Paul Bibby
Byron Council will write to streaming giant Netflix stating its disapproval and opposition to the filming of controversial reality TV show ‘Byron Baes’.
As a television camera rolled in Byron Council yesterday, the Council voted to formally oppose the show, which has drawn the ire of thousands of locals.
‘The risk is that this show is going to turn us into a parody,’ Mayor Simon Richardson said.
‘If you’ve got these people who are basically a bit of a stereotype of one type of person who lives here then the whole show becomes about taking the Mickey and that’s potentially really damaging to our community.
In addition to expressing its disapproval and opposition, the Council voted to request that Netflix ‘relocate to another location and community that is supportive of hosting the show’.
It also voted to request that the State Government ‘conduct a review of the current NSW filming protocols to better provide local community engagement and offers its support to provide input into the review’.
Mayor Richardson said that he had been contacted by the head of Netflix who had attempted to reassure him that the show would not be damaging to the local community, and that the company wanted to invest more resources into future productions in the Shire.
‘I said, well, this show is your litmus test,’ he said.
The head of Netflix also reportedly said that the company had been approached by senior figures in the industry who were trying to dissuade him from allowing the show to go on.
ENDS
‘The risk is that this show is going to turn us into a parody,’ Mayor Simon Richardson said.
Now I don’t like pedantry and language is an evolving thing but I’d suggest the production itself may very well be a parody but the only individual behaviour can turn that individual into a parody. Maybe, by being precious enough to think we can censor our image, precious enough to think we are above a bit satire, we are indeed turning ourselves into a parody.
Good!
Like most everything else now ,this blip in the virtual world will be largely forgotten in a year or so . As much as I totally agree with the fact that it is just a parody of life now , and that it can do byron no good. Whatsoever ,on the other hand it’s many of the kids of the club med protestors who have taken up the baton of protecting what we can. In refusing to do business with netflix. All power to them . Makes us old timers proud…this is their club med moment .. go for it , I say .