The problem with obsession

Netflix’s “You” isn’t romantic

Photo via Netflix

In case you haven’t noticed, Netflix’s new show, “You” is taking over Twitter and has gained massive popularity in a short amount of time. “You” follows a bookstore owner named Joe who meets and falls for a girl named Beck. It is quickly revealed through his intense stalking, theft and murder that Joe is a total creep and crazy obsessive. But even despite this, the one thing creepier than Joe is the fact that people across Twitter are justifying his actions and romanticizing his obsession with Beck.

If you don’t know what I mean….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, but I disagree. There is absolutely no justification for stalking, blatant secrecy, or MURDER. Joe was not a likable character. Joe was weak and messed up and a sob of a human being. I’m not a fan of Beck either, so I’m not going to come out and say I was on her side, but Joe was toxic to Beck and completely stole her life and invaded her privacy. Nobody deserves that.

The whole craze about Joe being loveable and romantic and hot caught the attention of Penn Badgley, the actor that played Joe in the series, prompting him to respond with this tweet:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an interview with “The New York Times,” Badgley further reinforced the fact that Joe’s actions were harmful and that as a whole, his character was toxic and hinted that Joe and Beck’s relationship was not healthy and should not be romanticized.

As a whole, ‘You’ was an entertaining show and many are thrilled that it is to be renewed for a second season. While Joe did have some likable quirks, the social media craze about him needs to stop. There is still a serious issue about social media and Hollywood glamorizing mental illness, seen in “13 Reasons Why” and “Split,” among many others, and “You” is in no way exempt from this. The romanization of mental illness and personality disorders are misleading and narrow-minded. It needs to stop.