Guest Post: How '13 Reasons Why' failed its viewers
"13 Reasons Why," Netflix's breakout and controversial show, has everything going for it. Which is why it pains me to say that while it has everything going for it, 13 Reasons Why has failed all of its viewers, most especially its young viewers.
Posted — Updated"13 Reasons Why," Netflix’s breakout and controversial show, has everything going for it: a popular novel; a creator with experience telling stories about mental health issues; and a young adult celebrity as an executive producer. None of these aforementioned caveats, however, hold as much weight than the fact that this story is timely and necessary.
Which is why it pains me to say that while it has everything going for it, "13 Reasons Why" has failed all of its viewers, most especially its young viewers.
First, "13 Reasons Why" fails to provide the support it could have highlighted for those struggling with suicide, suicidal thoughts, rape, sexual assault or bullying. At minimal, the producers of this show should have provided a placard at the beginning or the end of each episode that focused on “how to get help” for those enduring bullying or entertaining thoughts of suicide.
Because, let’s face it, while this show is fictional, its situations are all too real. Sadly, bullying runs rampant in most, if not all, of the hallways of the middle and high schools of America. Teenagers being raped or assaulted (verbally and physically) is far too common in our society. Viewers, especially young viewers, need to know where they can turn to for guidance.
So, if you’re going to create a show that is so pinpoint specific to the time that our teenagers and young adults are living in, why would you not let them know that there is help? Unlike the show’s unintended message, suicide is not the only way out. Help is available.
For those that have not viewed "13 Reasons Why," be forewarned: You will witness several moments of physical and sexual assault and verbal and sexual assault. You will view not one, but two young women being raped, and, more gruesomely, you will watch a graphic suicide scene. All of these moments (until recently) came with no trigger warnings, other than the rating itself: TV-MA, which leads to the third concern.
This show is based on a YA, or young adult, novel, yet the show has a hard TV-MA rating for mature audiences. It's difficult to imagine that producers were not aware of who would view this show the most: teenagers. When I returned from my spring break, I was shocked, almost to the point of tears, to learn that I had at least 10 sixth grade students, who are age 11-12, who had viewed this show.
None of those students will be able to forget those images, even if they tried. How did they handle it when they saw it? What emotions soared through their brains when they watched the captain of the basketball team pin down an individual, raping her, leaving bruises on her body in the aftermath? Could they even process the situation? With all that said, do they now have some form of “media PTSD” that we won’t see for years until another trigger occurs?
"13 Reasons Why" had everything going for it, but instead of recognizing the social responsibility that laid before it, it appears that being “prestige television” and “pushing the boundaries” was far more important in the creator's minds.
"13 Reasons Why" is paradoxical, almost, in its failings. It fails to provide an outlet for those dealing, in real life, with similar situations. At the same time, it glamorizes and shocks its audience by forcing us to view the graphic nature of several events leading to the horrific suicide at the end of the show, forgetting to provide a safe place for individuals, who are dealing with the same issues in their own lives or just need a place to talk about what they saw.
While that is all well intentioned, I think most would agree that it is counterproductive as it draws more attention to the problem and consequently draws more teenagers to do the opposite of what is recommended.
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