Netflix's Adolescence

The Author's Note:

• This article uses a tragic story from a Netflix show to explore a deeper question: why are toxic online ideologies so appealing to young men and others who feel lost?

• We will analyze how these echo chambers act like a vacuum, rushing in to provide a pre-packaged story—a clear identity, plot, and purpose—for those who lack a compelling personal narrative.

• The solution proposed is not just censorship, but the crucial work of helping people build their own "Inner Citadel" and become the authors of a more resilient, authentic life story.

The Netflix show Adolescence presents us with a tragedy: a 13-year-old boy, Jaime, influenced by a toxic online ideology, kills his schoolmate. The immediate question the show asks is, "Is he a monster?" But I think that's the wrong question.

The more interesting question, the one that gets closer to the heart of our modern plot, is this: What fundamental human need was that ideology fulfilling for him?

It reminds me of the physics of a vacuum. A vacuum doesn't "suck"; rather, the higher pressure from the outside rushes in to fill the empty space. The toxic ideologies of the manosphere, or any other extreme echo chamber, are not the primary cause of the problem. They are the high-pressure system rushing in to fill a vacuum of meaning, purpose, and identity in the lives of many young men.

Jaime was a boy adrift. He was bullied, socially isolated, and struggling to understand his place in the world. He lacked a compelling story—a plot for his own life. The manosphere didn't just offer him anger; it offered him a complete narrative.

Think about what a powerful story it is:

A Clear Character: You are not a lost boy; you are a victim of a corrupt system.

A Clear Antagonist: The world, and specifically women, are the source of your problems.

A Clear Plot: Your mission is to reclaim your power and status.

A Clear Community: You are not alone; you are part of a brotherhood that "gets it."

For a boy drowning in the ambiguity and pain of adolescence, that kind of narrative clarity is intoxicating. It's a pre-packaged identity. It’s a powerful escape from the difficult, messy work of writing his own story.

The tragedy of Jaime is not that he was uniquely evil. It's that the story he found was a destructive one. This is a crucial plot point in our modern world. We are seeing a generation of young people navigating a reality where the most compelling and accessible stories are often the most toxic.

The solution, then, is not just to censor or condemn these ideologies. That's like trying to hold back the air from a vacuum. The real work is to help our children become the authors of a better, more resilient story for themselves. We must help them build their own "Inner Citadel," so they are no longer vulnerable to the easy answers offered by the loudest voices online. We must help them write a story so compelling that the cheap narratives of hate lose their power.

YouTube:

Is Jaimie INSANE? What's his diagnosis?