Selena Gomez helped produce and get the newest Netflix project, "13 Reasons Why," off the ground. This was originally a book that was published in 2007 by Jay Asher and it hit the New York Times Bestseller List in 2011. The gist of the story is that a teenage girl, Hannah Baker, commits suicide. But before she does she records 13 tapes, each one explaining why she felt like she had to die. Then it was her trusted friend, Tony, that made sure all of the people who were on the tapes received them and listened to them.
What this show made people realize is that their words can hurt others, even if they don't necessarily mean them that way. In the perception of Hannah's world, her life was never getting better. Only worse, because things kept happening. She was known as a slut, was made a joke out of by a stupid list, rejected by her "friends," raped, and so much more. She tried to ask for help but was ignored or denied every step of the way. The people around her didn't realize that she was going so deep into the dark, twisted world that is known as depression and suicidal tendencies - they didn't care enough to help.
Your words hurt.
Your actions destroy.
And there's nothing you can do to stop this.
That is how she felt. That is how so many other people feel because depression is a REAL disease, it is consuming and destroying and that person always ends up hurt. That's why this show is so overwhelming and inspirational because it israw and truthful.
Was it worth it to tell a girl she's fat? Was it worth it to beat up another person who gets beat at home? Was it worth it to send that girl's picture around just because you could?
Was it worth it to be a piece of crap human being?
Most of the time, it isn't. Most people don't realize what their actions and words do to others, but that is where they are wrong. That is where these stigmas arise and how the victims end up getting blamed. That needs to stop, it all does.
Would you feel good about yourself if you found out someone you knew committed suicide, and you were one of the reasons? I would sure hope not.
Do you think if just one person turned out different, turned out to actually care, Hannah wouldn't be alive? Would she have killed herself if her excuse of a counselor would've actually spent the time to listen to her and not blame her for getting raped? Who knows?
But you know what you can do? You can care. You can watch what you say to others, you can not send that mean text message telling someone to die. You can take five minutes out of your life to talk to someone to make sure they're okay.
You can be a human being, you can have compassion for others, and you can just get your ass out of your own life and take the time to see what is going on in the world around you. Be aware, be prepared, and actually care.
