The insensitive side of Netflix

Netflix is a true portrayal of media contents because of its global recognition and widespread usage around the world. Hence, its content creation in documentaries, series and movies is the portrayal of what society or the world believes in. Moreover, here also comes the importance of maintaining the thin line while showing the extremes because no matter how much the genuine content is, it can easily get normalize or a major issue to address to the audience. Significantly, it’s important in industries like Netflix to highlight where this line is crossed and leading towards insensitivity and cowardliness. Hence, below are some examples of Netflix popular series which were been a mislead with regards to the seriousness of the content.

Starting off with the popular hyped show, ‘13 reasons why’ that have needlessly drawn episodes only to romanticized suicide of a 17-year-old High school student, Hannah. The typical yet highly unethical scene of cycling Hannah’s pre-suicide tapes among the classmates before reaching the authorities is the hardest to believe. I seriously wonder where do authorities like FBI, CIA hide in such cases? Then, moving on to those tapes that includes the insensitive glorification of rapes, sexual harassment and every kind of bullying to encourage objectification of women. Lastly, how Netflix can forget to showcase the stereotypical drama of overly rageful high school students who fearlessly insult and pressure students in their personal matters. Such ‘causal’ mistakes failed the series to amplify upon why mental illness contributes to suicidal ideation.

Netflix another stance of showcasing a mental disease, schizophrenia, in series ‘Legion’ is another level of idea creation none could ever imagine. They fantasized the schizophrenic patient by showing the symptoms of his disease with the ability of having special powers, like WOAH! Here as a viewer, it seriously makes me think that is uniquely extraordinary to be a schizophrenic patient. Moving forward, the character’s life is presented in a careless unhealthy environment in the mental health hospital, that should be a call for unethical concerns as it encourages viewers to believe that patient in mental hospital is addicted to pills to be in their healthier form. Another unethical event occurs when the therapist in jealousy with his patient relationships, start taking advantage of his therapy sessions with him, in order to manipulate him against her girlfriend. So, again the insensitivity of causally glorifying a therapist seducing his patient by Netflix creators is difficult to digest.

I don’t want to end this without talking about the typical romanticism towards criminals, persuading us to ignore the crimes and sing “mama I am in love with the criminal”, have its special FBI genre on Netflix. The relatable example here is ‘Hannibal’ that presents a criminal enjoying cannibalism and surprisingly being a psychic, works as a psychiatrist, solving murder cases with FBI. The surprises don’t end here, the series presents the murder scene in the most creative way you could ever imagine some of them includes the makes of ribs and skin turning into feathers to make person look like an angel, or making their dead bodies hide in a beehive or in a horse stomach. The series justifies these ‘artistic’ criminals by blaming their mental health or the hardships they faced in life which led them to become addicted to such criminal acts. The presentation of a psychic patient being a psychiatrist, his romance with his therapist and an FBI officer, and his gay attraction towards his own patient is speechless.

Conclusively, “with great powers comes great responsibility”. Its important to highlight the points that are causally taken in the contents because more than the creators its our duty to point out things that should be taken into consideration, as in the end they will make contents that appeals the public.