Hey, it's Matt. Matt Rosenfield. That's right. Don't adjust your... whatever device you're reading this on.
Writing to you from Rhode Island, about to go play some ultimate when I finish this post. Just wanted to get a quick one in after Reagan begged for more of my writing. I'm not about to turn this blog into a review of everything I do, but, in my downtime and bedtime through Connecticut, I watched a Netflix Original that left me reeling. I mean, it's no Bojack Horseman (I mean, it's no banana cream pie!), but it's very good and I think it addresses an important topic.
13 Reasons Why is told in a series of flashbacks over a series of thirteen one-hour episodes. A high school student, Hannah, has killed herself and left behind thirteen cassette tapes as her "suicide note"; each episode devotes itself to the heart-wrenching audio to one of the cassette sides, as heard by her friend, Clay. Quickly the story in the present day (a few weeks after the suicide) grips the audience as much as the past events leading up to the suicide.
The show released a month ago and immediately made waves in high schools across the country. Aloud discussion of the show has been banned in at least one high school. Counselors are receiving extra training on how to handle the sorts of signs indicative of suicidal tendencies. And yes, there is a published fear of the show inspiring copycat suicides, so the generally positive reception comes with some hesitance.
Whether this show has a positive effect on high school students is up for debate. Whether this show should have been produced at all (based on a 2007 novel) is up for debate. It is EXTREMELY uncomfortable, and not just due to the suicide scene - I won't spoil. The actors reportedly had therapy dogs on scene to help them deal with the traumatic, macabre issues.
I sobbed at several points in the show. Take that, Mom! I'm not so cold! Just give me a good show that tells a realistic story. It's very hard not to relate to the male co-lead and cry with him. The portrayal of high school in 13 Reasons Why has been lauded across the board, including by real high school students themselves. I wait for a contrarian high schooler to tell me it isn't accurate at all, but with myself only being ten years removed from high school, I applaud the semblance the directors have made.
I think the issue needs to be elevated, and that's why I'm glad a show like this came around. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-24 and nobody talks about it. The idea goes hand in hand with general mental illness in America, which is also swept under the rug. I don't think so, but the case could be made that the show wrongly glorifies suicide. The case could be made that the show might inspire suicides. But I hope the general acclaim for 13 Reasons Why gets people talking for all the right reasons - all the reasons the producers hope.
Watch it. You'll be uncomfortable. But that's ok. You have the support of friends and family.
In lighter news...
I booked my flight to Europe! I depart on flight DY7006 on June 1 from JFK airport to Stockholm, Sweden. I am sooooo excited.
In still light news but less fortunate...
Getting a Russian Visa is harder than I expected. I went to the Russian embassy in NYC but I always seemed to be lacking one document or another. I might need to postpone my ride on the Trans-Siberian Railway for the future. Next time, I'll be better prepared. Whether I get to Mongolia by air now remains to be seen. Perhaps I should just stick to Europe for the two months I have there and not spread myself too thin. Slightly disappointed that my Mongolian dream could fall through, but there's so much to see in Europe that it isn't hard to make the best of it. Being on the train for a whole week from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar would have been a huge chunk of time, not that I don't love train travel though.
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