{"id":305474,"date":"2025-03-21T07:53:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=305474"},"modified":"2025-03-22T06:47:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T06:47:06","slug":"why-is-everybody-talking-about-adolescence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=305474","title":{"rendered":"Why is EVERYBODY talking about Adolescence?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Kit Knightley \u2013 Off-Guardian March 20, 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>For some reason I woke up this morning to a world \u2013 or a pretend media world, at least \u2013 obsessed with the Netflix show <em>Adolescence<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not going to link to it or describe the plot, because I\u2019m not being pulled into this trap. I\u2019m<strong> not<\/strong> talking about Adolescence, I\u2019m <em>talking about the people talking about i<\/em>t.<\/p>\n<p>That might seem like a paper thin distinction, but it is an important one, in my mind at least.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-meme-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt aligncenter size-full wp-image-305477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-meme-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"653\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-meme-2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-meme-2-480x482.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 650px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>With thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CharlotteEmmaUK\/status\/1902673962603094335\">Charlotte<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Why is everyone talking about this show? Why am I being flooded with tweets praising the performances and the writing? Or giving me trivia titbits about the production?<\/p>\n<p>Even the people that hate it are talking about, complaining about the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KeithWoodsYT\/status\/1902446326845260014\">race-swapped casting<\/a> or political messaging.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s<em> everywhere<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The front page of the Guardian this morning:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-Guardian-headline.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt aligncenter size-full wp-image-305478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-Guardian-headline.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"298\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-Guardian-headline.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/adolescence-Guardian-headline-480x224.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 640px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Since when does \u201cwhat\u2019s trending on Netflix\u201d have any impact on the political landscape? What\u2019s happening?<\/p>\n<p>There was even a question about it during Prime Minister\u2019s Question Time yesterday:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\uf6a8 NEW: A Labour MP brings up the Netflix series &#8220;Adolescence&#8221; and asks Keir Starmer if he will support the creators calls to show it in schools to counter &#8220;toxic misogyny early&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Starmer: &#8220;Yes, and at home we are watching Adolescence with our children&#8230; it&#8217;s very good&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PMQs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PMQs<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YNHaUrmqVT\">pic.twitter.com\/YNHaUrmqVT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PolitlcsUK\/status\/1902341838888906937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s an MP, apparently, asking the supposed <em>leader of the nation<\/em> if the latest hit Netflix production should be <em>compulsory viewing in schools<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>She mentions misogyny as well, but honestly that\u2019s immaterial. The existence of the question is bizarre enough on the meta level that we can disregard the specifics of the politics.<\/p>\n<p>She asked \u2013 and <em>he answered<\/em>. Not just to say<em> \u201cwhat an odd thing to say in national parliament, go away and never talk to me again\u201d<\/em>, but actually giving it credence.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThat\u2019s a very good question madame, maybe we <\/em><strong><em>should<\/em><\/strong><em> force school children to consume Netflix\u2019s fine content. I\u2019m watching the show myself and must say it\u2019s jolly good!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m barely satirizing.<\/p>\n<p>Notice how the he not only takes the question seriously, but makes sure to note he is watching and enjoying the show.<\/p>\n<p>This is quite literally product placement.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no different from when the camera lingers on a Mercedes logo in a movie. It couldn\u2019t be less subtle if Starmer had cracked open a Pepsi, taken a sip in slow motion, licked his lips and said \u201cI always drink Pepsi when I\u2019m working hard to serve the country\u201d, then winked at the camera.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a really good demonstration of the way the system works. And I do mean THE system \u2013 there is only one. Politics, advertising, entertainment, the military and everything else\u2026they\u2019re all joined together. Departments of the same company. Fingers on a giant corporate hand.<\/p>\n<p>And, like all good hands, it can multitask.<\/p>\n<p>It can promote media slop for profit WHILE it sells politics that serve agenda.<\/p>\n<p>What is that agenda? Protecting the children!<\/p>\n<p>From what? Knife crime. Or misogyny. Or hate speech. Or immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>Pick your preferred problem, react however you want, the solution remains the same \u2013 more control.<\/p>\n<p>Censor the internet, ban smartphones in schools, forbid the sale of knives online, crack down on hate speech. Tag X people for Y reason. Create a registry, they LOVE creating registries.<\/p>\n<p>You <em>know<\/em> how this goes.<\/p>\n<p>Knife crime isn\u2019t the problem guys. We don\u2019t need special rules for selling knives to teenagers or brown people or anyone who looks a bit weird. We don\u2019t need a special registry for everyone with a knifeblock or who googles whetstones.<\/p>\n<p>The internet isn\u2019t the problem. We don\u2019t need rules about who can access what or where or banning anonymity or controlling \u201chate speech\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Misogyny isn\u2019t the problem. We don\u2019t need special educational classes for young men to teach them how awful they are or to put testosterone blockers in school water fountains to prevent violence or <em>another<\/em> registry for everyone who follows Andrew Tate on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t need any new rules at all. We have plenty of rules (such as the Online Safety Act, which came into force two days ago just as the Adolescence hype launched).<\/p>\n<p>The problem with our society is not a lack of rules. The problem is powerful people creating fake problems to scare real people.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is politicians indistinguishable from advertisers and entertainment companies indistinguishable from military contractors and newspapers indistinguishable from intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is the monolithic nature of global corporate government that uses authoritarianism to boost profits and uses profits to increase its authority in a cycle of exponentially increasing tyranny.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that hand we were talking about earlier, and the way everything everywhere becomes an excuse for it to tighten its grip around our neck.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026and that\u2019s the reason everyone is talking about <em>Adolescence<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Do yourself a favour, ignore it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>Support Off-Guardian:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/offguardian\">Ko-fi<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.subscribestar.com\/offguardian\">Subscribestar<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=CKFB3MH8CGB9U\">Paypal<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/off-guardian.org\/2025\/03\/20\/why-is-everybody-talking-about-adolescence\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is everyone talking about this show? Kit Knightly wonders why questions are even being asked about the Netflix show during Prime Minister\u2019s Question Time? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":305476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-305474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-Commentary","category-The_Media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=305474"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305486,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305474\/revisions\/305486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/305476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=305474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=305474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=305474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}