WHOSE Eighties, Exactly? Or, “Stranger Things”: When Mileage Variance Meets the Road

The Black Kids in 'Stranger Things' Never Get the Story They Deserve

Also, this, as a side-note: https://www.theroot.com/stranger-things-caleb-mclaughlin-addresses-racism-from-1849585796

I’m about to run out of sarcastically shocked gifs, yo. Lack of DEI is a helluva drug.

Figured I’d crosspost this here, sooooo….

Frankly, I think what’s stated in this article is why I’ve been putting off watching Stranger Things. After a LIFETIME of this shit and the lifetimes of prior generations, can I CALL THIS SHIT or can I call it? I’d had a feeling when none of the voices crowing about this show in the Fan-o-sphere seemed to be Black. Or, really, anything but white. The more I observe the fandom-balloon around Stranger Things, the less I’m interested in investing my time. Whenever I read about or hear about how “right” this show gets the Eighties, I always roll my eyes and think: “M’kay, but, WHOSE eighties? I’m thinking not mine.” And I was right. Black People Spidey-sense has never steered me wrong.

My Black People Spidey-sense is SO EXHAUSTED.

I’m sure the show is well written from many vantage points but I had my doubts about this one and I’m not surprised that I was right to. I’m too damned old to be acting THAT new. And at this point, I try to minimize heaping disappointment on myself wherever I can. Just the fact that I didn’t even know the show had more than one Black kid tells me what I need to know. That fact that I only barely saw the one Black kid I KNEW ABOUT in the promotional materials, told me what I needed to know.

Though I was on the fence about giving the show at least some initial time and attention.