I was scrolling through TikTok one night, watching edits and reading think-pieces, when I saw a video that stuck out to me. It was about the early 2000s drama, One Tree Hill. Typically, I do not engage with fans of One Tree Hill, and I ignore things that are said about the show purely because of how old it is. But, this video was one that I unfortunately could not ignore.
Before I explain, I feel that I should provide a little bit of context to the characters and overall plot to the show. One Tree Hill takes place in the fictional town Tree Hill, North Carolina. The basic plot is that there are two estranged half-brothers, Lucas and Nathan Scott. Lucas Scott and his mother, Karen, were abandoned by Dan Scott, but both families live in Tree Hill, leading to drama. Dan Scott proudly renounces his relationship to Lucas, and purposefully pits the brothers against each other in every aspect of their lives.
There is a girl in the show, Peyton Sawyer, who has also had a rough go at life. Her adoptive mother is dead, her adoptive father works all the time so he is never home, and when she finally meets her biological mother and forms a relationship with her, she also dies. On top of that, she has to deal with a stalker that has attempted to harm her more than once, and lost most of her friends due to petty boy drama. Safe to say, she’s got a lot of trauma and not many people to confide in.
The TikTok that I saw was talking about the characters that OP (original poster) finds the most annoying. Their list was: Dan Scott at one (as he should be), Lucas Scott at two, and Peyton Sawyer at three. Peyton and Lucas are very hated characters, so this did not surprise me. What truly bothered me was a comment that somebody had posted. They said, “Especially Peyton, because everything that she does affects those around her.” I’m paraphrasing, but this comment left me in shock. Especially Peyton? The traumatized seventeen year old whose worst crime was falling in love with a boy with a girlfriend? Spoiler alert, Dan murdered his brother! He pitted his sons against each other and forced them to hate each other because he couldn’t let go of his “glory days” in high school! Dan Scott was constantly antagonizing those around him, but somehow Peyton is worse?
This seems like a silly thing to be upset over, but I feel that this is a perfect example of our current society. The general public would rather side with a “funny” man that had a good redemption arc (in my opinion he didn’t) than a young girl that’s traumatized that makes morally gray decisions.
This isn’t the only example of misogyny in media either. There are countless examples of a female character being hated for traits that male characters are praised for. Katara and Zuko in Avatar: the Last Airbender, Gabi Braun and Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan, and Skylar White and Walter White in Breaking Bad, to name a few.
I understand if you are currently thinking: “What’s the point, though? These shows, movies, and books are fictional.” While yes, the stories and characters are fictional, the way that people react to them reflect on their values.
Not only are some people showing their true colors with how they react to characters, but those that create their shows, movies, and books are also giving in to the pressure to not write about “woke” topics. Quite possibly the most infamous example of this was the ending of hit Netflix show, Stranger Things. For a show that built its foundation on shining a light on kids that get bullied for their differences and interests, it certainly did not feel like that by the end. With the ending that was written by ChatGPT (allegedly) and the lesson that Eleven needed to sacrifice herself in order for everybody to be happy, it’s safe to say that for the original fans of the show, the ending was nothing short of a heartbreaking disappointment.
I am not saying that if you enjoyed the ending of Stranger Things, or dislike certain characters, that you are an example of this! It is okay to like or dislike things, because everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I am simply pointing out hypocrisies and changes made to appeal to a certain audience, and I am hoping that you will reflect on this with an open mind.