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valknight.xyz · @valknight.xyz@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Adolescence 4/10

wanting to start: i do get the high ratings, even just on the acting on show here. it is amazing acting, and I do not want to discredit that with that said : oh man I don't think I like this show. I've spent a lot of the last day thinking about this show, because, there is at least some argument in that it may get some boys thinking about misogyny and the impact of influencers who otherwise wouldn't. but - throughout watching I couldn't help but think of Brianna Ghey, who was murdered by two teens her age. they murdered her because she was trans. and - most frustratingly - the takeaway from the UK media has been that social media is at fault. that social media radicalised those children to murder another child for the sake of murder. these outlets will write articles saying Brianna being murdered is a wakeup call for social media companies - and the next article down will further demonise trans people. there are more cases like this; the UK media is currently using social media as it's popular target to blame - which is fair, but, the evils of social media are frequently the same evils that traditional broadcast & print media also are subject to. a deeply misogynistic media does not get to point the blame solely at the internet for misogynistic violence as if it is somehow disconnected and blameless. throughout watching, I kept looking at the netflix icon on the browser tab and I had to remind myself that netflix is the same company who has paid Joe Rogan millions to do his shitty specials. this is a show deeply uninterested in victims, or in actually tackling the misogyny that has led and will lead to the femicide committed by boys radicalised by the right wing - because to do so will shine a mirror directly at the same structures that will allow for an elaborately produced show that works in one take. there is more sympathy shown towards a murderer than there is towards a dead girl. it bears repeating - for a show that was sold to me as mentioning incels and andrew tate, the word incel was first brought up in the frame of our murdered victim "bullying" our murderer. fundamentally - Brianna Ghey was not murdered by Instagram or snapchat. she was murdered by two children who she thought were her friends. it feels irresponsible for us to put a blame on social media making children killers; especially when it doesn't come with examination of how those children got access to murder weapons, how nobody had raised the alarm before, or how those *children* (and I have to stress here, children!) were whipped up to hate another child. and - this show get close to that! it really does! what's frustrating is there is a completely fair read of this show that presents this show of an examination of toxic masculinity being taken out on women, and how systems (right wing influencers, the police, education systems, the nuclear family - and yes, social media) are all to blame for creating a murderer. and -- it is a show that I will say is somewhat worth watching to friends despite this review. because it is well-produced and the acting is amazing. and - if there is an off chance that a television drama does help tackle misogyny and violence to girls then that is a good thing. i just don't think Adolescence is it.

#movie

Published 2025-04-01 00:00 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere