People Are Canceling Their Netflix Accounts Because of 'Dear White People'

The trailer for Netflix’s upcoming series Dear White People has struck a chord with white supremacists. Many are now canceling their service and using the Twitter hashtag #NoNetflix to publicize it.

On Wednesday, Netflix dropped the first look at the show based on the 2014 movie of the same name. It didn’t take long for people to start protesting with their wallets.

Why all the fury? Well, Dear White People follows black college student Sam White, who hosts a radio show about being a minority while attending a largely white university. The show’s trailer teases White’s broadcast about acceptable Halloween costumes which include pirates and “slutty nurses.” As for unacceptable: dressing up in black face.

Soon after the trailer was released, the bemoaning began on Twitter. Members of the self-proclaimed “alt-right,” otherwise known as white supremacists, were concerned about white people’s portrayal in the show. They quickly organized #NoNetflix and spoke out in opposition of the “anti-white show” that “promotes white genocide.”

Well-known Donald Trump supporter and Twitter personality @bakedalaska tweeted out a screenshot of his cancellation message. It quickly took on the whiter parts of the internet:

“Netflix announced a new anti-white show (Dear White People) that promotes white genocide. I cancelled my account, do the same,” they said on February 8.

Many others followed suit, furthering the claim that Netflix was promoting an “anti-white agenda.”

They also swarmed the trailer’s YouTube comments and ratings. As of Thursday noon, the video has about 5,600 thumbs-up and 109,300 thumbs-down. Responses like “dear netflix your [sic] just signed up for bankruptcy” to surface.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that these people’s efforts probably would do little to dent Netflix’s massive influence. Twitter user @buncahn shared a graph showing the company’s stock continually going up.

“Meanwhile, back in the real world, Netflix’s stock continues to soar to all time highs. good luck with your boycott, #NoNetflix,” they said on February 9.

Justin Siemien, the creator of Dear White People, posted on Facebook about the pushback. He wrote, “To see the sheer threat that people feel over a date announcement video featuring a woman of color (politely) asking not to be mocked makes it so clear why I made this show.”

In today’s political climate, money has been a significant form of protest. After Trump put in place a travel ban and cab drivers were protesting by refusing to transport passengers to John F. Kennedy Airport, Uber announced that it had turned off surge pricing at the airport. Many saw this as the ride-sharing app’s attempt to take advantage of the situation and #DeleteUber started trending, with many people getting rid of the app because of its response to the ban.

It’s unclear exactly how many people have canceled their Netflix accounts because of the Dear White People. But it also looks like plenty of other people are excited about the show, which is available to stream on April 28.