By: Chris WrightMany of the “popular” shows listed on Netflix seem like a good watch at first glance or even when reading the synopsis, but many viewers—including myself—find that only a few episodes in, politics and outside influences have found their way into the seams of the story and have woven something entirely different from what it set out to be. Shows that had a strong, intriguing premise and writers to back them up ended up falling flat with viewers due to over politicization or just plain meddling with a story to add more “relatable drama” to it. “13 Reasons Why” is one such example of this. While the first season was controversial and considered by many to have its moral compass pointed in the wrong direction, it was still a fan favorite and well-received by some groups. Despite criticisms of the show’s perceived romanticism of suicide, many will agree that the opening season was very well produced. However, the show devolved into a teen drama story that no longer followed the original plotline of the book that even the absolute mess of Twilight could out-do. While this might not have had much political influence, it was still an example of executives or even the writers/directors themselves attempting to be more of a relatable show for young-adult audiences, forgetting to make sure that the story stayed true to itself and stayed a worthwhile watch.
An example of over politicization would be the film “Hello Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea” in which Chelsea Handler talks about white privilege in America and how it boosted her career. While I understand that white privilege exists to an extent, it’s shows like these that perpetually blow the issue out of the water, so fueled by the need for a political soapbox and favor gained with like-minded viewers, that it creates an absolute maelstrom of an overconfident actress. Recently, Hollywood seems to believe that simply putting a controversial political topic in the title and giving a little “white-guilt”(which is an absolutely ridiculous concept in my opinion), that their documentary would become a masterpiece. Media like this should anger people. Not because the material is inaccurate (although I do believe it to be grossly exaggerated), and not because most of the people watching this are a part of the racial groups being attacked, but because it furthers the divide between American people. It helps to create a culture in which if you’re white, anything that happens to anyone who isn’t white is immediately blamed upon you and you MUST apologize for it, going back to the racism we say we hate and wish we could leave in our past. Shows like these continue to be mass-produced and flourished by streaming services like Netflix, only perpetuating the issue into further disarray. “Thirteen Reasons Why” is a prime example of poor writing and trend-focus, and “Hello Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea” is another prime example of creating a whale out of a fish. Both of these should not be praised as masterpieces or even a good watch, and they are just the tip of the iceberg for the seemingly infinite catalog of Netflix Originals. The very name itself “originals” is a lie. Half of these shows are based on a book or comic; it’s an extremely rare case that Netflix actually comes up with something that is entirely their own. Simply put, most Netflix shows are too focused on following a trend or pushing a political agenda to even be considered worthy of consumption.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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