Since Netflix released its newest original series 13 Reasons Why on March 31st it has become the newest, most talked about show and has been making appearances all over the internet. You’ve probably seen the countless "welcome to your tape" memes and Buzzfeed articles by now but 13 Reasons Why is much more significant than just being the hottest new show on Netflix. The story of Hannah Baker and her death is relevant and important to talk about it because girls like Hannah and the experiences she went through exist in throughout our society today.
If you read the novel written by Jay Asher as a young teen, like I did, you were probably pretty hyped when you found out Netflix was releasing a TV show inspired by the book. When I read the novel several years ago, I felt connected to Hannah after hearing the intimate details of her horrible experiences in high school such as her rape and encounters with cruel jocks and false rumors. Everyone has had their own encounters with cyberbullying and backstabbing friends at some point in their life and listening to Hannah’s story is comforting because she goes through these same things. Unfortunately, these bad experiences in high school impacted her to an extreme and she commits suicide because she simply couldn’t take it anymore.
This story is very relatable and I think that’s why so many of us have binge-watched the series and have become connected to Hannah and the other characters in the show. Hannah Baker is a normal teenage girl who goes to high school, works an after-school job, has a loving family, and has best friends she hangs out with after school. Her classmates on the tapes all made stupid mistakes like we do. This story helps us realize that these things could happen to anyone.
After finishing the series, I realized that there were a lot of important lessons to be learned from Hannah's story. The biggest lesson is that everyone is responsible for their actions. Everyone makes a choice to do something or say something and those things impact someone in some way. We all have the responsibility to think before we act. Hannah Baker made the 13 tapes so that the people who drove her to her death would be forced to take responsibility for their actions. After seeing how the characters’ actions affected her and how the characters felt after listening to her tapes, we can learn a valuable lesson. At the time it may seem like a silly prank or a joke but it's impossible to know what people are going through or how they will react. As cliché as it sounds, you need to step into someone’s shoes before judging them or assuming how they feel. One comment about someone’s insecurities or starting a rumor about someone can really impact someone’s life especially if they’re going through a hard time.
One inappropriate picture caused damaging effects for Hannah Baker. After that image was sent around school, her classmates made assumptions about her and labeled her as a slut or a whore even though they didn't know her or the story behind the picture. Another lesson to be learned from this show is to not believe something just because it is the most common belief. Popular beliefs and opinions aren't necessarily true. There needs to be evidence to support that belief and it is everyone's job to do some investigating and be skeptical before supporting a certain belief. On top of that, it's also important to be true to yourself and have your own beliefs and opinions.
Clay Jensen, Hannah's crush and tape 12, had an important conversation with Mr. Porter, the school counselor, in the season finale. He stressed that we all need to start looking out for each other and treating each other better because instances like Hannah Sawyer’s suicide can not happen. I think this quote was very important and should be thought about further. This applies to a lot of current issues like sexual assault on college campuses, racism, sexism, and more. We are all living amongst each other and just trying to get through life; we need to support each other and treat each other well because we are one big community no matter what race, sexuality, or religion. Clay Jensen's words are so simple and so true but it does not happen in our society and it needs to change.
Now that we’re in college, it’s easy to think back to high school and reflect on our past hard times similar to the ones Hannah Baker went through. College is a time to ditch the nasty rumors, stop talking negatively behind each others’ backs and treat everyone with respect no matter what. We are all mature enough now to do this and after watching this series I hope more people realize what Clay Jensen said and how easy it is for a rumor or negative comment to affect a person's life in a traumatic way.
