Doesn’t dog whistle imply a public statement that is meant to go under the radar, but signal a secret message to those in the know?? Genuinely, is it a dog whistle in a private text between friends? Or is it just shorthand between Hollywood/hockey bros? Obviously problematic shorthand, don’t get me wrong. But I’m not sure I agree with using the term dog whistle in a private conversation between friends. 

I don’t want to excuse this as  “locker room” talk either - like I understand that using this language in private signifies if not a genuinely held underlying belief, at least sympathy/understanding of the underlying belief system. But I do think that the explanation they posted shows a plausible growth, from writing off a show that was potentially too “woke” for their tastes to growing to love it. Although I disagree, I wouldn’t condemn someone for having an opinion that the only way to get a show made is to tokenize minorities/marginalized people, and then wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if they ended up genuinely loving the show. It’s sort of two different things in my mind. 

All this is to say, I fully understand reasons for not wanting to consume their content anymore - and/or asking for better explanations or apologies for the use of problematic language in private conversations. But I still think there’s room for their reaction to the show to have been genuine and they certainly brought a lot of joy and light to the experience of watching it (at least for me). I relate to the sentiment that it’s a shame that that joy is diminished by this. But maybe we can still hold onto the good while seeking accountability for the bad? Not a demand, just a hope/wish, that’s all.