My Arguments Against The Potential Banning Of 13 Reasons Why In Schools
A few days ago the school held an assembly regarding the TV show “13 Reasons Why”, the delicate topics that the show portrayed and the potential banning of discussion about the show. Even though I might agree with this to an extent, I believe we are missing a different perspective. Through this essay, I am going to convince you to not ban the series by showing the positives of it, and then come up with ways to address the show in a positive way to all students which hopefully will be beneficial.
The school board, mental health professionals and parents have criticized the show for glamorising suicide and having the potential to cause a suicide contagion. I understand that the graphic suicide scene in the show might have been extreme and having the main character, Hannah, tell her story following her death by suicide might be seen as romanticizing death. I understand that from your perspective this show could trigger suicide, I myself have seen friends my age been bullied and gone through depression but the show could be a way for them relate to someone and realize that talking about your problems can change everything. If our school were to discuss more of the topic and the show, we can educate all students on the fact that even though this show is fiction and certain things are portrayed differently to how they actually happen in real life, the topics and issues mentioned in the show are very real and affect many around us, as well as the fact that there is a choice and there are ways on how to deal with an issue like this and overcome it, with the right help.
Schools around the world are banning students from discussing the show and some countries have put a strict 18+ classification. I realise that our school is contemplating banning 13 Reasons Why as you and the school have only seen the negatives and dangers of the show but what you haven’t realised is the positives and the effective impact it has had on many young adults around the world. Netflix recently commissioned a study from Northwestern University’s Center for Media and Human Development to how young adults who have watched the show felt about what is depicted in the story. According to the study, 78% of viewers believed that the series helped them understand that their actions have an impact on others. 73% decided to be more considerate about how they treated other people following their view of season one. 51% said they reached out to someone they hurt after being inspired by Hannah and Clay's story. After watching the show, many viewers came to the realization of the impacts of their actions on someone’s life. Words, posts, anonymous messages, and actions can hurt no matter how big or small they are. This shows how important it is to be nice to others around you because suicide is no joke and (cyber) bullying is a large issue around the world especially in the United States, where the show originates from.
The show also talked about certain taboo issues in our society, such as sexual assault and suicide. People are realising that the smallest things can have a huge impact on people. One thing that the show did do well is to show the truth about slut shaming. It showed how a girl is scorned for being sexual while guys are applauded and encouraged. It showed how women are told to be modest yet are so objectified and over-sexualized.
To some, scenes in the show could have been seen as being glamorized but to many the way the scenes especially the rape scenes were portrayed, that they were not glamorized or shortened because it allowed the audience to see just how devastating the experience is for the victim.
In this sense, the show realistically captured the lives of high school students, and that even in a school like ours, a private school in Europe, teens face the same realities as teens from a public school in the US. Every teenager can relate to the social struggles that each character in the show faces. The show eloquently portrays the dangers of bullying and how it can have a ripple effect on an entire school population.
I’m not denying that the show is controversial and that Netflix didn’t make a few mistakes but the show has also had a massive positive impact around the world. It has spoken to people, specifically teenagers, who might be going through what Hannah went through, or to bullies that realized the impacts of their actions towards others. I believe banning the show and any discussion about it would be a great mistake. I realize the show might be uncomfortable to some but I truly believe that talking about topics that are uncomfortable will help raise awareness. Possible suggestions on what the school can do is having another assembly where the show is discussed in a positive manner. We could also organize weekly sessions in advisories, where a class gets a certain subject/issue and they need to discuss how to help someone else get through it. Other ideas could be an anonymous question submission that is addressed by counselors, or an online message submission board where students can anonymously post uplifting and encouraging messages to fellow students. I definitely believe that providing resources for students to access that are informative and can help them through anything would be very beneficial.
