From the mouths of children
Mummy? Why are they Cybermen? Why not CyberPeople? Where are the CyberWomen?
This is from my 7 yr old. We’re watching the reruns of the new Doctor Who on BBC3. Tonight was the first of the new Cybermen.
I didn’t go into a full political discussion about how the cybermen are a symbol of an oppressive system and the insistence on "You will become like us or you will be deleted." is a parallel to the world we live in now. Neither did I discuss the parallels between the world of John Lumic and the way we are destroying our planet with our greed and evergrowing consumerism.
Conform, consume, or be labelled *incompatible*
Wasn’t there a female cyberman in Torchwood?
But anyway the point is that male or female you are assimilated to become a cyberman.
Hmmmm, that sparks of all sorts of ideas, but my brain is too tired to start!
Comment by dottyspots — August 18, 2007 @ 2:43 pm
Exactly, the *female* cybermen are upgraded into the same as the rest. There was a female in “The Age of Steel” - The Dr killed her and in so doing discovered how to get rid of them all. Women were converted, there was a nice demographic mix going in to the factory but only identical cyberMEN came out.
My brain is starting to hurt with the politics of Dr Who!
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — August 18, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
The Torchwood boss lady got to keep her own identity because she was still ‘doing her duty’ without any emotion, and that is what typifies a cyberman - I suppose women are just more emotional ‘normally’!
Comment by caroline — August 19, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
She was the only one who retained any sense of identity though - I think Jackie Tyler did for a while. But every one else is *upgraded* into the homogenized (male) form.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — August 19, 2007 @ 10:22 pm
Oh and Lisa in Torchwood was only half converted and ended up scantily clad with high heeled cyber boots. Nasty!
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — August 22, 2007 @ 9:32 am