“You” Should Be Vaccinated

Over the last month, you have likely seen the release of the new season of the Netflix series You, full of romance, murder, and the nation’s beloved stalker, Joe. Season three focuses on the inner workings of Joe and Love’s relationship as a newlyweds, along with their struggle of raising a baby together. Television shows today, particularly those written and produced by Netflix, manage to integrate political or controversial topics relevant to the time. Although these controversies add to the plot and create dialogue, it appears the entertainment industry hopes to push a certain narrative or agenda. 

Early in the series, Love and Joe’s son Henry comes down with the measles, which can be extremely harmful to infants. Joe contracts the illness as well, kicking off the season with a chaotic series of events. The couple stresses over who could have given their son the measles, and the subject of vaccines enters the screen.

You shows its hand and emphasizes its stance on the vaccine debate through Love’s reaction to Gil, their new friend in Madre Linda, California. Gil comes into Love’s bakery, expressing how sorry he feels that his children exposed Henry to the illness.

Gil states, “We hope you won’t hold it against us…you see, we just don’t believe in subjecting kids to toxic injections they don’t need, to fight things their bodies were created to fight.” Love doesn’t respond, and Gil continues, “The most important thing is that everyone is better now, right?” Maybe not. The series and franchise has now established who they are fighting for. This article is not to discuss the vaccine debate, but rather how people dismiss television as a vehicle for subliminal messaging. 

There have always been parents who do not desire to vaccinate their children. In a time where the COVID-19 vaccine is constantly a topic of conversation in realms of politics, morals, ethics, science, and values, is it a coincidence that the topic appears in a popular television series? Unlikely. 

Showrunner Sera Gamble did an interview with Danielle Turchiano from Variety, where she justified the use of the vaccine controversy in the show. 

“We were not trying to have political conversations, we were just inviting the parents who work on the show to talk about what they’re scared of, and nothing is more terrifying than your child becoming sick. And so, it wasn’t anything more cheeky or subversive than that.”

Although the issue of vaccines in the series has to do with measles, the message still stands. If you do not vaccinate your children, you are evil and kill people, and if you do vaccinate your children, you’re a saint.

The entertainment industry will mask messages of propaganda, agenda driven plots, and sneaky narratives under the glamour of Hollywood and impressive acting skills. The use of creative expression and taking relevant events to the big screen opens the door for control of the narrative. 

This is not the only example of Hollywood encouraging the public to make certain decisions through television or film. We see this through straightforward, celebrity-driven tactics, particularly with specific policies and in efforts to sway people’s perceptions of politicians. 

Recall Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her famous Met Gala dress with “Tax the Rich” in red letters across the white fabric. The virtue signaling of Ocasio-Cortez is blatantly obvious, when she is attending a gala only the wealthiest and most well-known of our society are invited to. Say “tax the rich” all you want, but attending such an event helps you lose all credibility. 

“Medium is the message,” said Ocasio-Cortez on her Instagram. The performative activism speaks volumes on her character and intentions. 

Similarly, celebrities recently cooperated to push Biden’s environmental agenda through a letter signed by 69 stars. This included Leonardo DeCaprio, Justin Timberlake, and Barbra Steisand among others. 

Ellen Degeneres, who has several million dollar homes across the country, also signed the letter. How could she possibly reach her destination without creating a carbon footprint? Degeneres preaches one thing while practicing another. It seems that hypocrisy goes hand-in-hand with the agenda driven entertainment industry. 

Television shows and Netflix series should not be pushing you to make certain decisions in your life. A dress at the Met Gala contradicting oneself is not “iconic.” Get vaccinated, don’t get vaccinated; it should be your own individual choice. Support who you like without the influence of wealthy Hollywood stars telling you what to do. Celebrities are too out of touch to understand the average American’s life and the situations they encounter every day.