13 Reasons Why backfires
Unless you have been living under a rock you have probably heard about Netflix's new show 13 Reasons Why. I have to admit I was completely in love with the show (not the subject matter, but the story telling of the show from episode to episode), there were parts I had to look away at however. I will not spoil anything for those who have yet to watch it or for those who are not finished with the series. I want to talk about how this has sparked debate on social media.
There are mix signals about this show and I think they are more apparent then for most shows. A lot of people are in agreement that no one else is responsible for their mental health like in this article. Other people are saying that Netflix almost glorifies suicide according to The Huffington Post. The summary of all the research I did was: Netflix backfired. Their show backfired. People are writing about how the show will cause an increase in suicide, how watching the show makes people have suicidal thoughts, and more. These issues all involve the actual act of suicide but there is one other thing I want to discuss and that would be "welcome to your tape" memes/tweets.
Hannah Baker says "Welcome to your tape" in the first episode of the show and people have turned this into a meme. An example is "Me: Can I get some guac too? Chipotle Employee: Guacamole is extra. Me: Welcome to your tape" (The twitter handle has been covered up for their privacy).
This is where people are getting really offended. These memes and tweets are mocking the fact that a young women explained her reasoning for killing herself in tapes. The notion is that people are saying 'welcome to your tape' because they are going to kill themselves based of getting charged extra for guacamole to
bring up the
previously
mentioned tweet. I think Liza Walter does a good job of explaining why these memes and tweets are not funny in this article.
I will finish up by saying I did enough the show but everything in the show is fiction. It is based on a book that Jay Asher wrote in 2007, he did not base this on a true story. I think this is where the internet can get out of hand and goes too far. The importance of this show was to enlighten people about how their actions can impact another person's life and why it is important to listen to someone who reaches out to you. Not to create memes about being charged extra for guacamole.