'13 Reasons Why' Sparks Debate on 'Graphic' Depiction of Hannah Baker's Suicide
The Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" has sparked debates on whether or not it was right to show a graphic depiction of the suicide of its main protagonist, Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford).
"13 Reasons Why" is based on a novel written by Jay Asher titled "Thirteen Reasons Why." In the Netflix series adaptation, the story opened a couple of weeks after Hannah's death, just when her friend Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) receives the cassette tapes she left where she recorded the reasons or the people that pushed her to commit suicide.
The online debates circling around the show's approach in portraying Hannah's suicide grew in number quickly as the show gained popularity. Some news outlets, critics, experts, and netizens argue that it is not healthy for viewers, especially those who are actually suffering from depression or have suicidal tendencies, to watch someone take her own life in a very detailed manner.
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One of Variety's TV critics, Maureen Ryan, acknowledged many have found that the show "glamorized suicide." However, she also commented that it cannot be denied that the show paved the way for these sensitive matters to be discussed. Ryan added that the show's approach and narrative might have pushed emotionally struggling teenagers to open up more about what they are going through.
However, some experts think it does not need a graphic depiction for people to understand those who are going through depression or are having suicidal thoughts. Talking to Huffington Post, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education executive director Dan Reidenberg said he was "horrified at the graphic, sensational ways in which they depicted Hannah's life."
And in an ABC News report, the SAVE executive director also commented, "There is a great concern that I have ... that young people are going to overidentify with Hannah in the series and we actually may see more suicides as a result of this television series."
On the other hand, the creators of the show naturally defended their decision of not holding back on depicting how Hannah ended her own life.
One of the writers, Nic Sheff, said in a column on Vanity Fair: "It seemed to me the perfect opportunity to show what an actual suicide really looks like—to dispel the myth of the quiet drifting off, and to make viewers face the reality of what happens when you jump from a burning building into something much, much worse." Sheff added that doing otherwise, in terms of showing Hannah's suicide, is the "most irresponsible thing."
"13 Reasons Why" is now streaming on Netflix.
