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OT- 13 Reasons Why

DaniAM73's picture

Recently I decided to watch 13 Reasons Why, the Netflix series. I remember first hearing about the show and not wanting to watch. The story centers around a girl named Hannah's suicide. 13 Reasons why Hannah committed suicide.

While this show was painful and uncomfortable to watch it definitely shed a huge light on what teens are going through today. I have had my share of bullies from elementary on up to high school. Heck even in the workplace if I am being honest. Teens today have to deal with cyber-bullying which in my opinion is bullying to the 10th power.

If you haven't seen it, watch it. But believe me when I tell you, it will stir up some deep emotions. You will be angry, you won't like some of the characters, and it might even bring back some horrible memories of school. Your heart will break and ache for Hannah and her parents.

I look forward to season two!

Comments

strugglingSM's picture

I watched it. I wish there was more discussion about what kids should do if they think their friend is going to harm themselves or if they know about bad things that have happened and also what adults should do if they either suspect the same or are approached by kids with some of this information. If I had teenagers, I would want to have a serious talk with them about knowing when to keep something secret and knowing when it was important to go for help.

I also felt a little mad at Hannah because I wasn't sure if she wanted people to help her or not. She seemed to be expecting people to guess at what she needed. I realize she had some terrible things happen to her, so maybe she was ashamed, but there were several instances where she seemed to be close to asking for help or letting someone know she was struggling and then she just kept it to herself. I thought her tapes were trying to make people feel bad for not giving her the help she never asked for. I think it's important for kids to know that if they are really struggling, they shouldn't hide that from people or assume people don't care if they don't guess that help is needed.

The other side of that coin is that there need to be truly trusted adults whom kids can go to if they're struggling.

DaniAM73's picture

I agree. When she was talking to the guidance counselor instead of just telling him, she shut down. I know she may have felt more comfortable with a female, and perhaps she could have asked for a female teacher to be present.

I do agree that she made everyone feel guilty. I wonder why Bryce never got the tapes. Do you think he was the responsible party?

strugglingSM's picture

I assumed that Bryce didn't get the tapes, because she expected everyone to go after him after they found out. I feel bad for the actor who played him because the character was an A-hole and I'll never be able to watch him in another role without thinking of it.

My DH actually watched the whole thing with me. He was horrified, but then told me that there was a guy in his frat who was trying to rape a girl who was passed out and DH's "big brother" stepped in and stopped it, so he knows that it happens more than any of us would care to admit.

DaniAM73's picture

I feel the same way about the actor who played Bryce. I watched an interview with him and he seems like a really nice guy, but I can't stand him on that show.

It is refreshing to hear that a man stepped in and saved a woman from being violated. You're right it does happen more than we know.

Maxwell09's picture

I didn’t care for it. To me, it kind of glossed over suicide. In real life, teen suicide doesn’t have that kind of impact or at least it doesn’t in my area. No one gets called out for bullying, negligent adults and teachers aren’t held accountable for their lack of action and hardly ever do the bullies ever learn their lesson or face the consequences of their actions. Hanmah’s story seemed to fantasize all of that. I watched it thinking: “wow, this is a guidebook for suicide, and there are going to be kids out there who actually believe if they kill themselves and leave some coded messages that their bullies will learn some kind of lesson”

I get it though, the premise is that bullying causes a ripple effect that affects more than just its target. I watched it all the way through and until the very end, I swore I wouldn’t let my boys watch it. I think if they would have focused a lot more on the actual bullying, the rape culture and the separate identities children create for their audience whether it be peers, parents, authority figures all just to fit in instead of all the drama of who did what and which was worse and got paid back the best, then it could have been really good. But that’s just me, some people need the extra fantastical drama to stay tuned to these things and it helps them really feel for those characters.

DaniAM73's picture

When I first started watching it I really did think she killed herself because she was bullied. But after what happened with Byrce I feel differently.

Yes someone could watch it and get the wrong idea about suicide. I know of three people that committed suicide. We all said the same thing, we never knew anything was wrong. If I had children I probably would watch it with them and we would have some hard discussions.