The new Netflix original series "dear white people" may earn a place in television history as the most-hated program ever created -- even though the series premiere is more than three months away.
Claims that YouTube fudged the numbers
The trailer for the controversial series stirred up a hornet's nest of backlash from Netflix subscribers after its YouTube release on Friday, provoking many users to cancel their subscriptions and deluge the preview with "dislikes." The YouTube trailer racked up over 250,000 dislikes within 24 hours, although DailyMail claims that YouTube doctored the numbers by deleting a million views and more than 100,000 angry comments from its publicly viewable statistics.
The series, set on the fictional Ivy League campus of Winchester University, exploits Caucasian stereotypes through the eyes of the show's black female protagonist. Naturally, viewers flooded the comment section in order to express their anger.
One viewer hit the nail on the head with a few simple words, writing that the show "isn't reverse racism -- it's just plain racism." Hundreds more commented that they will cancel their subscriptions to Netflix, while other commenters urged people to switch from Netflix to rival services like Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Black viewers also disgusted by series trailer
"Dear White People" didn't just rub white viewers the wrong way -- many black viewers were just as incensed over the "racist" subject matter and exploitation of tired, old stereotypes.
Daily Mail reports one viewer's comment: "I say this as a black person...I find it racist as hell."
Some people actually liked the series trailer, pointing out in their comments that the show is intended to be satirical and is, in no way, racist. DailyMail seems to disagree, however, pointing out that one of the show's writers, Jack Moore, has tweeted racist statements in the past, and has alleged that Moore once posted a Twitter message stating, "F--k white people."
The series premiere of "Dear White People" is scheduled for April 24.
