Recently, "13 Reasons Why" was released on Netflix. The show is based on the popular book by Jay Asher, which is about a teenage girl named Hannah Baker who commits suicide due to the intense harassment and bullying she endures. Instead of a suicide note, she leaves tapes behind that narrate her story and describe the events that led her to commit suicide. Each side of the tapes is about one individual and what they did to wrong Hannah.
Recent film adaptations of books such as "Twilight" and "The Fault in Our Stars" make it seem as if no book, television show, or movie is complete without a pair of star-crossed lovers. In "13 Reasons Why" Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker start off as classmates and co-workers with a humorous camaraderie but later become romantically involved.
Clay has one quote that sends a dangerous message to young audience members, "I cost a girl her life because I was afraid to love her." This is an incredibly ignorant line that I feel the writers or producers should have left out. As a result of this show, teenage girls everywhere are now pining for their very own Clay Jensen. Sure, Clay is mysterious and kind... but he is also a problematic fave. Despite his good intentions, Clay's relationship with Hannah is the epitome of romanticized suicide.
Could Hannah and Clay's relationship be comparably toxic to the dynamic between Bella and Edward? Probably not, but that doesn't make Hannah and Clay's relationship healthy.
This show offers insight on a difficult topic, but the success of the series is heavily dependent on the audience's interpretation. This writer worries that emotionally distraught teens and young adults might misinterpret the moral of the story and actually consider taking their lives for the sake of a romantic interest.
Shannon, a student of Boston University's School of Education, BU SED '19, says that the show “handled a lot of gruesome topics we don’t like to talk about, but it also romanticized suicide. I think it will bring a lot of awareness to an important issue that often goes unaddressed.”
Here are the pros of the show:
- Could keep students from bullying
- Addresses the bystander effect
- Shows how ill-informed members of school faculty can be on important issues
- Might encourage students to speak up if they are being bullied
- Shows the devastating effects suicide has on left behind loved ones
The cons:
- It romanticizes suicide
- Recording tapes before committing suicide and saying that certain people directly caused your death seems like a severe and twisted form of justice
- Viewers might misinterpret the moral of the story
I give this Netflix series a cautious recommend as a result of the sensitive subject matter and the way it romanticizes suicide. "13 Reasons Why" shows the consequences of bullying and the negative impact that Hannah Baker’s suicide has on her loved ones. It is important to remember that the moral of the story is centered around bullying prevention, not romance.
