Suicides, Mental disorders and 13 reasons why
Unlike some other people that i know, I have never had any trouble thinking about death. In fact I have often wondered if I am what you might call a soft nihilist. I find the finality of death beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I am not glorifying death, life is so much wonderful, specially as Tyrion would say-"Death is so boring, especially now with so much excitement in the world", but there is something about the idea of a final resting place that is both enticing and endearing. So why am i talking about death all of a sudden , Because I just finished Watching a Netflix show called 13 Reason why, and I am feeling all confused, And I just couldn't make up my mind whether I liked it or hated it. Perhaps in time, I'll know, but as of now here goes my 2 cents...
The series follows the posthumous narration of Hannah Baker, a smart and beautiful 17 year old teenager who killed herself by slicing her wrists. Throughout the 13 episodes, she narrates and condemn and remembers how these 13 people are responsible for her decision to end her life. And there lies my first problem, as much as suspends builds and you are curious to hear Hanaah's voice again, and see her one more time, I realized this is not real. Death is final, there is no continuation of life after death. The series almost portrayed Suicide as romantic, but it's not.
As i was watching, my mind constantly reminded me of a song named "leave out all the rest". It's my favorite Linkin' Park song. The song talks about how the singer is all alone and he knows that no one will come to his aid if he ever needs one, but surprisingly he is more concerned about how people will remember him when he's gone.And that, in my opinion, is a problem. I have always found the concept of "Death makes angels of us all" very troubling. You are remembered for who you are in life and what you did, and though a tragic end of life might give you a week's respite, you will still be judged for what you did in your lifetime.
I am feeling like i have been focusing on the negatives too much, so i'll pull back a little and talk about what were the best things about the show. The whole premise was about an uncomfortable topic that no one really wants to discuss about. It isn't easy and the show deserves credit for that alone. It does presents the issue of bullying in a very realistic way. It deals with the issue of sexual abuse in an extraordinary way, how some people have the sickening mentality of "she was asking for it, how verbally unable to say no to a sexual contact is not consent for it. How the society is quick to slut shaming. And how meaningless Hashtag eulogies are. In fairness the fact that it's a difficult to watch series underlines the fact why we need to watch it.
However, the perils of warning someone against a particular evil always comes with the pitfalls of driving your subject towards it. I was reading one article about the challenges faced by Sex Ed and Anti-addiction programs in schools. The biggest challenge is to present the subject matter in such a way that the intended audience is not enticed by the graphic description(hold on to this, this is important) of what starts the problem. For example an anti-smoking campaign which says that don't smoke just to look cool as it will cause further health issues can effectively end up conveying the message that smoking identifies with being cool. And yes, people are that stupid.
So in my opinion, here lies the biggest failure of 13 reasons why, because somehow in trying to be comprehensive about the whole suicide thing went overboard and ended up in glorifying suicide. The suicide scene is completely gratuitous. I am sure it will cause more harm than good. Hannah Baker, bullied and abused in her life time says just before suicide -"no one will hurt me anymore", I mean if it isn't setting vulnerable people on the path of suicide, I don't know what is.
In the backdrop of the whole Harvey Weinstein controversy, the show raises another very important point. There are a bunch of people who know Bryce walker rapes Jessica first and Hannah next, and we do't even know how many more such acts he's done, and do nothing. At one point he puts the blame squarely on Hannah, that it was her fault. While i sit here and hope justice is served to both Harvey Weinstein and Bryce Walker I couldn't help but think about the people who indirectly support such people by acting oblivious to their crimes just because they have money and influence. Harvey Weinstein's degenerate behavior was an open secret in Hollywood. Yet as early as 2017, he was a liberal Icon because he was donating millions to Democrats. We have numerous such people in our societies, I can only hope the continuous discussions on these uncomfortable topic brings out the change we are seeking.
Coming back to the series, It missed a crucial chance to discuss the complex psychology of teen angst and helplessness. Even after 13 reasons, I felt really confused as to why did Hannah actually committed suicide. Could it be that, the people who commit suicide are mentally weaker than people who choose to face their issue and continue. I want to believe that it's not true, because it will negate the whole point of the show, Hannah felt that if she even had one friend she would have lived, but she had Clay and her parents loved her all the way in the flashbacks. She could have lived for their sake, so if we really are to believe that Hannah committed suicide because she was weak it kind of absolves at least 6 or 7 people of being the reason for her decision.
