Evaluative Argument Essay

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of Instructor]

[Subject]

[Date]

Evaluative Argumentative Essay

Introduction

After being given the assignment of doing an argumentative essay, the first show that came into the mind was “You” a Netflix original series. The series is based on the book by Caroline Kepnes which goes by the same name as well. The reason behind choosing this series is the fact that it was surrounded by a great amount of controversy based on the main character. People were claiming that this is what is wrong with the society. The fact that famous subscriptions like Netflix is promoting such a show is what is unnerving people. Having said that, there are a lot of positive reviews surrounding the show as well. It given in a sense of awareness not just about people but the cons of social media. My argument is that the show “You” helps raise awareness regarding a few big issues of the 21st century; the cons of obsessive social media use, stalking, sexual harassment, the anxiety of having unsupportive parents and the stress of getting an education. The characters project all these issues in an impactful manner, yes it can get a tad graphic but that is the whole idea of the series.

Discussion

The show focuses on a young woman named Beck in her mid-twenties living in New York City trying to pursue an education at NYU. Her world comes crashing down when she meets a young charismatic book store manager named Joe. She shares her credit card with Joe in a nonchalant manner by which he finds out her name. As soon as Joe gets home he stalks her social media (Kepnes 36). All her profiles are public, and he can view all her photos and locations via her check ins. Here is how from the very first episode the creators of the show try to help us understand the importance of maintaining privacy on social media. There are people out there who argue that Joe should not have stalked her on the first place. I agree to that but let us not forget that Joe is not exactly a normal guy, he has had a problematic childhood and does not know how to function like a normal person does. Further, even in the real world there are going to be people who might have psychological issues or may want to bring you harm because of the hate they carry for you (Yang). The world is not a fair place, where there are good people there are going to be bad people as well. So, it is our own responsibility to save ourselves from the negativity that exists in this world.

In the show we see the character of Annika, who has built an empire on social media with obsessive usage. Her world comes crashing down when someone close to her posts a video of her in which she is saying racial things. Later, it is found out that it is apparently her own best friend Peach. This also helps us understand that we need to be careful with who we choose to be our friends. This show also helps give people a reality check that how at times the people who are closest to us can be our worst enemies. My argument is not that everyone one is bad, I am just trying to say that there is nothing wrong with being cautious.

The show has these elements and scenarios that one sees happening in real life as well. the example of Beck’s Professor can be taken. He drives her to the verge of losing her means of affording a living. What really caught my eye was she was actually considering letting the professor go his way thinking that this is the real world, and no one will believe her. She eventually does take a stand for herself which works out for her. The #metoo movement is all the talk nowadays. This show gave a glimpse of how things can be when an individual is faced by such a situation. It is definitely not easy and takes a lot to stand up for herself. The people who believe that Beck had a choice and she should have taken the route that she took later from the very start. That is where the are wrong. When someone is struggling at times its like there is no choice left. Beck was someone who was passionate about her degree but was from a poor background, and believed she was not financially strong enough to make the right move. Additionally, the show helps shed light on how living in the fast life can at times make us over look the things that carry great importance (DeMatteo, et al., 227) Nothing daunts us that easy nowadays and we trust very easily.

Conclusion

This show is not just an insight on how a stalker functions, it tells us that how a simple option of privacy can help us avoid a bigger problem in the future. I also like the fact that show also sheds light on how gay people struggle if their parents are not supportive. Peach was led to insanity because her family would never approve her sexuality (Maiuro). Every character faced issues that could have been avoided if they had a different brought up and had supportive parents. It is evident that the environment we grow in can have an impact on how we turn out. However, the fast world around us today can make an individual take steps that the might not want to. Having said that, I just have one problem with the show, which I agree with a lot of critics as well. the show seems to romanticize a serial killer, but at the same time it is from the Killer’s perspective. He is the narrator and he is the one doing the talking, so one has to be careful when watching the show, do not over assume things. All and all, “You” is a perfect show to watch if one wants to see the struggles of being a millennial and the serious issues faced lately like; sexual assault and stalking.

Work Cited

Kepnes, Caroline. "Book bite 1: You." Good Reading Oct 2014 (2014): 36.

Yang, Hui, et al. "Privacy-preserving ir 2016: Differential privacy, search, and social media." Proceedings of the 39th International ACM SIGIR conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval. ACM, 2016.

DeMatteo, David, et al. "Sexual assault on college campuses: A 50-state survey of criminal sexual assault statutes and their relevance to campus sexual assault." Psychology, Public Policy, and Law 21.3 (2015): 227.

Maiuro, Roland D., ed. Perspectives on Stalking: Victims, Perpetrators, and Cyberstalking. Springer Publishing Company, 2015.