#Adolescence remains at the top of the Netflix charts. Prime Minister Kier Starmer has binged it; praises and writes policy on it, and even invited its producers over for tea. Society wags its finger at boys; our airwaves ringing with worry, as every radio DJ, pundit and podcaster in the land, wring their hands, shed their tears, and clutch their pearls, in unconvincing performances of empathy and understanding. We are lost in a storm, where everyone has their say, apart from the boys themselves. Boys who will spend their time having it wheeled into schools, and lights off, beamed into their eyeballs instead. Yes. What I’ve seen has been disappointing and unhelpful, but it’s nothing new… It’s a cultural story that feels as old as time itself, the headline being: “man bad”, followed by tangentially linked diatribes of anti-male hysteria, unceremoniously dumped onto our heads. The familiar talk of lonely, single, misfit young men; those living in basements, or online, walking the street, or even the forest 🐻 Society gets itself all worked up, loses its mind, and then as fast as it started, finds itself disinterested just weeks later, wandering off in a drunken stupor toward the next “big thing”. Looking back at Adolescence, we have clearly lost our way, if we ever found it to start with. Instead, whatever meaningful and earnest conversation we could have had, has been trampled upon by the usual clowns, as the circus rolls back into town. And already, people, coming down from their moral high, are asking if there will be a sequel to Adolescence. But they needn’t fear - I’m sure a new terrifying story of some favour or another, will be along shortly... What do you think? - Images by Dan Lynn, Getty, and Eduardo Ramos

2025-04-01