“Hey! Its Matthew. Matthew
Field. That’s right. Don’t adjust your… whatever device you’re hearing this on.
Its me, live and in stereo. Get a snack. Settle in. Because I’m going to tell
you the story of my life. More importantly, why it ended. And if you’re
listening to this, you’re one of the reasons why.”
Welcome to your tape. These
are the words, which have been burned into our collective consciousness, ever
since this divisive show hit our screens. When we hear the name “Hannah,” we no
longer imagine the Miley Cyrus character, before her reputation crashed like a
wrecking ball, and then bounced back. No, now we think of Hannah Baker, the
girl who killed herself.
For all of you who have been
living under a rock this year, let me explain.
Hannah Baker is one of the
main characters of the hit Netflix drama Thirteen Reasons Why. In the
show, a girl named Hannah Baker kills herself and, instead of leaving a suicide
note, leaves thirteen casset tapes calling out the people who made her do it.
Through an elaborate plan, then blackmails them into listening to all of them.
In addition to all of this
drama, there’s violent assault, rape, and school-shooting conspiracy. If this
doesn’t sound like family friendly television, then I don’t know what does.
Let’s just say that I
binge-watched it in one go, an action that I now regret. I was an absolute
addict, as I am sure most of you were… and then it hit me.
This is a show that markets
itself as a device for educating kids about suicide, and the consequences of
bullying.
In so doing, it also sends
another message.
It shows us 13 reasons why we
should die, and no reasons why we should live.
If you are a suicidal person,
this show will push you off of the edge.
Throughout the episodes, we
are told that is was never Hannah’s fault. Its because Cherrie crashed her car
or because Jessica started dating Alex.
Its never her fault. Its
never her choice. It is always the fault of the people in the tapes, and the
people who did nothing. Even though the blood is literally on Hannah’s hands,
it is metaphorically on everyone else’s.
Yes, the show does its job of
reminding people not to be jerks, but this virus of a program also sends a
message to those who are contemplating suicide.
It tells you that it is not
your fault! You’ll get attention from
killing yourself. It isn’t even that painful! Cutting your wrists only takes a
few minutes! Just kill yourself already!
In the show, the school
spends a whole year mourning Hannah. The kids in the tapes are not treated as
confused teens or bullies who made a mistake. They’re treated like murderers!
They treat themselves like murderers.
Most suicide prevention
groups will tell you that teens who contemplate suicide are often part of a
group of like-minded children. These groups act as catalysts, which egg kids on
to do the final deed.
They share techniques and
give each other encouragement.
13 Reasons Why is no different.
To add insult to injury, in
the last episode, the audience sees Hannah kill herself.
I would say spoiler alert,
but it does seem a bit obvious.
The audience is treated to
the sight of a girl climbing into a bath of warm water and cutting her wrists.
It shows her die quickly and what looks like painlessly.
If I am suicidal, this show
is telling me that I can blame others for my death, become famous off of it,
and not have to endure any pain as a result.
What reason do I have not to?
It is just daring me to jump!
If I could leave you with one
thing, it would be this:
Please stop watching this
show.
Please stop talking about
this show.
Please let it die before
somebody dies because of it.
If I need to tell you 13 more
reasons why, then I will. But the biggest reason is this: life is more
important than a TV show.
By Matthew Field ©
