Based on my life experience with suicide and how it affects kids and teenagers, I think the show really fucking sucked.

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who's smarter than you're? i'm!

I watched the first episode but was not compelled to endure another - did not buy into someone committing suicide who was also so committed to others and willing to orchestrate such an elaborate exit.
I can see why folks would not like their kids to watch it though - at least the first episode glamorizes / coolifies suicide.

My kids never had a lack of empathy or taking responsibility for their actions - maybe we were lucky or maybe we did a good job of leading by example - but we ALWAYS placed KINDNESS above all other attributes.

I gave my 13yo son the access code to watch this rating on Netflix (first thing he has ever watched which had parental control on it). It was a big topic of conversation in some of his 6th grade classes.

My wife caught wind when he was about 1/2 way through. She started watching during ep 9 which had one of the 3 more disturbing scenes and proceeded to freak out. They watched the final episode together last night and she freaked again during the final scene.

Overall I thought he handled it well and is taking away the parts you argue about in favor.

I think 13 was too young in hindsight but not by much.

I don't have concern about him having "problems" with this and I see it as something he will take forward with him into middle and high school when he considers others in his life.

They are going to watch the show attached tonite talking about depression how to get help for yourself and others etc.

Not sure what the show is about as I never heard of it until yesterday. My son said they are talking about it in school, might be sending something home to the parents about it.

As someone deals with suicidal tendencies all through the day and night all the time I am not sure shows like this. Every book, movie or conversation about suicide is always wrong. Super wrong. I might watch it but damn these movies drive me nuts.

I did wonder what you would think.
Did you watch the whole thing?

It does seem that the girls suicide in the series is some kind of "narrative sacrifice" that provides the other characters with the opportunity to learn some unfortunate facts about themselves.

Do you believe in this "contagion idea"?

Or does the show just seem insensitive?

It is probably the case that the suicide serves as a catalyst for the other characters to examine themselves.
And it is therefore not a great study of suicide itself.

I think the show is more about bullying, rape and people's desire to ignore their own roll in all the bad things that happen.

Which of course leads to another argument against the series: It might cause suicidal people to believe that they can produce some kind of transformational event in the lives of others by killing themselves.
(When in fact it is liable to be transformational in an entirely negative way).

My HS students love the show. They have turned it into a catch phrase to use when someone disrespects them, responding with, "This is your tape..."

I think it does a couple of things for the kids.
-Gets them thinking/ talking about the ways people treat each other
-The consequences of those interactions

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It just seems weird that the girl kills herself to teach everyone a lesson. It's like when I watch The Walking Dead and wonder if the writers ever met humans.

Just about the same level of annoying as telling someone to "check their privilege."

Not sure it's a good thing to teach kids that the way to deal with disrespect is to imply that they might be contributing to your impending suicide.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

No doubt many people would commit suicide as a consequence of all the things that girl went through.
So the suicide itself is not the unbelievable part.
And I think some people do leave suicide notes.

But yeah it is definitely unrealistic that others would learn anything from this.

Let's say- that the girl didn't commit suicide. Instead she goes on to become a drug addict and prostitute. But gradually regains her self esteem and self control in her late 20s and goes on to live a normal life?
More realistic ending?

But this is TV after all.

I watched some of it so I'd be informed if my son decides to watch it but so far he has heard of it but has no interest. There are things I don't like about the show. I don't like how Hannah is able to manipulate people and get her way through her suicide. There are some points it makes that are good but they may be missed or overshadowed. We see through other kids Hannah is an unreliable actor who can't be entirely trusted. She also admits that she is killing herself and that other kids didn't kill her. She admits that while bad things happened to her she was responsible for some bad things that happened to other kids. She is shown to be a self-center hypocrite but the movie doesn't really hit that point enough for me; it is more about the survivor's self reflection. In the end her suicide was not that effective. The person who treated her the worst didn't show remorse while the good kid who tried to help her but didn't try hard enough is left scared for life literally and figuratively.

Wife and I will finish up the last episode tonight. I liked the series so far...it kept me interested.

I did have one main thought in every episode...JUST LISTEN TO THE FUCKING TAPES ALREADY!!

yes i watched the whole series. my daughter did too, which is a big factor in why i watched it.

i found most things about it unrealistic and it seemed, in my mind, to glorify suicide. perhaps thats my bias, im not sure how objective im being on it. it did not do a good job of showing how devistating it can be for family and close friends. listening to her tapes would likely have been nearly impossible for for sone of the kids. especially that close to her death. again, thats just based on my experience. it took me a couople of years befire i could bring myself to watch a video of ms veganerd after she died. to be honest, i still cant reallly do it and its been 14 years. im not sure how differently id feel about this show if i handnt been though it.


the most believable character, to me, was the jock kid who also killed himself. his behavior definitely seemed like someone who would impulsively kill themself. while the girls was premeditated, it didnt seem believable to me.


feel free to skip this...

just for context, ms veganerd did not leave a note. in hindsight, it was clear she had been considering it, based on the last few conversations we had, especially the last one. i thought she was just being nice and reflective, but she was saying goodbye. although when she did it, i think it was an immediate, impulsive action. she just put a shotgun to her chest to stop her perpetually broken heart. she died in the helicopter on the way to the hospital. i cant describe how much i miss her.

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who's smarter than you're? i'm!

Holy crap dude. I had no idea. Was she your wife? I ask becasue you said ms and not mrs. Makes no difference either way, your loss must be devastating. I'm so sorry.

I watched the series with my wife as there were several notes sent home from the high school and the middle school about it as the book was on the selves in the school library. A few weeks ago my daughter asked if she could watch it as we have the rating block on Netflix as well. She told me she had read the book in 8th grade. So I let he watch it.

I thought the series was well done and I agree with your assessment. There was no way that it could have possibly shown the loss and devastation of the family she left behind.

we werent legally married but she was my friend since we were 12. she was one of the first friends i made after moving to minnesota. we started dating 5 years later, got our first apartment together, moved away to college together, and thats when we had our daughter. 5 years later she took her own life, and much of mine with it. thats the reason i started doing this whole sport. i sunk into a deep depression and got to the point where i wanted to end my own life. to say it ruined me is an understatement. i think of her every day.

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who's smarter than you're? i'm!