It seems like everyone and their brother is talking about Netflix's new series 13 Reasons Why. In case you have been living under a rock, the series is based on Jay Asher's best selling novel of the same name. It is about a girl named Hannah who commits suicide and leaves behind tapes with her voice recorded on them, and there are 13 of them, each with a person and reason contributing to her suicide. I read the book in high school, and it was very eye opening. Naturally, when I heard about the series, I absolutely had to see it. I had the chance to when my boyfriend and I were scrolling through Netflix to watch something, and I suggested it. He got hooked immediately, and so did I, although I knew how it would end. Speaking of, spoiler alert. You've been warned.
After watching it, I think it's something that (older) students really need to see it. Of course, I suggest actually reading the book, too. It teaches students that others' actions can really impact someone mentally and emotionally, (whether it's bullying, rape, stalking, backstabbing, or just being a downright jerk), rape is a serious thing and can happen anytime and anywhere, people are sometimes unhelpful, signs/behaviors of suicide, there are people who care about you, impacts of slut shaming, and that parents may not notice their child's struggles. I know that some of these are negative, but they're unfortunately true. Sometimes, even talking to your school counselor doesn't help. Mr. Porter addressed Hannah's comment about wanting life to stop, but it was more of a passing statement. This is questionable because when someone exhibits a clear sign of suicide, you're supposed to report it. Yes, Hannah should've given the name of her rapist, but it can be very hard for a rape victim to do this. They fear being shamed and told what they should've done, which is what happened. The show touches on this case of victim blaming.
There has been a lot of back lash saying that there shouldn't have been a suicide on screen or that the show romanticizes suicide and gives a bad message. I agree that the suicide scene could've been less graphic. If you know me well, you'd know I can handle pretty graphic stuff on screen. However, the suicide scene was excruciating to watch. I know that there is a warning posted at the beginning of the episode, but I wasn't expecting what was shown. I understand why it was done so graphically. It is because people need to understand what someone is feeling and going through when committing suicide. Some people brush off self harm, suicide, or anything in that area. The graphicness is to get people talking and understanding of people who go through this. Although, as a journalism student with experience in shooting and editing, I would redo the scene as follows: show her getting prepared for the suicide itself. I would've left in the turning on of the bath, getting the blades, and looking in the mirror at herself. I would've done a cut away from her being in the bath tub to something else, like the floor as the water slowly floods out of the tub, and left in Hannah crying/breathing hard as she slit her wrists. That would've had a similar effect, minus the graphicness. I'd also leave in all of the aftermath stuff that follows (laying in the tub, parents finding her, etc.) I can understand why some find the scene problematic. I still think that it should be shown to students, but skip over that part if needed, especially if any students are feeling suicidal, cannot handle something graphic, or are in middle school. There is a certain level of mental maturity needed to handle this scene.
As far as the "romanticizing mental illness and suicide" argument goes, it's pretty false. Clay didn't love Hannah because she was suicidal or had a mental illness, he loved her for her. He didn't even know that she was feeling suicidal. By the way, I am taking an abnormal psychology course, and my notes state that 93% of completed suicides met criteria for mental illness. That means the other 7% can be for other reasons. The argument that "all suicides are due to mental illness" is false. I'm not saying that Hannah didn't have depression. She very well could have, but her suicide could've also been due to other reasons, like lack of social support, intense distress, prolonged frustration, or recent humiliation. The up skirt photo by Justin and the stalking photos taken by Tyler did humiliate her intensely. The fact that people have argued that Hannah's suicide led to her getting attention is a dangerous thought. Suicide isn't meant to get attention. Not every teen leaves behind tapes, but it is what she wanted to do. The sad thing is, however, when one commits suicide, others pretend that they knew the person or were friends. During my senior year of high school, two peers committed suicide, and people acted the same way as Hannah's peers did. This real life lesson is also taught. People will come forward after a death and pretend they were connected to the person.
Students really need to see this because it shows some really important lessons to be learned about others, and that it talks about the rape culture that we have (generally taboo, but very necessary). People need to understand how one's actions can impact someone else. It's sad that it takes a tv show to explain that, but at least this one really shows it. Suicide isn't funny, so take someone seriously if they are being suicidal and locate help.