I wish i hadn't binge watched this show, Maybe an episode a week would have prepared me better for the ending that fucked me up pretty bad. I have no final verdict for the show. Some of you might like it, some of you might not. I wish what the series wishes , that we should have saved Hannah and that we should prevent any such things from happening in the future.
The series follows the posthumous narration of Hannah Baker, a smart and beautiful 17 year old teenager who killed herself by slicing her wrists. Throughout the 13 episodes, she narrates and condemn and remembers how these 13 people are responsible for her decision to end her life. And there lies my first problem, as much as suspends builds and you are curious to hear Hanaah's voice again, and see her one more time, I realized this is not real. Death is final, there is no continuation of life after death. The series almost portrayed Suicide as romantic, but it's not.
As i was watching, my mind constantly reminded me of a song named "leave out all the rest". It's my favorite Linkin' Park song. The song talks about how the singer is all alone and he knows that no one will come to his aid if he ever needs one, but surprisingly he is more concerned about how people will remember him when he's gone.And that, in my opinion, is a problem. I have always found the concept of "Death makes angels of us all" very troubling. You are remembered for who you are in life and what you did, and though a tragic end of life might give you a week's respite, you will still be judged for what you did in your lifetime.
I am feeling like i have been focusing on the negatives too much, so i'll pull back a little and talk about what were the best things about the show. The whole premise was about an uncomfortable topic that no one really wants to discuss about. It isn't easy and the show deserves credit for that alone. It does presents the issue of bullying in a very realistic way. It deals with the issue of sexual abuse in an extraordinary way, how some people have the sickening mentality of "she was asking for it, how verbally unable to say no to a sexual contact is not consent for it. How the society is quick to slut shaming. And how meaningless Hashtag eulogies are. In fairness the fact that it's a difficult to watch series underlines the fact why we need to watch it.
However, the perils of warning someone against a particular evil always comes with the pitfalls of driving your subject towards it. I was reading one article about the challenges faced by Sex Ed and Anti-addiction programs in schools. The biggest challenge is to present the subject matter in such a way that the intended audience is not enticed by the graphic description(hold on to this, this is important) of what starts the problem. For example an anti-smoking campaign which says that don't smoke just to look cool as it will cause further health issues can effectively end up conveying the message that smoking identifies with being cool. And yes, people are that stupid.
So in my opinion, here lies the biggest failure of 13 reasons why, because somehow in trying to be comprehensive about the whole suicide thing went overboard and ended up in glorifying suicide. The suicide scene is completely gratuitous. I am sure it will cause more harm than good. Hannah Baker, bullied and abused in her life time says just before suicide -"no one will hurt me anymore", I mean if it isn't setting vulnerable people on the path of suicide, I don't know what is.
In the backdrop of the whole Harvey Weinstein controversy, the show raises another very important point. There are a bunch of people who know Bryce walker rapes Jessica first and Hannah next, and we do't even know how many more such acts he's done, and do nothing. At one point he puts the blame squarely on Hannah, that it was her fault. While i sit here and hope justice is served to both Harvey Weinstein and Bryce Walker I couldn't help but think about the people who indirectly support such people by acting oblivious to their crimes just because they have money and influence. Harvey Weinstein's degenerate behavior was an open secret in Hollywood. Yet as early as 2017, he was a liberal Icon because he was donating millions to Democrats. We have numerous such people in our societies, I can only hope the continuous discussions on these uncomfortable topic brings out the change we are seeking.
Coming back to the series, It missed a crucial chance to discuss the complex psychology of teen angst and helplessness. Even after 13 reasons, I felt really confused as to why did Hannah actually committed suicide. Could it be that, the people who commit suicide are mentally weaker than people who choose to face their issue and continue. I want to believe that it's not true, because it will negate the whole point of the show, Hannah felt that if she even had one friend she would have lived, but she had Clay and her parents loved her all the way in the flashbacks. She could have lived for their sake, so if we really are to believe that Hannah committed suicide because she was weak it kind of absolves at least 6 or 7 people of being the reason for her decision.
I wish i hadn't binge watched this show, Maybe an episode a week would have prepared me better for the ending that fucked me up pretty bad. I have no final verdict for the show. Some of you might like it, some of you might not. I wish what the series wishes , that we should have saved Hannah and that we should prevent any such things from happening in the future.
Comments
Post a Comment