By now, most of you have probably heard about the new Netflix original series, 13 Reasons Why. The series is based on the YA novel written by Jay Asher and tackles a pretty heavy topic. The show is a combination of flashbacks and present moments as the story of a young girl's suicide unfolds. High school student Clay Jensen discovers that before she committed suicide, his friend and crush Hannah Baker created a set of 13 cassette tapes detailing exactly who and what drove her to end life. Each tape is a different student or faculty member that she encountered who mistreated her in some way, shape, or form.
When I started the series, I expected it to be modeled after the cheesy, young adult novels of my middle school past. I was completely wrong. Not only does the audience experience what may drive someone to commit suicide through Hannah's narrative on the tapes, they are able to experience first hand how suicide affects those in the individual's life. It is a very real and raw depiction of what adolescent life is like for many teens. Some moments are extremely hard to watch and depict ridicule, harassment, and even rape. It touches on bullying, slut-shaming, sexting, cyber-bullying, love, and familial relationships. Even most of the characters that Hannah contributes her suicide to have back stories that factor into the way they treat each other.
Many scenes may make you uncomfortable and give you that heavy pit in the bottom of your stomach feeling, and that's okay. It should make you uncomfortable. Scenes of suicide and rape should make you feel disgusted and scared for our society. Young adults being relentlessly tormented and harassed without a thought is something that happens each and every day in schools across the country. In this formative stage of life, many teens are already struggling to fit in and find who they truly are and those who are hurting the most may lash out at their peers.
This series could easily become one of the most important shows that young people are exposed to. As adolescents, teenagers often become so wrapped up in their own lives that they are unaware of or disregard how they affect other. Even as the characters in the show realize what they have done by listening to the tapes, they only are concerned with lying and covering up the truth to protect their reputations. While school curriculum and programs may touch on bullying, it isn't news that more could be done. In the age of technology, sexting and cyber-bullying are relatively new as social media and apps like Snapchat continue to take hold. As adults, we often don't stop to remember that each person is fighting their own battle and we either positively or negatively affect that. If we cannot implement this line of thinking into our daily lives, how can we teach children and teens to?
Just last year, one in five students reported being bullied. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents. Clearly, we still have an epidemic on our hands. With Americans spending over 10 hours on screen time, productions like 13 Reasons Why may be the way to open people's eyes to just how much impact they have on the lives around them. It offers a difficult but necessary insight into the lives of teens that their parents may not see and that their peers may not pay attention to. While it shouldn't take a show to make people reconsider how they treat each other, I sincerely hope that this series opens the eyes of people around the world to how heavy their influence is. Be a friend, know the signs, talk to someone if you are having suicidal thoughts, and remember that everyone is fighting their own battle.
"It has to get better."
Suicide is never the answer. If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.http://www.suicideispreventable.org/
