Nine reasons to question 13 reasons why
Nine reasons to question 13 reasons why
19 July 2018
By Mark Hadley
The second season of 13 Reasons Why has launched on Netflix, reigniting the controversy surrounding a series that centres on the suicide of a 17-year-old girl.
Those in favour of the series say it shines a light on the distressing likelihood of suicide and self-harm amongst young people in the West. Those opposed simply ask: “Is it really helping?” 
The key character of this Netflix series is Hannah Baker, a teenage girl who suicided. In the first season she leaves behind a box of tapes explaining the 13 reasons – the 13 people – who drove her to take her own life. The second season centres on a court case brought by Hannah’s parents against her school.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear Hannah’s abuse was not an isolated occurrence, and the plot expands to involve other students who have been bullied or sexually assaulted, including one planning a school massacre.
During 2017, 13 Reasons Why generated over 3.5 million social impressions in its first week of release alone.(1)
The show’s producers set out to feature powerful messages about mental health, and have been particularly active on social media, promoting the value of the series for teens in crisis. But health professionals are not so convinced.
Here are nine red flags that should concern anyone contemplating 13 Reasons Why.
it rationalises suicide
The premise of the show is that Hannah had good reason for killing herself – 13 reasons, in fact. According to Katie Dhingra, a senior lecturer in criminological psychology, “... the series suggests that suicide is reasonable, given a particular set of circumstances.”(2)
If a person facing similar problems were to identify with Hannah’s struggles, they might also begin to see suicide as a viable option.
it nullifies the suffering of others
Suggesting there are quantifiable reasons for taking your life can actually invalidate others’ pain. Psychologists point out that many distressed people are unable to identify their reasons for feeling suicidal, and 13 Reasons Why will do little to validate their experience. The truth is, suffering is suffering, whether you can explain it or not.
it offers awful advice
The show laments that no one listened to Hannah, but the drama positively depends on teens keeping her tapes a secret. Some are clearly traumatised by what they have heard but determine that it’s better to ignore parental and teacher concerns and deal with matters themselves. Instead of encouraging the connections that might help teens avoid suicide, the series actually undermines them.
it romanticises suicide
What happened to Hannah was terrible. The tapes she left behind reveal not only just how much pain she was in, but how incredibly she bore up under her circumstances. Now she’s gone, everyone is suddenly aware of just how wise and lovely she actually was, and there’s no doubt most feel terribly sorry. Maybe this is not the picture of death you put in front of someone who’s struggling to find a reason to live?
it’s built on a faulty premise
Despite the tragedy inherent in teen suicide, others are not to blame for someone taking their life. Suicide is a deeply personal act. The assertion that others could have prevented Hannah’s death if they’d acted, is only likely to hurt those who’ve lived through similar circumstances. Back to Dr. Dhingra: “Suggesting that there is always someone to blame when a person takes their own life is wrong and does nothing to alleviate the ‘what if ...?’ questions that torment people who have lost someone to suicide.”
it breaks the link between suicide and mental health
The series rarely challenges the legitimacy of Hannah’s perceptions. Her mental health is never credibly called into question. In fact, 13 Reasons Why never mentions mental illness or even depression. Presumably because ...
it is entirely too hung up on drama
The first season could be given a lot of leeway if only for raising this difficult topic. However, season two continues to rake over the coals of Hannah’s tragedy, unearthing increasingly disturbing events at her school. Before long, it’s hard not to see the producers cashing in on the very tragedies they’re portraying. In truth ...
it borders on abusive
The first season’s suicide scene is especially prolonged and graphic. The producers defended this decision, stating it was important to show the reality of suicide. However, the second season applies the same approach to a boy being raped with a broomstick. Yet the reality is that the horror of both could be conveyed without traumatising some audience members, or desensitising others.
it offers false hope in the place of real hope.
This may be the strongest point at which a Christian can weigh in on the topic of suicide. The series suggests that Hannah somehow lives on in the lives of others, even though she has died. From beyond the grave, she is able to exact revenge on some, while finding new connections with others. This dangerously undermines the permanency of suicide. Yet Christians have the chance to offer a real alternative to the sort of pain that threatens to strip away all hope of connection. We can point to the God who has not only suffered in our place but offers the strength to overcome such in this life, and an end to all tears in the world to come. TV may suggest there are 13 reasons to die, but surely that is one worth living for.
1. L. Min, ‘13 Reasons Why’ Is Netflix’s Most Popular Show on Social Media, Teen Vogue, 12 April 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/13-reasons-why-netflix-most-popular-show-social-media
2. K. Dhingra, Popular Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why sends out worrying messages about suicide, The Conversation, 31 May 20
Mark Hadley is the culture writer for Others and is one of Australia's leading Christian communicators.
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