^{Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva}

Author King Bell has written one of the most impactful books about racism – an issue that’s still rampant in today’s society, even in mainstream media.

In light of the recently released Netflix miniseries Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, people have been torn between watching the show and turning off any notifications about it. The serial killer’s story, in itself, isn’t the issue. After all, various shows are centering around people like him. Instead, it’s this particular show’s process of conception that presents problems around it.

The show has garnered a massive following and an active audience, sustaining its position as one of Netflix’s top-watched shows. But at the same time, many people have felt conflicted about it and, especially, its popularity.

What’s more surprising is that these people are the show’s supposed target audience. The crowd that would have consumed the show has taken an active stand against it.

Many people have asked why. Clearly, this issue isn’t just strictly about Dahmer. Numerous other figures have their share of media representation, from Jason Voorhees to Ted Bundy. But what sets this Jeffrey Dahmer series apart?

When there have been previous shows, documentaries, and discussions about the same person, why is a fraction of the audience expressing an issue in this installment? In the case of the Dahmer miniseries, people have voiced opposition against the show for multiple reasons.

One is on its necessity.

Is there really a need for another show about Dahmer? Jeffrey Dahmer has had a movie, documentaries, and various podcasts about his life story. As someone with such a cruel and guiltless background, why does society need to broadcast his life repeatedly? This repeated exposure raises the concern about a possible dramatization and romanticization of their lives.

As with messages, there’s also a possibility that the more these stories get told, portions of them may get lost in translation. Directors always strive to be better than the others in terms of cinematics, scriptwriting, and impact. Thus, they may create “improvements” or tweak their delivery of these stories, influencing how it appeals or gets translated to the audience.

Additionally, Hollywood is brimming with good-looking actors who are always willing to play these characters. This can influence how people view these figures. After all, no matter how ruthless the character may be, if a drop-dead gorgeous actor plays it, people can’t help but gush about them or even justify their actions. People may claim that this isn’t a problem. Anyway, they know how to separate the character from the actor playing it. But is this the case?

Social media is a witness to how the series’ audience edited the Dahmer actor, Evan Peters, into short clips with sexy or cool background music. He deserves recognition for how he portrayed the character. But doing these edits, knowing the story behind the person, does appeal unsettling.

The media claims they’re doing these movies to raise awareness about these people and their crimes. But what the audience is doing misses the whole point of it. Instead, it edges close to romanticizing these characters, making vulnerable people empathize or grow fondly toward people like Jeffrey Dahmer.

Another controversy surrounding the Dahmer series revolves around the rumor that the family of Dahmer’s victims didn’t consent to create yet another show. They have spoken up and expressed their feelings about the show. But their sentiments have mostly fallen on deaf ears.

While the focal character of the story is Dahmer, his victims’ stories also contribute significantly to it. Thus, weighing their opinions about the series would be only logical. Netflix and the director failed to consider that. This raises the question of whether the show exploits these victims’ misery and their families’ traumas for entertainment.

With the killer’s victims primarily composed of black people, there has also surfaced a debate about racism. A fraction of the show’s audience is comprised of white people. Them ignoring the pleas of his victims rubs off the wrong way.

The whole debacle got me thinking about how much society may have overlooked racism simply because we would like to have entertainment. Maybe, there are instances where we’ve become so tone-deaf about the issue that we sometimes miss its manifestations for our privileges and luxuries.

This is one of the things author King Bell has emphasized in his book.

In American’t, he has emphasized the continuous disappointments black people face even in today’s society, where they’re promised progress and inclusivity. But here we are. While many have spoken loudly about being allies to this cause, there still exist instances where racism wins ever so covertly. These behaviors can be consciously done to favor one’s luxuries or unconsciously due to environmentally propagated biases.