The first time I read the tragic Jay Asher story of Hannah Baker’s suicide was in high school. I read it twice. The first time, I just read it to see the thirteen reasons why this teenager would end her life. The second time I read it, I highlighted sentences that I related to or phrases that tore me apart. Things like:
“I’ve heard so many stories I don’t know which one is the most popular. But I do know which is the least popular. The truth.”
“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people.”
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life.”
Now, I’m not saying I was ever suicidal or in nearly as much emotional distress as this fictional girl, but after reading it I realized that some of these thoughts even crossed my mind and other teenagers are probably dealing with the difficulty of life just like Hannah. Just because this character is not real, does not mean that events just like this are not happening right now in the world around us.
Ever since the popular Netflix show came out, it has been talked about everywhere. It is said to be Netflix’s most popular show and for good reason. It displays the sad life of a teenager who could not find hope or desire in living. She sends out tapes to make sure that the people who hurt her knew what they did, felt guilty and sorry, and would hopefully never do it again. With this incredible storyline, it has come to my attention that Hannah Baker is getting criticism all over for being “selfish” and that she killed herself for attention and did not think about the consequences, for her family members and those around her, and sadness that would come along with her death. Yes, suicide is devastating and can leave many people feeling guilty, heartbroken, or empty. However, this is my response and I am demanding that there will be justice for Hannah Baker.
This tweet of a screenshot from Facebook is what angered me— And this is not just one account posting it, it is multiple popular twitter accounts (that I won't name):
What was even more shocking to me were the thousands of ‘likes’ and ‘retweets.’ And then some people who agreed responded with tweets like:
“couldn’t have said it better” “she was annoying af” “she had no reason to kill herself”
This is why Hannah Baker was not selfish: No, she wasn’t “asking for it” or anything that happened to her. Unfortunately, she experienced a lot of dramatic and emotional events. Like the title states, it wasn’t just one thing that pushed her over the edge but thirteen things. Thirteen reasons piling on top of each other that she felt that the only escape she had was death. Now, you may be thinking that this happens to thousands of teenagers everywhere all the time and they aren’t killing themselves, they are dealing with it. While many of these victims of rape or bullying may seem okay, do you really know what is going on in their head? From the outside, maybe Hannah seemed to be fine, but on the inside she was crying for help. People internalize things differently and what may seem like no big deal to you might make the world of difference to someone else. Many people cope with things in different ways and feel pain in different degrees. Her truth may not be yours, but her feelings are shared across the world. So I am going to leave you all with a little advice. Be decent human beings. Words hurt. No matter how much of an impact you think they have, it could ruin someones life. It takes absolutely nothing to be kind. Give someone a compliment or a smile. Small acts of kindness really do go a long way. Be nice, it could save a life.
There are many people who have also been making their feelings public about the fact that this show basically profiting off of mental illness (the point of entertainment is profit & entertainment). Saying it is a trigger (which is true and they said it might be). Many people are even suggesting to remove the show as it is teaching teens that "it's okay to kill yourself" and there is actually no one there to help you. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. If anything, this show started a conversation with society that many people have kept quiet about. It may be a trigger but it is important that this show is seen and known so that the people suffering know that they are not alone. So they can see a peak into Hannah's life and see that while she was suffering, there were people and family around her that did care. Yes, she killed herself in the end, but throughout the story she did have people she could count on and talk to, even if she didn't see it or did not feel safe enough to do so. If people do not like the message and visuals then they do not have to watch it but the point is, it is helping a lot of people. Some scenes are heavy and difficult to watch but that is exactly what the show intended. To show real suffering, to show real situations, and to show that there is no beauty in depression or suicide.
And to the people suffering as Hannah did:
Life is hard, it’s true. But there is at least one “Clay” in your life. Even if you don’t see it or may not know someone who you think can help, people can surprise you! Don’t pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Someone is here to listen. Please get help.
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