OK, so I have seen a bunch of articles online about how “13 Reasons Why” has failed to portray mental illnesses as a rising problem, or they’ve romanticized suicides, and I don’t think that’s true at all.

I read in an article that when the show showed how she killed herself, it was too “graphic.”

Well, I think society is turning into a bunch of wimps who can’t handle what real life looks like.

The show showed the suicide because it’s not pretty. Suicide is ugly and it’s painful, and that’s why the show allowed us to watch it.

I think if the producers wanted it to be a graceful death then more kids would want to do it because it’s easy and painless, right?

Also, people say that “Hannah’s death scene could inspire copycats.” First thing I have to say about that is, OK, and?

You can’t stop people from doing what they want, and if they want to bleed out in a bath tub then that’s their problem.

Second thing, what’s in a horror movie? A scary movie? Murderers, suicides, rape, torture, etc.

People every day have the ability to watch any scary movie, and they can get all kinds of ideas and new ways to kill people. But why is no one talking about those?

Finally, “the suicide is painted as an act of revenge.” Because that’s what it is. People kill themselves for all kinds of reasons, especially if they’re bullied. They kill themselves to make the bully feel guilty.

The show also shows how everyone else’s lives were affected by her suicide. Your revenge caused mental breakdowns and all kinds of issues for the people who wronged you.

So, are you any better than the bully is? The show allows us to see the effect suicide has on everyone around us, and I think that’s a good thing for people to realize.

— Aubrey Scott, senior