15 Ways '13 Reasons Why' Is The Absolute Worst

13 Reasons Why, of course, is the Netflix adaption of Jay Asher's YA novel that was published a decade ago. As everyone knows, the story follows a teenage girl named Hannah who left behind a series of tapes explaining why she took her own life. The show has an anti-bullying message and proves how being kind can go a long way. Although everyone involved with the show definitely had positive intentions, it seems that not everyone loves this show, and that it might be problematic in some ways. Many critics of the show criticize its portrayal of mental health issues like taking one's life, self-harm, and depression. From claiming that the show is a trigger for those suffering from mental health issues to alleging its representation of teen life aren't accurate, there's a lot to be said about this popular show. Here are 15 reasons that 13 Reasons Why might not actually be the best.

15 It Suggests Some Bullying Is Okay

13 Reasons Why is pretty much 13 episodes with a message against bullying. The lead character, Hannah, takes her life because of a series of incidents where classmates mistreated and bullied her. The show aims to prove that showing someone a little bit of kindness can go a long way. There's a scene in the show that actually seems to promote bullying… as long as the context is right, that is. Tape 4 is Tyler's tape, the guy who had been stalking Hannah and taking creepy (and extremely inappropriate) photos of her. She and her friends had every reason to be upset with him. But, after listening to his tape, the other students begin throwing rocks through his bedroom window. Through this tape, it seems like Hannah is encouraging people to get back at him for what he did to her. Throughout the rest of the show, we see people mistreat Tyler, proving he's also a victim of bullying. Though we can't excuse what Tyler did, that's not an excuse to start bullying him.

14 It's Got Those “Typical Teenage Problems” Storylines

There is a lot that you can experience during high school, but chances are, you did not experience everything that Hannah and her friends did during only two semesters. One of the problems with 13 Reasons Why is that it repeats the same stereotypical high school problems and drama that we are used to seeing in other teen shows. Some of the things we encounter in the show include people experience some form of physical assault, alcohol and substance abuse, LGBTQ+ issues, self-harm, mental health issues, parents and teachers who don't understand, and of course taking a life. Of course these issues are not only important but also relevant. That is not the problem. The problem is that while this is definitely a captivating show and there is no denying that fact, this show does not separate itself from other teen dramas that have aired before.

13 The Characters Are Privileged

13 Reasons Why has been praised for its racial diversity, but the characters are from privileged homes and backgrounds. Most of them come from two-parent families, which doesn't represent the lives of most of the teens in North America. While all the characters have their own personal struggles, Justin is the only one who had actual issues with his home life, with a single mom who is a drug addict and who chooses her horrible boyfriend over her son time and time again. But even Justin has a wealthy best friend who lets him spend time at his home indefinitely, which proves that he's pretty lucky as far as these things go. The show doesn't touch on a serious subject that affects most teens: poverty and a lack of opportunity. This is definitely a reason tat many kids are bullied and at the very least, it's often the source of their problems. 13 Reasons Why needs to expand on this issue next season if they want their show to resonate with all sorts of teenagers.

12 The Girls Don't Speak Up When the Guys Treat Them Badly

One of the most shocking elements of the show is how the male students treat the females… and how the girls just take it like it's normal. Sure, there are tons of teenage guys out there who act just like the jocks in 13 Reasons Why. From making lists of the hottest girls to making inappropriate comments to physical assault, none of this is uncommon or unusual, unfortunately. But it's shocking how none of the female students stand up for themselves when they are treated badly. We would think that at least one or two girls would go talk to the school administration about what's going on. Or at least that the teachers would have something to say about the sexist ways of the guys who attend that high school. But, instead, the female students don't fight back when derogatory comments were made or rumors were spread about them. We wished we would have seen a little more girl power throughout the show, and that the ladies would have put the guys in their place. Here's hoping this happens in season two.

