“That’s squarely on the shoulders of Netflix”: You Star Penn Badgley Blames Netflix for Glorifying Real Life Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer After His Fictional Character Was Conflated With a Real Monster
People tend to have a weird obsession with serial killers, and they tend to sympathize with them. There is no specific reason behind this but psychology says it is because of the darker aspect of the human mind; however, the individuals give various reasons for their obsession and one of the reasons they give is that the TV series make them attractive.
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Penn Badgley
One of the main reasons for this discussion is because of the controversial series by Netflix, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which has added a charm and likeability to the character that distracted people from his crimes. And recently, actor Penn Badgley called out the streaming giant for their controversial series.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Penn Badgley commented on the controversial series where he talked about several serial killers who have been in the spotlight for quite some time. He compared it with You, where he said that in his show people are meant to fall in love with the character, but you’re not meant to do that with a real story that is documenting the crimes of a killer who has killed over 15 people between 1978 and 1991.
A still from Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
“You need to look at that, inside. With our show, you’re meant to fall in love with him. That’s on us. Ted Bundy, that’s on you. “Jeffrey Dahmer, that is on…” and Penn appeared to start saying “you” before changing his mind, continuing: “That is on Netflix! That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix. I don’t have answers at this point. I do, but they’re long… Yeah, it’s weird, man.”
Penn Badgley, the star who plays the role of Joe Goldberg in the fictional serial killer series You, was praised by many people as he fearlessly addressed the reason why people are drawn to killers. People appreciated how easily Badgley distinguished the difference between a fictional and real-life killer, as well as called out Netflix on the shady series, despite being employed by them.
Why was Netflix’s Docuseries Criticised by People?
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was heavily criticized by the audience and critics for making the serial killer attractive to its viewers. The serial killer murdered 17 people between the 1970s to 1990s, and the mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims criticized Netflix on the decision of creating a series that featured his crimes. She went on to say how these companies use the grief and tragedy of the victims to make money.
“There’s a lot of sick people around the world, and people winning acting roles from playing killers keeps the obsession going and this makes sick people thrive on the fame. It’s a shame that people can take our tragedy and make money,” she continued. The victims never saw a cent. We go through these emotions every day.”
The poster of the Netflix Docuseries, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Many people understood the sentiments of the victim’s mother and said that it is fine if media companies are making shows about a fictional killer when it is for entertainment purposes. But these companies should understand the emotions of the families and friends of the victim of these killers, and avoid giving them ‘appeal’ and ‘charisma’ that would distract the audience from the crimes they have committed.
A voracious reader and a wordsmith at heart. Tushar is a student of Linguistics, who's always on the lookout for a good book or a captivating story. He has a passion for literature that runs deep and loves nothing more than getting lost in a novel for hours on end. When he isn't reading, you'll find him scribbling down his thoughts and musings, always eager to capture the beauty of language.
