Dear The Thirteen Reasons Why Cast,
I don't think you'd really ever care or have any want to read this article since it takes you down from this high pedestal of goodness that has come from the immaturity of mass media. This letter is meant to be a quick one from reality to get your shit together. Let me first say that I have both watched the show and read the novel so I do know the storyline. First and foremost shame on you. Shame on you for glamorizing suicide in a way to attract immature young adults to taking their own lives. Shame on you for triggering many people with the images of cutting that is very triggering to people who cut. For those of you who do not know what a trigger is for people with a mental illness it is something that reminds them of their pain and makes them have an episode/attack. Such as PTSD for example. The gunshots or war scenes in movies may trigger those who have PTSD from warfare. Now I know you might say, "well they can choose not to watch things with stuff like that in them." For adults it might be easy not to watch a popular movie/TV show for it might trigger, its another thing for many young adults. Teenagers want to watch what everyone is watching no matter what the consequences so they can be seen "cool" or "hip". I mean common its the popular thing to watch Thirteen Reasons Why so I'm going to. Side note that the whole set up of the suicide scene did not follow the National Suicide Hotline guidelines whatsoever when it comes to teens. They basically drove right through them with reckless abandonment.
side rant: WHY ARE PEOPLE USING THIS NOVEL/TV SHOW ABOUT A GIRL KILLING HERSELF FOR A FREAKING PROMPOSAL. THIRTEEN REASON WHY YOU SHOULD GO TO PROM WITH ME? HOW ABOUT THIRTEEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN MORE ABOUT IGNORANCE OF THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
Another thing Jay Asher you had the opportunity to show teens how they can get help for when they are suicidal. Yes, Grace did get help. That help being a guidance counselor that shouldn't have gotten a degree in counseling but in ignoring signs of mental illness. In real life guidance counselors actually do their job and some do it extremely well. Jay by writing this scene do you know what you did? You made young adults believe they cannot go to a counselor at their school for help in these moments of self harming thoughts. Teens wont tell their counselors if they believe they will blow them aside like the one in your precious novel. Jay you had an opportunity to show a good example of a girl with a mental illness get help. Yet what do you do I? You make the mental health community sickened by your idea on how to deal with it. SIDE NOTE FAST AND FURIOUS MAKES 3 MOVIES QUICKER THAN YOU CAN WRITE A NOVEL. I SAY YOU'RE A ONE HIT WONDER LIKE MC HAMMER. REALLY HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY.
One last statement then reality is done with this letter rant. You can get a tattoo with a semi colon, explain how much this shops "changed you life" but all you've done is offend a lot of people and made teens believe that they can commit suicide and get revenge. At the end of the day the kids that bullied you will forget that you committed suicide YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WON'T. You all have forgotten that concept. Trying to bring up a bullying issue is a good thing yes. But if it takes a stupid TV show to express this issue then our schools are messed up.