11 The Characters Are Unlikeable

We get it. We're supposed to get that everyone here is somewhat responsible for Hannah's death. In one way or another, everyone mistreated Hannah at one point, which led to her feeling so alone that she thought ending her life was the only option. But there's a side effect of this: it makes it hard to like any of the characters. The show makes literally every character a bad guy at some point. Almost all the characters have done something that would make us stop being friends with them. Ryan publishes Hannah's poem without her consent. Alex makes a list that targets the girls in his class and upsets his girlfriend. Even Clay, who is supposed to be the good guy and one of Hannah's only friend if not her only friend, is made out to be a bad guy because he didn't tell Hannah how he felt. We can think of reasons to dislike all the main characters.

10 No One Tells An Adult What's Going On

Even before Hannah's terrible ending, things were bad for the teens at her high school. Pretty much all of them were dealing with some heavy stuff and had been bullied, were drinking, abusing drugs, or had been assaulted. Even after Hannah's death and the circulation of the tapes, when things arguably were at their worst, no one thought that they should reach out to someone in a position of authority. If you witness bullying or something illegal, they always say the best thing to do is tell someone you trust. It's bewildering that none of the teens told an adult about what was going on, whether that would be a teacher or their parents. Most of the kids got into tons of illegal and dangerous things, so you think their commons sense would have kicked in. If you are in a tough situation like any of the things featured in 13 Reasons Why, then you should speak to someone you trust. Not doing anything only makes things snowball and can lead to epic finales like the show's last episode.

9 It Makes Taking One's Life Seem Like An Act Of Revenge

Though the show may have not intentionally wanted it to appear this way, it does make this act seem like the ultimate act of revenge. To end her pain and suffering, Hannah takes her own life but leaves a series of tapes so everyone can know how they're personally responsible for her choice. Viewers watch as Hannah's former classmates struggle with their guilt after learning how they hurt her and how they feel responsible for her death. There are definitely people on those tapes whose actions needed to be brought to light. But, in reality, taking one's life is not an effective way to do this. Hannah isn't alive to witness those who wronged her realizing what they did. She will never get the apology or acceptance she so desperately wanted. Likewise, no one's life is worthy any sort of revenge. Painting this act in this light can be harmful to viewers who may think taking Hannah's course of action will also help end their pain.

8 The Teens Don't Trust Their Teachers

On the show, most of the teachers and other school faculty seem incompetent. We can't really blame the characters for not trusting them with their deepest, darkest secrets. Many of the teachers failed to call out the poor and inappropriate behavior of students and they definitely didn't intervened in obvious cases of bullying. The guidance counsellor just didn't seem to know how to relate to the teens, and he made a big mistake when he pretty much told Hannah to get over her problems. Even the principal only cared about saving the image of the school rather than making sure that every teen at the school was okay. For many struggling students, teachers can offer the support and resources they need to overcome their issues. All 13 Reasons Why is doing is making it seem like teachers aren't concerned about these sorts of issues, which isn't the message to be spreading to high school-aged viewers. If the show had included at least one story arc about a supportive teacher, then it may have been able to spread the message that turning to a trusted adult can help you in times of need.

7 It Suggests Drinking And Doing Other Illegal Substances In High School Is Normal

We can definitely tell that 13 Reasons Why tried to paint an accurate picture of high school life. But this is one way they missed the mark. In almost every episode, the students are seen drinking and doing drugs. Whenever there was a house party, the teens have an endless supply of alcohol that got them into tons of trouble. When hanging out, they are constantly using illegal substances. Even when we see the kids at home by themselves, they still seem to have a bottle of tequila nearby. This representation of drinking and drugs in high school is totally inaccurate. It's true that tons of high school students are exposed to this kind of stuff regularly and that this is a typical feature of most, if not all, teen dramas. But this show seems to suggest that every teenager is drinking and doing drugs and that's definitely not the case.

6 No One Considered The Feelings Of The Other Survivor

After such a traumatic experience, it can be hard for the victim to decide how they want to proceed -- whether they want to press charges or if they just want to move on. But no one considered what Jessica wanted or how she felt. Instead, Jessica's so-called friends deliberated whether they should even tell her she was attacked. Her own boyfriend lied to her about what happened, saying he was the one that she slept with. Even after Jessica learned what happened, everyone was either pressuring her to come forward or to forgive those responsible for the assault. At the end of the day, the survivor of the assault is the one everyone should listen to. Though her friends may have had their own opinions on what to do, they should have asked Jessica what she wanted, and they definitely should have asked how she was doing. Her friends failed to see the horrible condition she was in by the end of the season, and we can only imagine what's going to happen to her if she doesn't address her unresolved feelings.

