The Manosphere and Religious Fundamentalism

Two Sides of the Same Coin

This past week I watched the 4-episode show, Adolescence, on Netflix.

Having no prior knowledge about what it was, I read the brief description and decided to press “play”. I didn’t turn the TV off until I was finished with all four episodes; it was gripping, heavy, intense, dark, and shocking. And in spite of it being a made-for-TV-drama, it was also far too real.

It’s been several days since I finished watching and the show has stuck with me. In part, because of the absolutely brilliant writing and acting. Each actor embodied their character in a way that conveyed the humanity of each person and the desperation of the moment. They did not over-play, glamorize, or even demonstratively push the realities of the narrative; it was haunting.

The story, of course, is haunting. A 13-year old boy who has been accused of killing his classmate, the process of finding this out and more importantly, why did he do it? Unto itself, that’s an intense premise. But what makes it heavy goes beyond that–it allows adults (the primary targets of this show) a peek into the lives of middle-and-high school students to see the world they live in.

And y’all, it’s different. It’s dangerous. It’s deadly.