Wonder Woman, Cruz Ramirez and Bill

Wonder Woman is a great film.  That's a factual statement.  Why some men hate the movie is beyond me.

I have no idea why some men act threatened when a woman is strong, independent and a leader.  I've known powerful women all my life, so strength and leadership are something I've always attributed to both sexes, whether politically, professionally, artistically, physically, intelligently, compassionately, or on a nurturing level.

It was hard watching Hillary Clinton lose.  I wanted her to win, but not because I was hoping for the first female President.  Clinton was BY FAR the more qualified of the two candidates, with gender having very little to do with my justification.  She would've been, and still would be, the better President, PERIOD.  The idea many Americans didn't vote for her because she was deemed to be a "woman not knowing her 'role'" is weirdly obtuse.  Do they think they can shame the population into reverting to a time where we limited a woman's role in society?

Whenever you hear a man downplaying a strong woman, and how someone needs to be "put her in her place," they're weak.  They're afraid.  They know the woman is better than they are (which is perfectly fine and normal), so they lash out with ignorance.  It's similar to when I discussed Trump's locker room talk, and how locker room talk only comes from people who are trying to brag about the sexual conquests they didn't really have.  It's a weaklings pathetic attempt to look strong, and it shows.

As women are being attacked in politics and society, it's a different story with entertainment.  2017 has been a stellar year for strong female role models in entertainment.  So far, the best movie of the summer is Wonder Woman, with Gal Gadot.  I'm not surprised by this, as the source material for the character (decades of great comic book stories) is rich and full, itself ahead of it's time.  The movie keeps you entertained and never falls back to the cliche of the man has to save the defenseless woman.  Quite the contrary.  I was proud to take my daughters to see Wonder Woman, but I was just as proud to take my 15 year old son, and I loved the film.  Any man criticizing the film because of its strong female lead is telling you FAR more about themselves then they are about the movie.

There's another movie role which isn't getting as much press, but it's having just as big of an impact on young women, especially girls; Cars 3's Cruz Ramirez, an animated car played by the wonderful Cristela Alonzo.  I'm going to talk some plot points, so ***Spoiler Alert!!!***  Skip the next paragraph if you don't want the movie spoiled.

In Cars 3, Cruz is a 'trainer' for an aging Lightning McQueen, ordered to get him back into shape for one more successful run at the NASCAR inspired Piston Cup. As Cruz works him back into shape, it's discovered she herself wanted to be a race car, not just a trainer, but no one ever gave her a chance.  In the end, Lightning can't catch Cruz on the track, even with all his might.  He comes to realize it's time for him to step aside, and to let her take over as the team's main race car.  She ends up coming into the race, proving she can win when given a chance.  This Disney film not only showed young girls a female can compete and win in the man's world, it also showed a lot of young boys that it's okay to come in second to a girl, with a further, far more important, life lesson: know when to step aside and let the better person, regardless of sex, take the lead.

And then there's Bill, the wonderful companion to Peter Capaldi's 12th incarnation of Doctor Who.  Bill is played by Pearl Mackie, and she's a fun Watson to Capaldi's Holmes.  Mackie's 'Bill' is an unapologetic lesbian, and one of the strongest young female characters I've ever seen.  Doctor Who spent the entire season talking about the strength of women, ending with a season 10 finale which had Bill's love, strength and compassion be the difference maker in the final confrontation.  I must also mention the incredible work of Michelle Gomez.  Her Missy was the first female incarnation of The Doctor's arch nemesis, The Master, and she was brilliant.  Many people are speculating the 13th incarnation of the Doctor, to be revealed this Christmas, will be female.  Regardless, the nonchalant, this is who 'Bill' is (let's not focus on her individual identifications, but rather her role in the larger world) has made this season the best of Capaldi's run, and the best overall since David Tennant's final full season.

I have no doubt I'll see plenty of films and shows this year where the lead character is an over the top male lead, but so far the most memorable moments in entertainment 2017 have all been performed by women.  To the weak men furious about this post, get over your self induced insecurity and inferiority complex, and enjoy the show!