Yes. It’s another post about Adolescence.
No. It’s not parroting the same toxic masculinity and Andrew Tate narrative.
After watching the miniseries and seeing the content reviews on LinkedIn and other platforms, there seems to be some common themes emerging.
These tend to focus on Jamie Miller being a victim of social media influence, and the importance of parents being aware of the lived experience of teenagers in society today – particularly teenage boys and their relationship with each other and towards girls.
Firstly, Jamie isn’t the victim. Katie Leonard is the victim.
Secondly, whilst Jamie may have been influenced by pedestalled characters on social media – and this is a central tenet of the story – the show does an incredible job of subtly showcasing the real influences.
And many may have missed it.
There are two scenes in particular that caught my interest.
In one scene, two uniformed police officers (male) are talking to the headmistress of the school. There is a plain clothed officer (female) also present.
Plain clothes would normally denote a senior position. But the male officers ignore her presence in the room and talk over her. They also talk over the headmistress.
The second scene is where the Miller family are sat at the dinner table. Whilst Eddie Miller is being aggressive, Manda sits quietly and timid throughout the outbursts – some aimed at her. Jamie looks on, as his dad berates his mum.
Jamie’s day-to-day experience of how to approach and relate to women is being reinforced by the people closest to him. They set the tone for what is acceptable and normalised.
The influencers simply amplify that narrative.
It’s a narrative of misogyny that is observed, felt and learned every day.
Yes, high profile misogynist “influencers” like Andrew Tate are a concern. But they are at the extreme end of the issue.
The idea to air the show in schools, for me, is short-sighted and tokenism. It doesn’t address the causes; it brings attention to the symptoms without addressing the underlying issues.
And those issues are in our everyday experiences.
Image: Christine Tremarco as Manda Miller, Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, in Adolescence. Copyright Netflix
