#i hope shoving that scooby doo quote there makes sense to anybody Not me

[ssaalexblake]

I'm curious about your opinion about 'a discussion' about the Doctor saying in Survivors of the Flux: "Earth has been shielded from the Flux, but it'll be vulnerable. It'll become a target. If the Flux is destroying the universe, if planets and stars are being wiped out, there will be displaced creatures who need a home. Somewhere to take over." Mostly due to how I've seen it being said to be the Doctor expressing anti-refugee sentiment, especially the usage of 'take over'.

i've sat on this one because it depends Entirely on how this ~discussion~ happened. Your grammatical choices in writing this ask do not fill me to the brim with confidence, however.

Anyway.

If we're having an on the level discussion on linguistics and phraseology where we talk about how innocuous turns of phrase like 'take over' (mice took over my loft once, it sucked) have been co-opted as very not innocent phrases, and how it would have been better if they'd made it verbally explicit that they meant a colonization like something along the lines of what the Sontarans literally already did in Liverpool a couple of episodes ago then... You know, I may even agree? I do think contextually it's clear what they're saying here but hell, might as well be on the nose. If people are gonna accuse the era of spelling everything out for people, they might as well have done so.

However, if we're being cunning enough to ignore all context available in both that A) this whole era is a criticism of treatment of refugees AND simultaneously even more so a scathing criticism of colonialism, all to genuinely spout that they'd suddenly, in one of the last couple of episodes, do a step-heel-turn and deliberately say fuck them refugees that are gonna come steal all our jobs or something then... I mourn our good friend, Nuance McNuance. Such a good guy. Miss him so much. Gone too soon.

This line did not happen in a vacuum and should not be considered like it did.

(this is bringing me Back to people who complained that war of the sontarans had inconsistent morals. No. Actually it was just giving the thumbs up to beating the shit out of violent colonizers and also saying to stop waging pointless stupid war and getting people killed for no reason other than ego. Oh the death of nuance.)

Anyway, like i said, it depends on how this was said. Discussing linguistics choices is a totally normal port of fandom call, but ignoring context both of the scene and era at large to Choose to interpret in such a way that contradicts the themes and morals of an entire era of the show is... Well. We'll highball and say it's uncharitable.

(and since when does the Doctor refer to somebody being Nice as a Creature??? If we're digging in linguistically already then that is. Not a thing.)

You know that post going around saying that a person saying they support something but doing so using "bad" language is Far better than the person who uses the up to date appropriate terms, but is supporting a fucked up message? How in such cases sentiment is where you look because that is Far more important than linguistic choices? Yeah. I'm still far more worried about the zygon two parter, thanks (but i'm not gonna talk about That one bc i'd have to watch it again and hell no).

They're talking about daleks, and cybermen, and sontarans, and whatever other species may make like the british empire and colonize. This is clear, frankly, to the point you don't Need to think about it.

The conversation is about phrasing, which could be improved but is not, you know, Horrifyingly dire as it's obvious what they meant.

Incidentally, due to context, if said line had been said in Moffat's era i'd be Way more leery because of some unfavourable context in his era.

And, to conclude;

In the words of Fred Jones in Scooby Doo, Monsters Unleashed

"I think coolsville sucks"