Joss Whedon said something recently about how important it is to people to be able to watch TV and movies that have minorities and women in major roles. I think his words were something to the effect: It's vital to be able to look at your culture and find reflections of yourself in it.

So plenty of them should be as positive role models, or else your culture is condemning you to being either a joke or a criminal. We can't blame one movie or one show for this or that; but collectively we should be able to find these positive roles.

Recently I've been noticing how many female characters are appearing in media that I find wonderful because they are authority figures and amazing characters too. Here, women are interesting people.

1. Just started reading the book Wool by Hugh Howey. (In Kindle version, the first portion of it is free on Amazon.) And noticed how thoughtfully this male writer creates female characters. Outside of D.H. Lawrence and Peter Hoeg (Smilla's Sense of Snow), I've found that seldom -- because it's so hard. I'm not putting down male writers when I say that, either, I just think it is very difficult, maybe due to the changing societal landscape or maybe other things. Wool is science fiction but I think people who don't normally read sf would like it too.

2. TV shows, mostly HBO:
Elementary -- Lucy Liu is not someone I'd normally bother going to see, but she's completely surprised me. And so has the writing of this new Watson character. I like it more than the Holmes of this show.

Defiance -- Has really good, strong alien females who might fill either subservient roles or authority roles in their society. Has a female mayor I like. The writers pay respect to the female characters by making them fully-fledged.

Game of Thrones -- of course. Features both horrible strong females and good admirable ones. I watch it, however, mainly for the dwarf role played by Peter Dinklage. The story surrounding him is very moving and I'm a sucker for it. Plus I have to see someone, please, stamp on King Joffrey's face and kill him slowly. Maybe humiliate him first.

The Americans -- Kerry Russell as a Soviet spy is awfully good. And you relate to her even though we see how hard-hearted she is. Love the story and the acting.

Rome -- If you like BBC films, you should watch this. The 3 major characters of the heartbreaking film The Mayor Of Casterbridge play major roles in this, and have the same power. Polly Walker (who inCaprica played a religious fundamentalist) again does this role of a self-absorbed beautiful woman who, politically, throws people around like kittens... but she fails to become a stereotype. She is amazing.