Problems I have with Dawson's Creek

I am up to season four now! And it's still hard to decide whether I like it or not. It's a bit like a playbook of how to address growing pains. The nice thing is that it's relatable since we've all gone through some of these growing pains at some point. BUT the hard thing to like about the show is how the characters respond and how they're treated as a result of these growing pains. The different consequences of their actions send mixed messages about what Dawson's Creek is trying to teach us. Of course, it is entirely possible that Dawson's Creek isn't trying to teach us anything at all, it's merely trying to show us how flawed and human we all are.

Nevertheless, here are some gripes I have with the show:

1. Each of the main characters, at the ripe old age of 16, are so perceptive and yet fail incredibly to turn this perception inwards to understand themselves and develop some self-awareness. What we end up getting is a bunch of super talky teenagers using stupidly complicated words, sounding wise beyond their years but are actually being very self-destructive most of the time.
2. Because of that, we end up with some really hypocritical teenagers. Dawson is infuriatingly moralistic but doesn't demonstrate the same sort of moral rigour in his own actions. For example, he convinces Joey to turn her father in for drug trafficking and seems kind of cool about the way it tears her family apart because it was The Right Thing To Do. However, when the police question him about his sexy magically-appearing-and-vanishing girlfriend who he believes is a con artist, he says nothing and chooses to protect her even though he doesn't really like her!
3. Attitudes towards homosexuality is confusing on the show. While Jack has a very heart-wrenching coming-out arc in season 2 and is supported by all his friends - in particular Pacey, who actually gets a teacher fired for discriminating against Jack - more general attitudes towards homosexuals are still disheartening. Pacey for example continues to tease his older brother Doug for being gay, even though Doug has said a number of times that he's not and has asked Pacey repeatedly to stop.
4. It's ok when Dawson does it, but creepy when other guys do it. Dawson's the golden boy, and whenever he does something NOT OK, the show kind of just ignores that. There's a blindspot where Dawson's concerned and this may reflect Dawson's own lack of self-awareness (which would be very meta). Meanwhile Jen and Joey are usually yelling at some other guy for doing the same thing Dawson's just done in the previous scene.
5. The show perpetuates a nice-guy complex. Dawson can be tender and sensitive towards Joey and because of that he acts like he's entitled to her. Whenever his feelings are unrequited, he punishes Joey by telling her they can't be friends. The truth is you shouldn't be a nice guy to get the girl, you should be a nice guy if you want to be a decent human. It's more about self-respect than getting what you want.
6. What the show says about women. Which is mega confusing. Jen is generally portrayed as a raging feminist, yet for that she is also punished the most on the show and gets subject to things like date rape, alcohol abuse, suicidal tendencies etc. Joey is incredibly smart yet insults her own intelligence at times to protect Dawson's sensitive ego, and also supports a very patriarchal sexual hierarchy by repeatedly calling Jen a slut just because she's less of a prude than Joey. The earlier seasons typically have Dawson picking between a Madonna (Joey) or whore (Jen/Eve/anyone not Joey), and Jen is told off by her grandma for having no shame or self-respect. Yet how is a woman meant to develop self-respect when everyone in her life has disrespected her since childhood?

Dawson's love for Joey is generally possessive. All is happy-larry when he possesses her, when he doesn't, all hell breaks loose and every other character is forced to sympathise with him and ostracise Pacey. He fights for her the most when he's on the cusp of losing her, but otherwise Joey is his 'soulmate' that purely exists to revolve around him. When Joey expresses other dreams and hopes that are not Dawson-related he acts bewildered, and then he makes her choose between these other hopes and dreams and their friendship.

Meanwhile, Pacey is repeatedly told his relationship with Joey will never last, being the drop-kick and underdog that he is (the show is also being very meta here). Something about his love for Joey is very selfless though, because his main role (from what I can tell) is to love Joey by completely supporting her agency. Unlike Dawson, he never offers ultimatums. Yet because Joey feels so guilty about Dawson and actually doesn't know what she wants, Pacey will undoubtedly have his heart broken many, many times.