Netflix’s original series 13 Reasons Why has caught the attention of many, myself included. I was initially interested in watching the show because I remember reading the book when I was in middle school. I remember it being one of those books that I couldn’t put down. I also felt compelled to watch it because it was all over social media with reviews claiming its strong impact and message.
For those who haven’t seen the show, IMDB offers a brief synopsis: “Thirteen Reasons Why, based on the best-selling books by Jay Asher, follows teenager Clay Jensen as he returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers a group of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush, who tragically committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah unfolds an emotional audio diary, detailing the thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life.” Each tape begins with the announcement of who’s to blame in each of her reasons. After each person on the tape listens to all of them, they are instructed to pass it on to the next person.
The show claims to bring attention to mental illness, suicide and the effects of bullying. While these are all honorable goals, 13 Reasons Why misses the mark on almost all of them, focusing mostly on bullying and less on the serious reality of mental illness and suicide.
As previously mentioned, I first read the book in middle school, a time where bullying becomes increasingly prevalent. And similar to the present, unfortunately, conversation about mental illnesses was taboo. After reading the book and watching the show, the message I was left with both times could be boiled down to this: bullying is bad. The entire show is focused solely on the actions of the “bullies,” but fails to point out of the fact that regardless of the challenges Hannah Baker went through in high school, it was a mental illness that ultimately led to her death. The very concept of looking for a culprit when it comes to mental illness is a misinterpretation of the illness itself. By naming the acts of bullying that Hannah went through as reasons for her suicide, the show leaves the false impression that suicide is an event with a cause. If the show had real intentions to start an impactful conversation about mental illness, it would focus less on external challenges that could happen to anyone, and more on the internal effects of mental illness and ways to get help, not ways to seek revenge.
Seeking revenge is exactly what Hannah Baker did in the show, and because of that, it idealized the notion of revenge suicide. She leaves a series of tapes to hurt those who have hurt her, and the show sensationalizes the act without addressing the seriously wrong implications this could give to someone going through similar challenges. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 9.3 million adults reported having suicidal thoughts in the past year. In this sense, the show again misses the mark by only referring to suicide as a final act, rather than a common feeling that also has the capacity to be prevented.
Mental illness, suicidal ideation, and bullying are common occurrences that have every right to be talked about and portrayed in media culture due to their over powering prevalence in so many lives. However, to say that 13 Reasons Why encapsulated those issues would be quite the stretch. I’ll definitely acknowledge its impact on the topic of bullying; however, if the idea of bullying being unacceptable is still a tough pill for you to swallow, then you may be behind. What’s missing in mainstream pop culture shows, such as 13 Reasons Why, is the real conversation surrounding mental illness, not just a glorified suicide caused by external events. I recognize the show’s attempts, but their failures need be addressed if we want authentic conversations to follow.
Sam Miner can be reached at mine0034@stthomas.edu.