A Love Letter to Netflix, From a Millennial

Dear Netflix,

I don't even know where to begin. We've been in a relationship for many years now, and I fall more in love with you every day. Every time I think you're done pleasantly surprising me, you do something else that makes me fall head over heels for you all over again. So, I guess what I'm saying is: thank you for being you.

Why do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

You inspire me and my peers to be ourselves by casually showcasing a diverse array of talent. By giving us black and female superheroes, Indian-American actors struggling with their identity, queer hip-hop artists, and lovable kids with genetic conditions, you are helping to normalize representation for everybody in media. You're showing other Hollywood outlets that they can take chances on actors outside of the white, straight, overly male sphere and still achieve success in their projects. You're giving everybody a chance to see people like themselves on their screens, and I can't thank you enough. You're a representation rock star, baby.

You're saving me from literal days of commercials every year, just by being you. Thanks for giving me a chance to spend 160+ hours per year doing something else, like write love letters to you.

You remind me of the "good old days" by rebooting my favorite canceled shows, letting me rewatch my favorite childhood movies and even creating new programs that are set in past decades. You let modern viewers enjoy the best things about the '80s, '90s, and early '00s all in one place . . . you beautiful bastard, you.

You inspire me to feel passionately about things that matter by bringing injustices and important issues to light. Your documentaries and projects inspired by real events light a fire inside me and other subscribers, and the attention you bring to issues can even change real people's lives. The way you ignite righteous indignation about real-world events makes me feel passionately about lots of things, especially how much I love you.

You take chances on newer directors, giving incredibly talented artists an outlet for their passion projects. Without you signing on for Stranger Things, I might have never been introduced to the Duffer brothers. What would I do without you?

You allow me to enjoy groundbreaking, award-winning entertainment for an affordable price, and you're not even mad when I share you with my friends. If I didn't have your variety of viewing choices, easy access, and ever-changing selection of films and shows, I'd have been bored stiff after moving out on my own — my friends and I don't have the money for cable or $15 movie tickets, but you make it so that we don't need to. You're always looking out for me, boo.

And finally, though I'm sure you'll give me even more reasons to love you soon, you've given me a connection with people all over the world. I know I'm not the only one for you — let's be real, you've got 70M+ subscribers worldwide — but the way you've given me conversation topics to explore with people I don't know, new fandoms to join, and even shared jokes and cultural phenomena makes you my one and only.

I'll never give you up, Netflix. You've given me so many reasons to love you, and you're so good to me. I hope that I make you as happy as you make me.

Sincerely,
A millennial who has Netflix and no chill