By Jenna Baker, Second Year Film and English
‘Incel culture’ and online misogyny are not new concepts – the 2014 Isla Vista mass shooting and suicide that left 6 people dead and 14 severely injured, perhaps strikes the most prominent beginning of misogynistically-incited violence that relates directly to internet culture. It isn’t until 11 years later, that a widespread national conversation is sparked by Philip Barantini’s Netflix drama, Adolescence. Whilst the show still promotes an interrogative criticism of the education system, along with urging parents to interfere more with their children’s use of technology, audiences cannot bear witness the actual impact of 13-year-old Katie’s murder upon her own family.
It’s easy to applaud Barantini’s storytelling – the cinematography is intimate and rousing and the one take approach is rare, executed to have an intense, anxiety-inducing impact. However, the show still begs the question: is there a risk that Jamie will exist as another male martyrdom for ‘incels’ and misogynistic extremists? Somewhat regrettably, I visited the subreddits that make noise about ‘men’s rights’ to gain some insight.
Self-professed ‘men’s rights activists’ generally throw around the term ‘propaganda’ a lot, an ironic profession given the sheer volume of misinformation and fabricated headlines that exist within these discussion pages that fuel their male-centric, anti-feminist agenda. One user falsely claimed that the show used the following quote as a tagline, ‘In case you were somehow operating under the delusion that teenaged boys are not genuinely scary as fuck, please allow Netflix to disabuse you of the notion.’ However, this quote was taken from a small media site writing about the Adolescence trailer, and is entirely unrelated to Netflix in any way.
One redditor was critical of audience responses, claiming that ‘SO many people are treating this MOVIE as a documentary.’ Whilst the show is fictional, it is grounded in truth. Misogynistically-fuelled murders are not an uncommon occurrence, it’s easy to find online the cases of thousands of women who have been abused, violently assaulted, or murdered as a result of misogyny. A recent case was that of Kyle Clifford, who searched for Andrew Tate’s podcast the day before he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Louise Hunt, with a crossbow. He also murdered Louise's sister, Hannah, and their mother, Carol.
Adolescence extremifies the innocence and impressionability of Jamie to shock viewers and display how many young boys are being influenced by extremist hatred, even going so far as to name the likes of Andrew Tate. If people are treating this show as a documentary, perhaps that isn’t such an issue, as its unsettling storyline does not exist as some kind of dystopian vision, in fact it portrays a repetitive reality that is affecting women and girls, internationally.
Episode two illuminates a poignant criticism of the British education system, clearly unequipped to deal with the prominence of phones. With teachers overwhelmed and unable to control hordes of students and their incessant screen addictions. It also explores the grief of Katie’s best friend, Jade. Unsurprisingly dysregulated and struggling to deal with the murder of her friend, Jade attacks a fellow student. However, this narrative arc that is left somewhat unresolved begs the question, does presenting her as violent provide her with agency or simply perpetuate pre-existing negative stereotypes of black girls/women, and thus contribute to misogynistic and racist ideas?
One particular line that undoubtedly strikes a loud chord and is worth commending is ‘You don’t know what they’re watching in their room…they could be watching porn or anything.’ An analysis of best-selling pornographic videos found that ‘88% of scenes portrayed physical violence (e.g., spanking, gagging, and slapping), 48% of scenes portrayed verbal aggression (e.g., insulting, threatening, and using coercive language), and 94% of aggressive scenes portrayed women as targets of aggression.’ Other cross-sectional studies implicated that ‘pornography use, particularly by men, is positively associated with sexual aggression and violence-condoning attitudes toward women.’ Although perhaps a little incohesive, this dialogue manages to insinuate the damaging effects of porn, if only briefly.
Adolescence is a tough but important watch, especially for parents. It is a necessary start to the conversation surrounding the risks of online extremism and its capacity to incite violence. Concerns rise, though, when you consider the tendency for Netflix shows to rise and fall in media popularity. Will Adolescence contribute to real political change, or will discussions soon stagnate and become another forgotten trend lost within the internet?
What did you think of Adolescence?
If you are interested in learning more about the impacts of incel culture and the danger of misogyny, read Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates.
