I have a daily routine: I wake up every morning and the first thing I do is scroll through twitter. Which isn’t the best way to start off any morning, but that is obviously besides the point. I noticed an article that Yahoo had posted headlining, “A 23-year-old tragically copied the #13ReasonsWhy suicide and left behind tapes.” Then someone quoted the tweet and said, “The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention literally warned Netflix about this but they didn’t listen because they wanted $$$.” Which left me horribly angry.
For starters, this is a tragic death. I am not angry about that. What does have me quite flustered is the comments that one television show is almost being blamed for this tragedy. But there are a number of things that came racing through my mind when reading these tweets. I understand, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and because of that, this is mine: it’s not the shows fault.
Some of the comments think that maybe the show is a little too vivid on sexual assault scenes or on Hannah’s suicide scene. I can see that, I really can. But for the first time in a really long time, it’s one of the few shows that I have ever been able to sit through that discusses real life issues. Sexual assault and suicide have never meant to be easy topics to listen, learn, or even speak about. There is a lot of pain that comes with those two words, so nobody wants to discuss it. But this show does! Not just what Hannah went through but what the people around her went through after she took her life. As sad as it is, suicide is a real thing and it happens to people all over the world.
The one thing that I’ve never been able to shake since watching the show is the aftermath of Hannah’s death, especially with her parents. But there a few things to remember when watching the show. Clay suspects another character in the show has been showing the signs and after being blind to Hannah’s signs, he decides to try and make a change.
Not only does the show help point out the signs, but it also gives viewers suicide hotline numbers and warnings for intense scenes before anything graphic (which includes sexual assault scenes and even Hannah’s suicide scene). I understand that people who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts don’t always want to call the number but before going into that episode, the viewers are warned that it can be triggering. I know plenty of people who couldn’t watch the show because they felt triggered or it brought up horrible memories of their past. I understand these things.
My issue lies with the now bad reputation of the show and how twitter accounts who once loved it, have turned on it and will probably love it again once it has a second season premier. Thirteen Reasons has been turned from one of the hottest topics spoken about, to a meme, to now something that is hated for discussing mental issues.
Think about it this way, there are so many other shows out there that also have bad messages. At the end of the day, every TV show is going to have its negative downsides. Some people found comfort out of 13 Reasons Why and some people found something more disturbing. It’s different for everyone, and that’s something we have to keep in mind.