There are many shows that came out decades ago that, no matter how old they’ve become, we still appreciate as a product of its time. I remember growing up and staying at my dad’s house as he would watch “The Honeymooners” marathons for hours, wondering why a husband would say “Bang, Zoom, to the moon!” and casually joking around about hitting his own wife. Clearly, as a woman who grew up in a different time than when “The Honeymooners” was airing new episodes on TV, it was a bit weird for me. But, it didn’t change the fact that I enjoyed the hilarious plotlines and story behind the TV show–I wasn’t going to be super offended by a show that came out, oh, in the ’50s.
As decades progress, there are societal changes and strides we make to understand and accept situations regularly. But, when you look back in time, not everything was normalized. It’s no one’s fault, it is just the way in which society progresses. So, can we be angry at a TV show for being a product of its own time? Apparently, Millennials believe they can.
Recently, Netflix gained the honor of airing the hit ’90s sitcom “Friends” on their streaming service. For many, “Friends” is nostalgic and brilliant, taking us back to a much simpler time where friends could sit around and have fun, hilarious nights playing trivia about each other, instead of scrolling on Twitter for hours while sitting in the same room. Or, the simpler times of actually going on a blind date, or meeting someone randomly in the street, rather than stalking them online and knowing every little detail about them–you know, spontaneity. But, for some Millennials who are watching the sitcom for the first time, they’re outraged and offended by the storylines in place.