TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Four Netflix shows that have stirred up controversy
Netflix and its catalog of original shows grows rapidly, as does the attention paid to them.While this means praise for many of them, it also means condemnation for some, if not both at the same time. Here are four Netflix originals that have stirred up controversy.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Logan Browning in 'Dear White People.' (Netflix/File)
Netflix and its catalog of original shows grows rapidly, as does the attention paid to them.
While this means praise for many of them, it also means condemnation for some, if not both at the same time. Here are four Netflix originals that have stirred up controversy.
13 Reasons Why
Based on Jay Asher’s book of the same name, 13 Reasons Why follows Clay, a teenager trying to deal with the suicide of a classmate.
Due to its sensitive topic, the show writers reached out to teen psychologists, who advised them to list out resources for those struggling with mental illness and to not depict the suicide itself. Instead, the show went ahead and had its final episode contain a graphic flashback of Hannah’s suicide.
Many criticized 13 Reasons Why for acting as a guide for teens searching to do the same, and for portraying suicide as a way to get revenge.
Read also: '13 Reasons' sparks criticism of teen suicide depiction
Iron Fist
Iron Fist was notoriously panned by critics before even arriving on Netflix, for what many believe to be good reason.
A part of Marvel’s Defenders series and based on a comic that hinges on oriental mysticism, the writers behind Iron Fist did not make any moves to correct its dated source material. Many were angered that the show continued to make use of the “white savior” trope established in the comics, and some believed an Asian actor should have been cast as the lead instead.
“’Iron Fist’ is an orientalist-white-man-yellow-fever narrative. An Asian actor would have helped subvert that offensive trope, and reclaim space,” wrote one Twitter user in 2016.
Iron Fist is an orientalist-white-man-yellow-fever narrative. Asian actor would have helped subvert that offensive trope, and reclaim space.
— Marjorie Liu (@marjoriemliu) February 25, 2016
Read also: Five Netflix reboots to watch
Dear White People
Dear White People is no stranger to criticism. Originally released as a film in 2014, Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 91 percent fresh rating, but some audience members cried reverse racism at its title.
When the trailer for the series was uploaded onto YouTube, it garnered a large amount of dislikes -- about a 10:1 ratio of dislikes to likes as of February. Members of the “alt-right” claimed the show was “racist to white people” and that they would be boycotting Netflix.
Creator of the show, Justin Simien, responded positively and said the boycott only reinforced the point the series was making. Currently, Dear White People holds a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read also: Five TV shows you need to watch on Netflix right now
Legend of the Monkey
When Netflix announced the cast for its newest series, Legend of the Monkey -- based on Chinese classic Journey to the West – the reactions were probably not what it was anticipating. Many called the streaming service out for whitewashing, as none of the four leads were actually Chinese.
As Journey to the West is so large in China, people there turned to social network Weibo to voice their frustration. Said one user, “Please respect our traditional Chinese culture.” (sul/kes)
