I made a now-deleted post about Billy Hargrove, stating how I didn’t understand why people defend him, and received mixed responses. My previous post was quite brief and lacked depth, which is why I’m making this follow-up. Screenshots will be added for context.
Firstly, we need to understand what media literacy is. Media literacy is defined as the ability to critically analyse stories presented in the mass media and to determine their accuracy or credibility. Stranger Things falls under mass media and is viable to critical analysis. Now, is analysing characters in the show media literacy? Yes, it is. Analysing a fictional character is more than simply liking the character or enjoying the story. It allows you to understand the message, their choices, the character’s actions, what they represent, how they influence viewers, and explore societal themes. So @rigginsstreet I’d suggest you read more on this topic before impulsively denouncing it.
Next, we need to discuss Billy as a character.
Abuse: He was a victim of abuse, specifically domestic violence perpetrated by his father. This later made him an abuser, too. We don’t know that much about how badly he abused Max, but she does say he made her life hell. I’d like to thank @richard-billy-hargrove for pointing out that the abused usually become abusers as a byproduct of what they went through. Although this is a reason why he was the way he was, it does not excuse his behaviour towards those around him. He became the same thing that hurt him.
Jonathan vs Billy: In @lil-the-notverywise post, OP points out how both Jonnathan and Billy were abused by their fathers. The stark difference is that Jonnathan did not turn around and abuse his younger brother and others. He didn’t ostracise Lucas either. Sure, Jonathan was a creep, but he stopped as soon as he was called out for it. Why couldn't Billy do the same?
Could Billy have unlearned his abusive behaviour? Who knows? All we know is that he repeated a cycle he learned, which he could have abandoned as he grew up. Not all abused children grow up to be perpetrators. Defending Billy’s abuse towards others would be the same as defending his abusive father.
Racism: A majority of Billy’s fans are unsurprisingly white. This is important to understand when discussing this topic. Since Billy’s introduction on Stranger Things, black ST fans have had to explain multiple times that Billy was a racist, but his fans continue to brush it off. White fans like to paint the narrative that Billy isn’t a racist sociopath. They do this by calling him broken, misunderstood and blaming his father for the pain he inflicts on others.
The Duffer brothers have confirmed (multiple times) that Billy was written to be a representation of racism in the ‘80s. Matt Duffer: “He is racist, I think. It's [reflective of] people that he's viewing as different from him and an overall rage at the world.” Season 2’s original script included using a racial slur to refer to Lucas, which was later dropped because Dacre refused to say the word. His racism would have been more blatant if they had agreed to keep the slur in. Although this doesn’t directly fall into canon, it is enough to prove that Billy was designed to be a racist.
The Duffers used microaggressions to further push Billy’s bigoted mindset. When in the car with Max, he says, “This is serious s--t, okay? I'm older than you. And something you learn is that there's a certain type of people in this world, that you stay away from. And that kid, Max - that kid is one of them. You stay away from that kid, you hear? Stay away.”
Racism in the ‘80s was perverse. Systematic discrimination and racial violence, and riots were common. The KKK was still kicking, the media still pushed racial stereotypes about minorities - especially black people - in TV and movies. With that being said, what else could Billy have possibly meant when he said that? “One of them”, “certain types of people” It is painfully obvious he is not talking about boys but about black people.
The dismissal of Billy being a racist represents how privileged a majority of the fandom is. Most of you have never experienced racism and will most likely never experience it. It’s no wonder that it comes easily for you to abandon the fact that he’s a bigot. To the minority fans who love Billy, it’s quite backwards of you to receive someone who would not utter a single positive word to you if given the chance.
Comparison of Billy and Lucas' popularity on the show: Lucas is a part of the main cast for the show; however, his fanbase is significantly smaller than Billy’s - a character who died 2 seasons ago. Knowing that the ST fanbase is predominantly white and dismissive of racism. It’s no surprise that there is a shortage of fan edits, fan fiction and fan art for Lucas Sinclair. On Tumblr alone, the Billy Hargrove tag has 14k followers while Lucas Sinclair has 6.3k. ST fans would much rather keep up with the racist, abusive character than the only black male character on the show. Blaming Lucas’ fans for not pushing out a significant amount of content for him is shifting the blame onto black fans instead of acknowledging that racism plays a role in why such content is lacking. The love is there, it just simply isn’t enough because you all choose to ignore him for a man who hates people like him.
Lastly, I believe many of you only excuse Billy’s bigoted actions because he’s attractive. We see this in real life. A somewhat attractive white man could commit a crime, and an influx of white girls (and gays) will be at his defence. You would be the same people who look at male terrorists and blame the women in their lives for not going to prom with him, or blame the black man’s actions for why a cop wrongfully shot him.
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