Ellis Donaghey has successfully captured the risk of glorifying suicide in TV dramas through her article, Why "13 Reasons Why" Fails. At my own high school I have wittnessed peers romanticizing the show, the characters and the suicide itself, while simultaneously critizing Hannah, the main character, for being a vain, selfish coward. In my eyes, and in the eyes of others like Ellis, the main point of the original novel has been lost to the superficial nature of our society. 

As Ellis commented early in her article, the novel, 13 Reasons Why, portrayed a frighteningly accurate and encouraging down-to-earth view on suicide. And like Ellis, I was convinced that Netflix would "take this opportunity to spread awareness" about suicide, its causes, and its effects. The reality Netflix viewers were faced with was something much different. Hannah's messages were percieved as artistic, a "beautiful act of revenge," when Hannah's words actually expressed her most devestating emotions: her fear, her indignation, her helplessness. In the teenage drama, this was all lost to the glitter and lights of Hollywood.

I've discouraged my peers from watching the show, and I've tried to remind them that suicide is far from anything Netflix has portrayed. Instead, many of my peers ignore the severity of suicide and reason that because it isn't in their lives, it's not important. However, ignoring a problem is just as dangerous as romanticizing it.

With the help of individuals like Ellis Donaghey, who face the issue of suicide with compassion, I hope we can adjust our society's views on suicide. Assisting individuals who suffer form sucidial thoughts or actions requires courage and understanding, not glorification for the sake of entertainment.