People are threatening to boycott Netflix over show

chibumga izuzu

February 14, 2017 11:45 AM

Netflix faces online backlash for "Dear White People," its new series about racial hypocrisy at a college.

Dear White People

Following the release of a trailer for Netflixs new show

The 30-second clip received backlash from Twitter users who accused Netflix of being “anti-white” and created the hashtag #BoycottNetflix.

The controversial trailer which was released on Wednesday, February 8, 2017, has been viewed more than 214,000 times, with over 54,000 people giving it a thumbs down.

Based on the hit 2014 satirical movie, "Dear White People" was quite controversial at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it scooped the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent.

Reacting to the controversy, the director of the series Justin Simien said, “I’m not the first artist to use a misnomer as a title and I reject any notion of ‘causing a divide’ simply by stating that one exists."

"Which is my role as artist. To state what is. But if facts and common sense can not wake us up from our delusions and distorted ways of seeing, what can?” he asked.

“Stories. Stories teach us empathy. They reveal to us ourselves in the skins of others. Our entire concept of reality is stories. So tell your story. Come out of the closet. Write your thesis. Make your film. But do it honestly. Tell the inconvenient truth. It is the only thing that has ever saved us. So while it was fun engaging the trolls but it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. The harder thing is to listen and present what is.”

The trailer sparked a conversation on Twitter, leading to mixed reactions.

The series which focuses on racial politics on a university campus will debut on April 24, 2017.

chibumga izuzu