5 Hannah Didn't Leave A Note For Her Parents

Of course, we don't really know what is going on in the mind of someone before they choose to take their own life. In the show, we saw that Hannah had the peace of mind to get her “affairs” in order. She saw a few last people, recorded and delivered her tapes, and even returned her work uniform to the movie theatre. She went through a lot of trouble to make things perfect before her death, but one thing she didn't do was provide any closure for her parents. It's definitely tough to watch her parents grieve and mourn their lost daughter. All of the students know why Hannah made her decision. We don't hate Hannah for not making the time to leave something for her parents, but we can't understand why she wouldn't. Perhaps she thought the tapes would eventually make their way back to them or that they were better off not knowing the real reason. Of course, the parents do end up listening to the tapes, so in the end they do find out what everyone else already knows.

4 Hannah Wrongfully Outed Courtney

Hannah did something hurtful when she revealed that Courtney is gay on the tape. Though Courtney was being raised by two gay dads, she was having a hard time coming out of the closet. When Tyler took a photo of Hannah and Courtney in a compromising position, Courtney freaked out at the idea of her secret being revealed. She refused to admit she was gay, even though rumors were being spread about her and Hannah. We get why Hannah would be upset with Courtney, but that still doesn't give her a right to reveal that someone is gay without their consent. Coming out can be an extremely emotional and scary time, so the person in question should be allowed to do it when they feel ready. No one addressed that it was wrong of Hannah to reveal this information, even if it was relevant to explaining how Courtney wronged her. Even though Hannah was going through so much, we wish she had been more sensitive about her friend's secret.

3 It Could Romanticize Self-Harm

Self-harm is never a healthy way to address your feelings or to cope with your pain. Some people might interpret 13 Reasons Why as suggesting that self-harm may be a more conventional route than we originally thought. It makes it seem like tons of teenagers intentionally hurt themselves and that it is no big deal (but in reality, it really, really is). 13 Reasons Why makes us think that, if Clay had not left her alone on the night of the party or the guidance counsellor was more intuitive, then Hannah might still be alive. Perhaps that is true, but the show is not dealing with some key facts about mental health. It barely focuses on how Hannah's mental health was deteriorating before she decided to take her own life, and makes her decision look like a rational choice. Self-harm is not something to be taken lightly, and more time should have been spent on this important topic.

2 It Could Be Triggering

There have been some articles in the past few weeks that discuss how some people have been triggered by the show. Some viewers have reported being triggered by the scenes on this show that show taking one's life, self harm, and physical assault that are portrayed in 13 Reasons Why. Such graphic scenes can unfortunately end up reminding viewers of painful memories or experiences and can put them in a temporary state of mental stress. yes, even though there are warning before these graphic episodes, it is still not enough! The show's writers and producers have said they chose to depict these issues in such a graphic light in order to show the reality of them. They definitely were careful about these portrayals and did not want them to be glamorized or romanticized for the cameras. But the truth is that these subjects are complicated and tricky and these scenes still seem to have been triggering for certain viewers.

1 It Doesn't Talk About Preventing This Situation

The show does a great job explaining why someone might turn to ending their life when the pain is too much for them to bear. But it could be argued that there isn't any discussion of how to prevent such an act, such as warning signs or what to do if you think someone may have these thoughts. After watching the show, you don't know what to do if someone that you know is feeling the same way. Having someone suffering to this end is just that: a serious issue. 13 Reasons Why had the influence to educate countless people on how to prevent this situation, but it's possible to interpret it as focusing on drama instead of what to do in this situation. If there's a second season, let's hope they discuss this prevention and awareness and make that a huge part of the storyline, instead of more episodes about the drama that led Hannah to make this choice.