Why Outcry Against Netflix's 'Blonde,' 'Dahmer' May Be Missing the Point

Some of Netflix's recent content based on true stories has received public backlash for its graphic content—but are the naysayers missing the point?

Original movie Blonde (a fictionalized biopic of Marilyn Monroe's life) was heavily criticized for various things including its depiction of abortions, meanwhile Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has become a trending topic and even inspired a "disturbing" TikTok trend.

Some people have called for a boycott of content that glorifies real-life violence, while others have made calls that the real life victims' families of Dahmer's crimes should be compensated.

In the wake of the release of the aforementioned shows, Twitter user @pk_kenzie led the calls for people to switch off Netflix. Getting over 80,000 likes and over 12,000 retweets, they called for people to watch some of the streaming service's lighter content instead.

Taking issue with Blonde in particular, Twitter user @remainsoflilies got over 100,000 likes, comments and retweets for creating a thread listing all the reasons they believed people "shouldn't watch it."

While the debate rages online, Associate Professor of American Studies Jason Ruiz, an expert in Netflix and streaming services, thinks people should be "more honest" in the fact that people do in fact want to see stories like Blonde and Monster dramatized.

"It's an interesting moment in media right now because viewers seem to have an insatiable appetite for true crime, and movies and series that can claim to be 'based on a true story' at the same time that some are uncomfortable about the exploitation of violence and trauma on a platform such as Netflix," Professor Ruiz of the University of Notre Dame told Newsweek.

"People get a lot more outspoken when 'what really happened' is dramatized," he added.

Whilst there has undoubtedly been a backlash against Blonde, it reached number 2 in Netflix' Weekly Top 10 lists of the most-watched films globally. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is number 1 globally in the TV category, with viewing figures massively outweighing any other show.

Professor Ruiz continued: "The conversation around Blonde and Monster raises serious questions about who gets to tell which 'true' stories—and who should profit from the telling.

"I have seen calls that the families of Dahmer's victims should receive financial compensation from the producers of the series, which really surprised me at first. But I think it speaks to people's discomfort with telling a story like Dahmer's and his victims' in a commercial platform such as Netflix without some sort of social mission."

On the many calls to boycott such content, including that sent by @pk_kenzie on Twitter, Ruiz suggests there are just as many people defending the shows.

"Many of the comments [online] defend the series and movie by claiming that they 'raise awareness.' Come on, anyone can learn about Dahmer or Monroe without Netflix dramatizing their histories.

"We should be more honest about the fact that we like and want to see these stories, evidenced by high ranking on the Netflix charts. This is nothing new. What is new-ish is that social media provides an opportunity for instant public criticism.

"Netflix is at the top of the global streaming market so it makes sense that it serves as something of a lightning rod for criticism of TV and movie storytelling. It will be interesting to see how much power the public has in shaping future actions around telling ugly, messy, violent 'true' stories," Professor Ruiz said.

Newsweek has reached out to Netflix for further comment in response to the online backlash.