(May 12, 2017) At the end of March, video-streaming service Netflix released an adaptation of the 2007 novel “13 Reasons Why,” wherein a high school student, “Clay,” receives a box of cassettes from a classmate, “Hannah,” who recently committed suicide. The series drew praise from critics and global consternation from school boards and advocate groups.
Worcester County schools are, at this point, taking no official stance on the show, but are participating in a pilot program called “Signs of Suicide” purchased by the Lower Eastern Shore Suicide Prevention Coalition as part of the social and emotional development unit provided to eighth graders, Carrie Sterrs, school spokeswoman, said.
As with all pilot programs in the county, Sterrs said the effectiveness of the program would be evaluated at the end of the school year.
Locally, the Worcester County Health Department’s Crisis Response team responded to 470 calls in fiscal 2016 and almost 64 percent of those were suicide related, according to Monica Martin, crisis team supervisor. Of those, 100 were from youths under the age of 18, she said.
“According to the most recent published data, in Worcester County there were 18 suicides from 2012-2014, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000 population compared to the state 9.6 rate,” Martin said.
The Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, established in the name of a teen that committed suicide here in 2009 and dedicated to education and outreach on the topic, sent a letter to the schools advising them to make parents aware of the series, and that their children are watching.
Leah Klump, sister of Jesse and board member at the fund, also watched the show and provided her perspective.
Bayside Gazette: What are the best things about the show?
Leah: In my opinion, the best thing about this show is the brutal honesty with which it portrays teenage life. I think that the show does an excellent job at portraying the myriad issues, both internal and external, that face today’s teenagers.
The characters are both interesting and relatable. I think that it is especially interesting that some episodes show that being passive is just as much of a problem as actively bullying.
Some characters are otherwise “good people,” but they don’t act when they see what is being done to Hannah by other students, or they are involved in laughing at or passing on the malicious information — sometimes in order to defend their own reputation.
The issues in the show are very real, and I think that the show does an excellent job of capturing that.
Bayside Gazette: What are the worst?
Leah: First, viewers may perceive Hannah as a revenge seeker — trying to get back at the people who damaged her.
It shows a kind of reverse bullying occurring as the students find out who the targets of the tapes are and what they did. The title itself seems to indicate that the 13 “reasons” why she killed herself are actually people.
I think that is true to the book, but that it is unfortunate as it fails to recognize the internal factors affecting Hannah. Another point that I dislike is besides a brief mention of suicide warning signs in the first episode, the show fails to make those warning signs clear.
They also fail to provide resources for people who may be facing things similar to what they see, or know someone who may be facing bullying or having suicidal thoughts, or for those who may be triggered by the images they see.
Finally, the worst thing about “13 Reasons Why,” in my opinion, is the graphic nature of the rape scenes and the suicide scene at the end. I found those to be unnecessarily disturbing and in no way helpful to the audience of the show, whether they were adults, teens, or children, and definitely inappropriate to show to young teens and children.
Bayside Gazette: Where does it miss the mark?
Leah: I think it misses the mark by failing recognize the signs [of] suicide, and by making her death much too dramatic and disturbing.
I think that the show contains many triggering scenes for adolescents and children and fails to provide them with support and resources while watching the show.
It may help to raise awareness about bullying, sexual violence, and even suicide, but I think that it may actually do more harm than good when it comes to suicide prevention.
The separate “Beyond the Reasons” episode is helpful, but it comes too late after all of the episodes are finished.
Bayside Gazette: Is there anything in there that is particularly worrisome for parents or the audience?
Leah: Parents should definitely be cautious about showing the last five episodes, which contain fairly graphic rape scenes, a copycat suicide, and Hannah’s own very graphic, violent death by suicide.
These scenes were very difficult for me to watch, and I warned my mother against the last episode in particular as, having lost her son to suicide, I thought it better that she not be subjected to watching a suicide in detail.
Some critics have argued that the suicide acts as a how-to guide, although I would argue that anyone serious about killing themselves would research and know how to do it anyway. It was just unnecessarily revolting and even triggering.
[For teens] it may be the first time they actually see rape or suicide occur in a realistic manner. Even if not, a child or teen may be triggered by these images, especially if they are struggling with any of these issues themselves.
Bayside Gazette: What does it get right?
Leah: The portrayal of the world teenagers live in today. It does a great job of showing the rapid spread of information and the avenue that technology presents for cyber bullying, and the highly destructive impact and isolating effect it can have on a young person.
It also does a good job of representing the importance of a reputation to a teen, and the ignorance of the parents of the kids that were involved in Hannah’s suicide. The parents just didn’t know what was really happening at school because so much of it happens through the internet, and mobile phones, and is hidden.
So much of cyber bullying is indirect, and the show does a great job of showing that.
Bayside Gazette: What is the overall value of the show in the ongoing discussion of teen suicide?
Leah: I think it’s extremely valuable in the ongoing discussion of teen suicide, as it is a central issue in the show, but that it will be most valuable if parents and teenagers watch the show together and talk about the issues that surface throughout the show.
Bayside Gazette: Are parents overreacting?
Leah: I think that parents may be overreacting somewhat. Many teens have already been exposed to many of the issues portrayed in the series, whether in their own lives or through the internet, or more indirectly through friends’ experiences.
I think that this show is intriguing to teens because the issues are important to them, and that parents naturally want to protect their children, but by doing so are actually perpetuating some of the problems represented in the series.
Bayside Gazette: Is the audience underreacting?
Leah: I don’t personally think that the audience is underreacting. I think that many teens have been exposed to the ideas in this show in their own lives already, and if not, that they are able to relate to the characters and issues in the show.
