All Jokes Aside Netflix’s You Series Is Really About How Far We’re Willing To Go To Forgive A White Man (And It’s Scary)

If you haven’t seen You on Netflix yet, then you probably have absolutely no clue what the series is really about.

But despite what you’ve heard and what you may think from seeing the memes on social media it’s a lot deeper than just some dude killing people and being “the perfect boyfriend“. So here’s what the You series on Netflix is about.

The You Series Is Really About How Society Always Forgives The White Man

Like, think about it for a second.

Would a Black men EVER get away with this shit? Seriously!

Y’all out here cussing Lena Waithe and shit because she made the Queen and Slim movie, but watching You on Netflix religiously! The only difference is … this is about a white guy! Y’all ain’t got NO god damn problem watching this man murder people? Funny! I guess it’s cause he’s white right?

And funny enough, Penn Badgley, the man that plays Joe, knows this is what the You series on Netflix is about!

According to Daily Dot … In a “Variety Studios Actors on Actors” interview from June, (which is below) Gina Rodriguez asked Penn Badgley how he feels about “the desire and the longing” for his character Joe, given that Joe’s “not great.””

Most people think the You series on Netflix is really about “how far [someone is] willing to go for love”. “But I was always like no, that’s not what that is,” Badgley responded. “To me, it’s ‘how far are we willing to go to forgive an evil white man?’””

And I absolutely agree.

Joe has stalked his “lovers”, lied, killed, and more. But honestly we should be able to stop there and say “whoa, this isn’t love, this is crazy”.

However, most of us, me included, are rooting for Joe! Because guess what, “aside from the killing” he’s a “great” boyfriend right? He pays attention to her, he’s always there when she needs him, hell he literally saved Beck’s life in Season one!

But it’s not JUST the fact that he’s a killer!

So why do we keep finding reasons to give Joe a pass? It’s like slapping a kid on the wrist and sending them back to play, expecting them to do better the next time. Or saying “boys will be boys” and ignoring the real issues!

Which honestly, is something we’d never do if Joe was Black!

If Joe Goldberg was a Black man he’d already have been shot dead.

Let’s use Queen and Slim for example shall we?

“Slim” accidentally killed ONE cop. Joe has purposely killed a few different people.

Slim had to go on the run. Joe walking around free as F*CK!

And don’t come around here saying “well there was proof of Slim killing the cop, and no proof of Joe”. Slim killed out of SELF DEFENSE and was scared for his date’s life! He did what many of us would have probably done. Joe out here killing cause folks “in the way”.

There’s no way we’d be okay with the things Joe did if he wasn’t a white man …

There’s just no way!

Penn Badgley even says to Gina Rodriguez that there are “cultural norms that we’re still indoctrinated by, that incline us to forgive a certain person, mainly that looks like someone like [him], less so for someone that looks like [Gina].”

Aka, we’ve been trained to basically forgive the white man, and give him a pass, but for anyone else, for anyone of color, whether that be a Black man, a Latina woman, etc., all that forgiveness goes out the window!

So while this is “just a TV show” don’t discredit it and forget to look a bit deeper … there’s always a message in everything, and this is just one message in You.

Penn even says that sometimes it’s easy for us to binge something like You on Netflix, and then say “why do I feel this way” afterwards, and start binging something else, something lighter – maybe something funny, “so you can balance out those feelings”.

Which is totally something I do all the time!

I’m not a horror fan, or even great with watching shows like You and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, despite how much I love them both.  I was even scared to see Queen and Slim at first. So I have a ton of shows that I watch in between, to erase the dark cloud in my thoughts. Stuff like Astronomy Club, Man like Mobeen, Family Reunion, and Disenchantment (all on Netflix) always helps.

Would you be able to forgive someone if they did the things Joe did?

I doubt it! (I mean, if you would, I’ma need you to click exit outta this post and check yourself into a mental institution or at least get a therapist, cause are you okay?)

But if someone stalked you, and knew what you liked or did before you even told them, would you be okay with it?

If someone killed your best friend because they loved someone you knew, would you be able to forgive them the way you forgive Joe?

And don’t worry, I’m not sitting here telling you to stop watching You on Netflix. This is for thinking and discussion purposes only. Lol Shit, I’m not done with Season 2 of You yet, but we may be getting a season 3 of You and guess who’ll be right here with y’all watching that when it releases? Lol

I just need you to ask yourself, why you’re not screaming at the screen, yelling at Joe to stop doing what he’s doing … while you watch. Why are we rooting for him?

Here’s the full convo Penn Badgley had with Gina Rodriguez …

What do you think the You series on Netflix is about?

P.s – If this post was a bit too heavy for you, here’s 11 funny You memes about Joe to lighten the mood a bit.

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