From the moment “13 Reasons Why” premiered on Netflix, it immediately became the media’s focal point of controversy. Many commend the issues it addresses, particularly the stigma surrounding mental health, but others think it is simply too explicit and therefore should be discouraged as a show that’s targeted towards a younger demographic. Either way, the discourse is important because it has sparked discussion about a topic that has long been pushed to the sidelines.
I will not be watching “13 Reasons Why.” That may change in the future, but as of right now I have chosen not to. Despite this, I do not agree with what many people are saying about it being a show that “no one” should watch. I may not have seen it for myself, but from what I have heard about specific scenes, I can understand why critics think it may have harmful effects on people with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness, or even on those who may not be suffering from serious mental disorders.
I have watched T.V. shows in the past featuring scenes with rape and suicide that were not necessarily as explicit as “13 Reasons Why,” but even still I would think about these scenes non-stop for days, maybe weeks at a time. They would keep me up for hours at night, and often still upset my thoughts. There is no denying that topics like these carry a lot of weight and can be triggering.
One time I heard someone call the suicide scene “disgusting” in conversation, and while I haven’t seen the show for myself, this put me off. Yes, it is bloody and gorey. But suicide is by no means the equivalent of a violent battle scene typically found in television and movies. Suicide is real. Suicide happens every day. The very fact that “13 Reasons Why” exists as a show that treats it like a real issue is an anomaly in and of itself.
Suicide, as well as mental illness, is something that very much needs to be talked about, even in entertainment. If the media shies away from subjects as real and as serious as this, then that only perpetuates the silence mental illness has been faced with for a long time. These topics are hard ones, but they need to be talked about and represented in order to better educate people about mental health.
No one is obligated to watch “13 Reasons Why” for the sake of the important message it conveys, especially if particular scenes might be triggering, but this does not mean that this is a show that should be ignored and denounced. “13 Reasons Why” deals with a lot of heavy topics that should not be silenced. Mental illness should not be something that we continue to push to the side and pretend doesn’t exist. It does, and condemning media that actually addresses the issue for what it is is not going to change that.
