and the inherent shift to class and empire building that entailed. Cricket up to 1894 was very much a popular entertainment, hardly played except by a few ex-pats outside England and Australia. Cricket's class warfare didn't really kick off until after WW1, being a reaction to various external events.

But anyway... any chance you'll be heading to the South Africa vs Netherlands match on Friday Carrot?

[Tony Tea]

I like the line from the Australian academic who says ‘The biggest elephant in the room is the problem privately nursed by many fans of loving a TV show when it is thunderingly racist’ as if everyone thinks the show is a National Front front.

I know I don't move in entirely indigenous or ethnic circles, but no one has ever said to me that DW is racist, in or out of elephant filled rooms.

[Carrot]

Hi Russ. I was planning on going, but I can't - a rehearsal and a doctor's appointment have fallen right in the middle of it. But of a bugger, really - although I can't imagine that NL will put up much resistance. They have no bowling! It don't know what's happened to Timm van der Gugten, the NSW quick who didn't look TOO overdressed with the new ball last year (maybe he's injured), but earlier in the week against Kent they opened the bowling with two specialist batsmen, and were predictably creamed. They were ok with the bat though - they batted first and scored around 250 off their 40 overs thanks to a good fifty from a guy who played a few matches for Qld last season - does anyone know the name Dom Michael? Tom Cooper scored a good fifty as well.

The Associate matches are always worth a look I think, albeit for different reasons from country to country. The Netherlands and Scotland because of the people like I just mentioned - the European passport holders who are getting good first-class experience that they might not otherwise, who probably all hope that they'll end up playing for another country one day. The Irish are good to watch for different reasons - they're actually the real deal and a good side, and most of them are Irish born and bred. I hope they do well in the Champions Trophy.

[Tony Tea]

Holland and South Africa - traditional rivals.

[Russ]

Carrot, pity, I'd have had you on the podcast to talk about it. van der Gugten played in Namibia a couple of months ago - did well, took 10 in the 4-day game - so I don't know what has happened. It is possible he is not playing in the Dutch league this season as VOC got relegated.

Unfortunately, but not at all surprisingly, Ireland won't be in the Champions Trophy, which is reserved for 8 sides. Stupid tournament anyway, although that applies to pretty much every cricket event. Given the best way to make money is to sell rights to matches involving India, the incentive structure for fixturing is a little out of whack.

[Carrot]

Re: Ireland, whoops! - I should have done my homework on that one. That's a pity about the podcast, I would have loved to have done something like that. It'll probably rain anyway mind you - the weather has been absolutely shocking here lately.

[nottrampis]

You are in again.

how could I resist this.

M0nty read Brenda Rosser's piece on Greece and then tell those idiots at Catallaxy abut its great success!

[nottrampis]

some-one likes my sensational musical tastes here.

I'm flattered

[lou]

Academics come up with this stuff as they have to get published regularly or they lose their jobs to someone who does churn out this nonsense. I don't think it's meant to be taken that seriously, it's someone pushing some wagon because they have a deadline for the 'Post-Colonialism and Television Review' or 'Critical Theory on Cricket' or some online journal like that.