PSA- 13 Reasons Why
It's not often that I come to my blog to write about anything besides my life and my babies, but today I feel like I need to write down my thoughts about the latest Netflix "most talked about" (based on a novel) series- 13 Reasons Why.
I've spent the last few days binge watching the series and since starting it, the heavy and emotionally charged content has been weighing on my mind.
For those of you that don't know- it is a story of an 11th grade girl who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 tapes she recorded each with a different story of a person who negatively affected her and ultimately is a "reason why" she committed suicide. This general plot line in itself is heavy stuff, but then add into it all of the depiction of bullying, rape, underage/irresponsible drinking, drugs, partying, and more; it's just A LOT to take in.
In the last three years working with 6th grade students, I have had incidences where I've had to keep an eye on certain students to watch for attempts at suicide and I have gone to two Mental Health and Suicide Prevention trainings. I feel at such a loss with this show though. Personally I don't feel like as an educator I am well trained on these heavy and important issues, but surprisingly I have more training and understanding than most. I know for a fact that I have more training and understanding than an average parent/guardian- because when do they get to spend a full day learning about mental health and suicide prevention?
This show is being watched by many middle and high school students whose parents might not even monitor their child's content, who might not be aware of the content of the show, who might not know how to talk with their child about these issues, who might be afraid of talking to their child about these issues, who might....
One thing that has particularly stuck with me throughout the show is that the main character was a bystander. He knew of many of the incidences in which the girl was bullied and did nothing about it. This is something that I think many people miss throughout the show but that is so important.
Ugh, I feel like the themes and issues brought up in this show have so many discussions that need to happen around them! Anyway, after watching the last episode I wanted to see what is out there about the show in the news right now. I did come across a couple news stories that tell of schools sending home warning letters to parents about how they should be watching the show with their child and having discussions around it as it is watched.
This article from ABC News talks about a couple letters that were sent home and I found this quote to be entirely true:
“'While the show's producers claim their intent is to start an important dialogue about bullying and suicide, mental health experts have expressed deep concerns about how the show may be perceived as glorifying and romanticizing suicide, and they worry about how it may trigger children who are vulnerable,' the letter reads, in part."
There is a lot more to be said about this show, but what I really wanted to get across was that everyone should be aware of what signs of depression, anxiety, or any other suicidal-leading behaviors look like and not take them lightly.
I've spent the last few days binge watching the series and since starting it, the heavy and emotionally charged content has been weighing on my mind.
For those of you that don't know- it is a story of an 11th grade girl who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 tapes she recorded each with a different story of a person who negatively affected her and ultimately is a "reason why" she committed suicide. This general plot line in itself is heavy stuff, but then add into it all of the depiction of bullying, rape, underage/irresponsible drinking, drugs, partying, and more; it's just A LOT to take in.
In the last three years working with 6th grade students, I have had incidences where I've had to keep an eye on certain students to watch for attempts at suicide and I have gone to two Mental Health and Suicide Prevention trainings. I feel at such a loss with this show though. Personally I don't feel like as an educator I am well trained on these heavy and important issues, but surprisingly I have more training and understanding than most. I know for a fact that I have more training and understanding than an average parent/guardian- because when do they get to spend a full day learning about mental health and suicide prevention?
This show is being watched by many middle and high school students whose parents might not even monitor their child's content, who might not be aware of the content of the show, who might not know how to talk with their child about these issues, who might be afraid of talking to their child about these issues, who might....
One thing that has particularly stuck with me throughout the show is that the main character was a bystander. He knew of many of the incidences in which the girl was bullied and did nothing about it. This is something that I think many people miss throughout the show but that is so important.
Ugh, I feel like the themes and issues brought up in this show have so many discussions that need to happen around them! Anyway, after watching the last episode I wanted to see what is out there about the show in the news right now. I did come across a couple news stories that tell of schools sending home warning letters to parents about how they should be watching the show with their child and having discussions around it as it is watched.
This article from ABC News talks about a couple letters that were sent home and I found this quote to be entirely true:
“'While the show's producers claim their intent is to start an important dialogue about bullying and suicide, mental health experts have expressed deep concerns about how the show may be perceived as glorifying and romanticizing suicide, and they worry about how it may trigger children who are vulnerable,' the letter reads, in part."
There is a lot more to be said about this show, but what I really wanted to get across was that everyone should be aware of what signs of depression, anxiety, or any other suicidal-leading behaviors look like and not take them lightly.
Comments
Post a Comment