A new show about Jeffery Dahmer comes out. Netflix reports it as the highest viewed show in the shortest space of time ever. Beat out that other over hyped Squid Game. How impressive.
It’s not a bad show. Evan Peters gives a great performance, its dark and gritty and well made and shot and suspenseful and stomach churning in all the right ways for a true life recreation of a multiple murdering Cannibal.
But almost immediately, complaints come fast and furious. The show is racist because it does not directly say Dahmer targeted blacks deliberately – despite him having said he didn’t and merely took the victims he could when he felt he could – and despite the fact the show spends hours with the black and other minority victims and their families and grazes over white victims with little more than lip service (minus his first victim)
Then there was the controversy that the show was listed in the LGBTQ panel – which Netflix quickly remedied as the complaints came. Despite the fact that Dahmer’s sexuality was a major proponent of his crimes. Despite the fact that the victims were gay. Despite the fact that the show creator/writer is gay. It was offensive to gays.
Netflix has been accused of ignoring the victims because they were not approached about the show being created – despite the crimes being public domain information. And if they said NO would it have stopped the show being made? And what horrible monsters Netflix are for not giving the families money for the distress caused.
The show goes out of its way to show how dangerous it was being gay at the time, how dangerous it was being a minority at the time, how horribly inefficient the police were, how families were crushed by the actions he took, how the killer displayed warning signs and how horrible it was that the crimes took place. How terrible it is no one created a plaque to the victims.
But while the average audience seems in agreement, its a haunting show which was mesmerising to watch, the vocal minority are clamouring for what disrespect it has caused, how it is sexist, homophobic, racist, ableist, insensitive, sensational, etc.
Some people will never be content with what you provide. And the socially focused are the worst for it. And you know who is gonna suffer? The folks you want to get more attention: minorities, gays, trans, etc. Because all this affirmative casting is going to get dropped by the way side when enough people keep complaining its not enough because its never enough.