To say this call was disturbing would minimize the content. First, it included an aggressive dismissal of any critiques as being indicative of backwards cultural tendencies and being out of touch with intelligent assumptions about child pornography. It indicated that someone whose literal job is communications for Netflix apparently thinks they have the power to badger people in how they cover the platform's content. And there was a moralizing tone to it which, frankly, came across as a pseudo-refined European insult to knuckle dragging Americans who fear what they do not comprehend.
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She expressed doubts whether I had seen the film. I said I had seen the trailer and the clip of the performance. She said I needed to see it in context. I said I don't need to see the context of a two minute sequence any pedophile could use as jack off material. She said I clearly didn't understand the point. I said people can like the film if they want, but that my wife and I had already talked about it and decided anyone who likes the film isn't welcome around our child. She said well under that standard then she wouldn't be welcome around our child. I said I didn't know her anyway, and this wasn't a first impression that would inspire me to reconsider.
The conversation escalated quickly into a yelling match. She invoked "conspiracy theories" (I assume QAnon) as something driving negative opinions about the film, suggesting that was my motivation. I said that the fact Netflix CEO Reed Hastings would tweet out an article suggesting this is the source of critiques of the film showed how out of touch Netflix was on the subject, and raised the point that when Nancy Pelosi's daughter and Tulsi Gabbard are hitting you politically at the same time as Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, it means you misjudged the moment. She said she wouldn't be judged by me on child trafficking and I had no clue what I was talking about.
I have never had a call that was more insulting from any communications person in my entire life, and as you might expect, I get about a dozen calls from comms people in a week trying to influence coverage. If you thought Netflix was out of touch before, this should absolutely cement it. They view critiques of Cuties as nothing more than conspiratorial prudishness and the people who raise such critiques as backwards Americans who don't understand context. In other words, they're just as stupid and out of touch as Alyssa Rosenberg.
Cancel Netflix. Seriously. They're bad people.
PS: I saw a tweet being shared from Cathy Young that if you're in favor of cancelling Netflix over Cuties, it means you give up your right to complain about "cancel culture". Can someone explain to Cathy what "cancel culture" is? The entire point is "cancelling"-- threatening the livelihood -- of people over comments and positions that are well within the mainstream. Having sex with children is not included in that.
