A few reasons why Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why is irresponsibly overrated
Roughly 44 thousand Americans die of suicide a year and I doubt any of them were trying to get revenge. Bullying could raise the chance of suicide on the other hand. This show is very inappropriate for anyone under 18.
May 16, 2017
Roughly 44 thousand Americans die of suicide a year and I doubt any of them were trying to get revenge. Yet that is exactly what Hannah Baker, the main antagonist of the story, did while committing the one thing she cannot undo, suicide. The tapes left behind even started to deteriorate at Clay Jensen’s, the main protagonist, mental state, which is not one thing that suicidal people would mean to happen, ever. The main reason that this show is completely offensive, especially to me, a person who has been severely depressed before, is because it almost glorifies the act of committing suicide.
The show is basically saying that the ultimate way to get revenge is to leave a note or leave tapes behind. A source that has chosen to stay anonymous stated, “People that have gotten to the point where they are willing to commit suicide, are not going to be out for revenge, they do it because they cant find any other way out and do not want to hurt anyone around them.”
Neha Shah from the new statesman stated, “13 Reasons attempts to take on suicide without so much as a token mention of the word ‘depression’.” This is sadly true, the show does not mention the mental illness that is associated with suicide. Depressive or bipolar disorders is one of the main causes of suicide and other self-destructive behaviors like self-harm.
13 Reasons attempts to take on suicide without so much as a token mention of the word ‘depression’.
— Neha Shah from newstatesman.com
One of the parts of the show that I could not even force myself to watch, consisted of the psychotic break that Clay Jensen went through where he exclaimed to the whole school in the hallway, “everyone is just so nice until they drive you to kill yourself.” The way they portrayed the ones that loved her was as sociopaths that had little to no remorse about the heinous acts they committed against Hannah Baker while she was alive. I understand that they are attempting to show it the way that Hannah would have seen the world but this is a little overboard, its basically showing people that no matter how hard they try to help, nothing will be enough.
Bullying can make an individual two to three times as likely to commit suicide. Yet the way they portray the victim’s pathology is that of a person that is trying to get revenge, which as I said, is not the intention of most people that commit suicide. Don Lugo student, Kaitlyn Valenzuela, states, “I mainly thought that some of the reasons were not reasons to commit suicide, but some people can only handle just a certain amount.”
“When I read Jay Asher’s novel as a young teen, I remember being excited about it becoming a show, then disappointed about writer Brian Yorkey’s adaptation falling short of its ambitions,” declared Naha Shah from newstatesman.com. One of the main rules of making a series off a book is to follow the way the book went. On the other hand for a book that was only 288 pages they are making an effort to make it into a two series show.
But on a very serious note, if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please go find help. The number for the national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255, sign up for a visit with a professional, or even with a close friend. Also, if you feel suicidal just remember that there are people that care for you and that there will always be a void without you.
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