Episode 114: Adolescence, A Critical Review

We review heralded new Netflix show Adolescence and give our criticisms about its depiction of the cause of male violence against women being, primarily, that boys aren’t loved and supported enough by men. Referencing Victoria Smith’s book ‘Unkind’, we reflect on the myth that violent men are misunderstood men who have not received enough kindness. Why was it such a sympathetic portrayal of a murderous boy? And where are the equivalents for crimes committed overwhelmingly by women, such as Munchausen syndrome by proxy? Why promote the myth that violent men are under loved and under appreciated? Also, the idea male violence against women is a problem of a lack of bonding between men is an odd one, when male bonding and their fraternity is the very basis of patriarchal rule over women that produces MVAW in the first place. Plus, the internet as a ‘thief in the night’, fathers general lack of involvement in child rearing, the role of families modelling behaviours to children that are carried on into romantic dynamics later on, the responsibility of mothers to discipline sons, the impact of porn consumption at a young age, our hyper-sexual culture brought about by liberals, and the obvious need to ban young children off social media platforms.