They may find some scenes especially difficult to watch, but they are not underreacting because the show is honest to their experiences.
Those in crisis are encouraged to call the national suicide hotline, 1-800-273-TALK.
Worcester County schools are, at this point, taking no official stance on the show, but are participating in a pilot program called “Signs of Suicide” purchased by the Lower Eastern Shore Suicide Prevention Coalition as part of the social and emotional development unit provided to eighth graders, Carrie Sterrs, school spokeswoman, said.
As with all pilot programs in the county, Sterrs said the effectiveness of the program would be evaluated at the end of the school year.
Locally, the Worcester County Health Department’s Crisis Response team responded to 470 calls in fiscal 2016 and almost 64 percent of those were suicide related, according to Monica Martin, crisis team supervisor. Of those, 100 were from youths under the age of 18, she said.
“According to the most recent published data, in Worcester County there were 18 suicides from 2012-2014, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000 population compared to the state 9.6 rate,” Martin said.
The Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, established in the name of a teen that committed suicide here in 2009 and dedicated to education and outreach on the topic, sent a letter to the schools advising them to make parents aware of the series, and that their children are watching.
Leah Klump, sister of Jesse and board member at the fund, also watched the show and provided her perspective.
Bayside Gazette: What are the best things about the show?
Leah: In my opinion, the best thing about this show is the brutal honesty with which it portrays teenage life. I think that the show does an excellent job at portraying the myriad issues, both internal and external, that face today’s teenagers.
The characters are both interesting and relatable. I think that it is especially interesting that some episodes show that being passive is just as much of a problem as actively bullying.
Some characters are otherwise “good people,” but they don’t act when they see what is being done to Hannah by other students, or they are involved in laughing at or passing on the malicious information — sometimes in order to defend their own reputation.
The issues in the show are very real, and I think that the show does an excellent job of capturing that.
Bayside Gazette: What are the worst?
Leah: First, viewers may perceive Hannah as a revenge seeker — trying to get back at the people who damaged her.
It shows a kind of reverse bullying occurring as the students find out who the targets of the tapes are and what they did. The title itself seems to indicate that the 13 “reasons” why she killed herself are actually people.
I think that is true to the book, but that it is unfortunate as it fails to recognize the internal factors affecting Hannah. Another point that I dislike is besides a brief mention of suicide warning signs in the first episode, the show fails to make those warning signs clear.
They also fail to provide resources for people who may be facing things similar to what they see, or know someone who may be facing bullying or having suicidal thoughts, or for those who may be triggered by the images they see.
Finally, the worst thing about “13 Reasons Why,” in my opinion, is the graphic nature of the rape scenes and the suicide scene at the end. I found those to be unnecessarily disturbing and in no way helpful to the audience of the show, whether they were adults, teens, or children, and definitely inappropriate to show to young teens and children.
Bayside Gazette: Where does it miss the mark?
Leah: I think it misses the mark by failing recognize the signs [of] suicide, and by making her death much too dramatic and disturbing.
I think that the show contains many triggering scenes for adolescents and children and fails to provide them with support and resources while watching the show.
It may help to raise awareness about bullying, sexual violence, and even suicide, but I think that it may actually do more harm than good when it comes to suicide prevention.
The separate “Beyond the Reasons” episode is helpful, but it comes too late after all of the episodes are finished.
Bayside Gazette: Is there anything in there that is particularly worrisome for parents or the audience?
Leah: Parents should definitely be cautious about showing the last five episodes, which contain fairly graphic rape scenes, a copycat suicide, and Hannah’s own very graphic, violent death by suicide.
These scenes were very difficult for me to watch, and I warned my mother against the last episode in particular as, having lost her son to suicide, I thought it better that she not be subjected to watching a suicide in detail.
Some critics have argued that the suicide acts as a how-to guide, although I would argue that anyone serious about killing themselves would research and know how to do it anyway. It was just unnecessarily revolting and even triggering.
[For teens] it may be the first time they actually see rape or suicide occur in a realistic manner. Even if not, a child or teen may be triggered by these images, especially if they are struggling with any of these issues themselves.
Bayside Gazette: What does it get right?
Leah: The portrayal of the world teenagers live in today. It does a great job of showing the rapid spread of information and the avenue that technology presents for cyber bullying, and the highly destructive impact and isolating effect it can have on a young person.
It also does a good job of representing the importance of a reputation to a teen, and the ignorance of the parents of the kids that were involved in Hannah’s suicide. The parents just didn’t know what was really happening at school because so much of it happens through the internet, and mobile phones, and is hidden.
So much of cyber bullying is indirect, and the show does a great job of showing that.
Bayside Gazette: What is the overall value of the show in the ongoing discussion of teen suicide?
Leah: I think it’s extremely valuable in the ongoing discussion of teen suicide, as it is a central issue in the show, but that it will be most valuable if parents and teenagers watch the show together and talk about the issues that surface throughout the show.
Bayside Gazette: Are parents overreacting?
Leah: I think that parents may be overreacting somewhat. Many teens have already been exposed to many of the issues portrayed in the series, whether in their own lives or through the internet, or more indirectly through friends’ experiences.
I think that this show is intriguing to teens because the issues are important to them, and that parents naturally want to protect their children, but by doing so are actually perpetuating some of the problems represented in the series.
Bayside Gazette: Is the audience underreacting?
Leah: I don’t personally think that the audience is underreacting. I think that many teens have been exposed to the ideas in this show in their own lives already, and if not, that they are able to relate to the characters and issues in the show.
They may find some scenes especially difficult to watch, but they are not underreacting because the show is honest to their experiences.
Those in crisis are encouraged to call the national suicide hotline, 1-800-273-TALK.