One of Netflix’s latest original shows, “13 Reasons Why,” chronicles the story of 17-year-old Hannah Baker, who committed suicide and left behind a series of cassette tapes explaining the reasons why she did it.
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The series, based on a popular young-adult novel of the same name, has accrued quite a bit of buzz on social media. However, this is not necessarily the right type of attention.
It’s important to have conversations about mental illness and suicide to try to remove the stigma and better understand how they can be treated and prevented. With Selena Gomez and Netflix as producers, “13 Reasons Why” had a platform to help raise awareness and stimulate healthy dialogue but ultimately failed.
The series focuses more on uncovering the other students’ wrongdoings than on ways Baker’s death could have been prevented. Viewers hear Baker’s voice ask the listener of the tape things like “Having fun yet?” as she recounts her traumatic experiences of being stalked and bullied, the series dramatizing serious issues almost to the extent of trivialization.
With the lack of nuances the show takes when delving into a complicated and serious issue, it’s hardly a surprise that some of the responses it has roused have been completely inappropriate.
Evidence of this romanticization can be seen online as pictures of show-inspired “promposals” circulate. Even more disturbing are the memes using the quote “Welcome to your tape” as a reaction to minor inconveniences.
Furthermore, the characters are mirror images of young adult fiction tropes. Baker, constantly talking in riddles, functions as the mysterious manic pixie dream girl. And Clay Jensen? The shy, nerdy friend that won’t ask her out despite the fact the whole school knows he is in love with her.
Other shallow attempts at both attracting and portraying millennials are more blatant. When one of the characters moves away, Baker facetimes her talking about one of the boys in their class, with her friend replying, “I’m learning all these new boy names, and I’ve dragged most of the old ones into the trash icon in my head.”
One of the school’s teachers even goes as far as asking, “How can we communicate more effectively without the use of emojis?” She should be asking how we can communicate about suicide more effectively without glamorizing it.
For those looking for a nuanced portrayal of young adults and mental illness, one that actually does more good than harm, keep waiting. This isn’t it.