13 Reasons Why- Bullying Analysis

When the TV series "13 Reasons Why" first came out, I watched the series and actually wrote a blog on 13 Reasons Why Not. As I am finishing up the second season, I think we have more to take from this then what is seen with the naked eye. There's lots of negative comments regarding the first and especially the second season due to the honestly blunt content. Our world is so used to having the effects of bullying sugar coated that getting a glimpse of what really happens is shocking and unwanted. People think this show is promoting suicide and promoting the blame of someone committing suicide on the people around them, its not. I believe this show is a lesson that we all need to take much more from. Yes the content may be harsh and revealing, but its real.. I don't think people really understand what being bullied is like. When it gets to the extreme that you question whether this life is worth living... no one can understand that unless they've experienced it. And no student deserves to walk the halls afraid... no student deserves to go home and still be afraid of the rumors being spread and their lives falling apart... I know, I've been there. I was lucky it never got to the point I questioned life, but it got the point I came home still afraid of these girls, these people and I shut off the ones who truly cared about me. Schools are supposed to be safe and yet I have more and more friends turning to an online school environment because they don't feel safe. They don't feel they have school administration on their side. They feel alone and they can only fight for themselves so long. Lets take this show as an example, an example of the truth for some kids, an example of what does and could happen. Let's be proactive, maybe we can all use this as an eye opener, school admin, parents, friends, students. Know what is happening in your school, with your friends, with your kids. As for schools, some have great anti-bullying programs and I applaud you for your efforts and preventing these situations! For others, maybe you need to step it up.. It's time in our day in age that we stop saying it wont happen because the fact is it does and we need to start saying, we wont let it happen. Use this not as another thing to criticize but as something we can all learn from, lets use this example to better our schools, homes and future generations.. If we don't have reason enough already, or if we come up with excuses why we cant better school programs etc.. Maybe the question we need to ask is, how much are our youths lives worth? Suicide is the decision someone makes for themselves, and while no one is at fault for that decision, should we not be doing everything in our power to prevent it? Hannah Baker was a fictional tragedy, take a look in the records, there are plenty of very real ones and its honestly sad its taken a fictional TV series to really open peoples eyes to what goes on in real life, when before now there have been plenty of real incidents. Our youth deserve better, they deserve a place to learn and grow without fear, a place where they can be themselves and a place where they are supported in that by peers and staff. It only takes a spark to start a flame so here's your spark, whos ready to be apart of the flame, in our schools, our homes and even our simple everyday lives. We can make change, change in how we treat people, to their face and when they leave. We can make change by being more interested in peoples lives then just the cloths they wear or their car etc. We can make a change by going deeper and getting real with one another. Change will come, it needs to come. Its time.