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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Quiet on Set"
Not sure if any of you have seen this yet on Netflix but it is primarily about Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon TV shows in the 90s and early 2000s.
For those of us that had kids growing up during this time that loved these shows, I loved these shows, it is soul crushing and incredibly heartbreaking.
warning for sexual assault survivors, like myself, it can be very triggering
The way these kids were treated and the way Nickelodeon, to this day, seems to have turned a blind eye to what happened, it disturbing.
Haven't been able to watch all of it yet but from what I've seen so far, Dan Schneider comes across as basically the Harvey Weinstein of kids TV but kids and adults.
The mental and physical abuse, the misogyny, racism and sexual innuendo and worse were this guy's bread and butter.
That this went on for years and years and still to this day, it does not appear that Schneider has faced any real consequences.
It is worth a watch but some may genuinely find it hard to digest in a single sitting.
PS: wanted to add that it heavily features Amanda Bines and her TV show in the late 90s-2000s, though she declined to be on the documentary or to give a statement. I viewed this young lady at the time as a comedic savant, truly gifted comedian and actor, and when she dropped out of public spotlight and had such publicly noted mental health and legal issues, I wrote it off at the time to the stress of being a child actor. It appears there was a lot more to that story and Ms. Bines had her childhood and innocence taken from her by people she trusted. It's pains me that such an amazingly talented young girl, with an amazing future ahead of her, had her life upended by greedy and evil people.
TSExile
(2,449 posts)It definitely triggered me as well. I feel horrible for everyone working on those shows who suffered. Dan Schneider should never be allowed to work in the industry again...period.
Sympthsical
(9,073 posts)Because when they show clips of various shows and some of the things kids were doing that aired, the question is being asked, "How did no one say anything about this at the time?" People probably did notice, but there wasn't quite yet a vehicle for people to gather together and compare notes on what they or their kids were viewing. Only if something really egregious and more national occurred did it get legs (Like Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake).
However, if there were shows on today that attempted similar, they would never survive. The clips would be all over social media like TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit with people asking, "What is going on with this?!"
Social media actually make it harder for unusual adult behavior towards children to go uncommented upon.
angrychair
(8,699 posts)Be it the child actors, their parents or show staff, all of them, were afraid to say anything because they were afraid of getting fired and/or blackballed. During this time a lot of those kids were from normal families and being on TV was a once in a lifetime opportunity they didn't want to mess up. I just watched the first episode and I heard a version of that sentiment multiple times.
That mindset created a power vacuum and a perfect scenario for abuse. One in which the victims felt powerless to change anything or to even express their concerns.