Spoiler Alert: This piece contains spoilers for White Lotus, Season 3.
Duke University is speaking out after branded apparel featuring its name was used in a violent scene depicting suicide on the hit HBO series “The White Lotus.”
“The White Lotus not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far,” Duke’s VP for communications, marketing, and public affairs Frank Tramble said in a statement to Deadline.
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses. As imagery from the show is being shared widely across social media, we are using our brand to promote mental health awareness and remind people that help is available,” the statement said.
“Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling, but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists,” it states.
The scene in question features one of the ensemble characters, Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), wearing a Duke T-shirt while fantasizing about killing himself. The character has been in turmoil for the whole season as he grapples with being implicated in financial fraud and losing his wealth and reputation.
He’s been able to hide what’s happening from his family while they’re on vacation in Thailand, but Timothy is spiraling out of control as he contemplates returning to the United States and facing the consequences of his actions.
The suicide scene is controversial, but the storyline really making the headlines involves an incestuous sexual encounter between Timothy’s two sons.
In season 3, episode 6, Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) realizes he had a threesome with his brother Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) while the two were high on drugs and drinking at a party. While discussing the scene with Variety, Nivola said series creator Mike White had a tendency to create characters who are “lovable, yet rotten at their core.”
The actor also defends the actions of his character, saying Lochlan is “not a creep, necessarily.”
“It’s important to the story that he’s not some psychopath,” Nivola says of Lochlan. Episode 6 was the most watched yet, with 4.2 million viewers.
At the beginning of the season, Lochlan’s main issue was deciding whether to attend Duke University – his father’s alma mater – or the University of North Carolina for college.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
The post <a href=https://www.dailywire.com/news/duke-university-complains-the-white-lotus-went-too-far-using-its-apparel-in-violent-scene target=_blank >Duke University Complains ‘The White Lotus’ Went ‘Too Far’ Using Its Apparel In Violent Scene</a> appeared first on Conservative Angle | Conservative Angle - Conservative News Clearing House
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