I'm pleased to see a dissenting voice about the series. While a remarkable show in its own right, the series conflates two separate issues - the UK knife crime epidemic and incel ideology.
My main issue with the series is that it attempts to locate the rise in urban crime in cyberspace, and so displaces the real issues/causes elsewhere.
I've written a more thoroughgoing critique if anyone thinks they might be interested.
Cries Unheard
Adolescence's false equivalence between the UK knife epidemic and the manosphere.
I especially appreciate your recognition that males are facing a rapidly changing world. Figuring out where we/they fit in has become more challenging.
The problems of male violence against.females are indeed complex and deeply rooted as this article intelligently encapsulates. My criticism of Adolescence and that of others who feel the same as me is not a social or political argument, nor denial of the impact of Adolescence or its otherwise excellent execution. The complaint is much narrower in scope and more specific: in dealing with the theme of misogyny, the series itself has a sexist undercurrent, even if not intentional and if the creators perhaps wished for the opposite impression. With all the reviews praising Adolescence, why are there so few visibly negative reviews when a number of people including some psychologists have the same criticism. And when acclaimed drama series normally receive a substantial share of negative reviews.
One thing I’m feeling increasingly is that the entire ‘gender war’ conversation has become overly ideological and essentialistic. Both the feminists and the manosphere thinkers are, more and more, reducing the sexes down to oversimplified stereotypes. Whether it’s man or bear, chad alpha and virgin loser, toxic masculinity, or the feminized culture. Everything is about broad categories and grand theories explaining the problem with men/women. I can’t count the number of articles on Substack that amount to think pieces explaining the ultimate fundamental nature of the sexes.
I just find it depressing and somewhat dehumanizing to both men and women. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what unifies all of this, but it feels like people are increasingly seeing other people through a rigid lens of rules and categories instead of seeing them as individuals. Perhaps this relates to an increasingly consumerist financialized culture where everything is a product. How much do you earn? What is your status? Even falling in love has become a marketplace officiated by big tech companies.
Anyway kind of a meandering comment. I’m just wondering if our culture as a whole has become retrograde in a way most people aren’t recognizing. Maybe the ‘ick’ I get from a lot of these gender war think pieces is based.
The best part about the show is Kemi Badenoch in a fog of disbelief trying to impress upon those BBC presenters that a fictional program is not the real world.
It's difficult to take this article seriously since all the usual tropes are being wheeled out here. Adolescentce is about male on female violence and partly why it is so acceptable to the point of murder. Contrary to what you say it is not any safer in the UK since the 90's if your a woman. Femicide has been pretty static over the last 30 years or so at around 1 week. Just the usual acceptable culling of women, nothing to see here as, well, most men aren't murderers so that makes it OK. It this the best you can do, really? Shouldn't the level of female deaths have come down in the last 30 years? Given the greater awareness and resources to deal with this? It like reading a white bloke dismissing white privilege as not really a problem.
I'm pleased to see a dissenting voice about the series. While a remarkable show in its own right, the series conflates two separate issues - the UK knife crime epidemic and incel ideology.
My main issue with the series is that it attempts to locate the rise in urban crime in cyberspace, and so displaces the real issues/causes elsewhere.
I've written a more thoroughgoing critique if anyone thinks they might be interested.
Cries Unheard
Adolescence's false equivalence between the UK knife epidemic and the manosphere.
https://stevenaoun.substack.com/p/cries-unheard
Thanks, Zaid, Adolescence is on my watch list.
I especially appreciate your recognition that males are facing a rapidly changing world. Figuring out where we/they fit in has become more challenging.
The problems of male violence against.females are indeed complex and deeply rooted as this article intelligently encapsulates. My criticism of Adolescence and that of others who feel the same as me is not a social or political argument, nor denial of the impact of Adolescence or its otherwise excellent execution. The complaint is much narrower in scope and more specific: in dealing with the theme of misogyny, the series itself has a sexist undercurrent, even if not intentional and if the creators perhaps wished for the opposite impression. With all the reviews praising Adolescence, why are there so few visibly negative reviews when a number of people including some psychologists have the same criticism. And when acclaimed drama series normally receive a substantial share of negative reviews.
I appreciate this article.
One thing I’m feeling increasingly is that the entire ‘gender war’ conversation has become overly ideological and essentialistic. Both the feminists and the manosphere thinkers are, more and more, reducing the sexes down to oversimplified stereotypes. Whether it’s man or bear, chad alpha and virgin loser, toxic masculinity, or the feminized culture. Everything is about broad categories and grand theories explaining the problem with men/women. I can’t count the number of articles on Substack that amount to think pieces explaining the ultimate fundamental nature of the sexes.
I just find it depressing and somewhat dehumanizing to both men and women. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what unifies all of this, but it feels like people are increasingly seeing other people through a rigid lens of rules and categories instead of seeing them as individuals. Perhaps this relates to an increasingly consumerist financialized culture where everything is a product. How much do you earn? What is your status? Even falling in love has become a marketplace officiated by big tech companies.
Anyway kind of a meandering comment. I’m just wondering if our culture as a whole has become retrograde in a way most people aren’t recognizing. Maybe the ‘ick’ I get from a lot of these gender war think pieces is based.
The best part about the show is Kemi Badenoch in a fog of disbelief trying to impress upon those BBC presenters that a fictional program is not the real world.
You forget, Islam an inherently misogynistic religion is growing by leaps and bounds in Britain. Much of that misogyny has roots in Islam.
Wasn’t the boy in real life black?
There wasn't a "boy in real life." It is not a documentary nor does it purport to be based on any real life event.
This was a rumor started by Internet racists. The show is not based on any actual incident.
Are fictionalized Jamie Miller and real life Thomas Matthew Crooks the opposite sides of the same coin?
It's difficult to take this article seriously since all the usual tropes are being wheeled out here. Adolescentce is about male on female violence and partly why it is so acceptable to the point of murder. Contrary to what you say it is not any safer in the UK since the 90's if your a woman. Femicide has been pretty static over the last 30 years or so at around 1 week. Just the usual acceptable culling of women, nothing to see here as, well, most men aren't murderers so that makes it OK. It this the best you can do, really? Shouldn't the level of female deaths have come down in the last 30 years? Given the greater awareness and resources to deal with this? It like reading a white bloke dismissing white privilege as not really a problem.
When did I say it was OK?
The show is blood liber against white men, a complete inverse of reality.