13 Reasons Why – Episode #8 – (Last Article)

In the blogosphere there are literally millions of blogs; there are even more posts, that are being written in a second; because of that, this is the last article. Words are just words. I don’t think they can affect anybody… not in these days at least — for a variety of reasons.

However, just in case that anyone has read or will read this blog, I’m writing this post right now, just for the shake for the blog to be complete.

As the title suggests, I just saw the eight episode. I was supposed to write some things about social media, education, and self-awareness, in the second part of the previous article, but since I decided to stop writing about it, I will probably not publish the second part.

The reason why I’m not going to write anymore, is mostly because of what I mentioned in the first paragraph. Besides that though, I’m not really sure if I like the show. Of course I will watch the whole of it — after all, there are only 5 episodes left. But let me explain why I’m not sure if I like it or not.

First of all, it is predictable. If you watch it carefully, as soon as the show begins making some sense, you can predict how it will follow; the role of each person; you can guess the motives of these people, and other things. To be honest though, this is not the most important thing. In fact, most of the times, I don’t care that much, if a movie or a TV show is predictable or not, if it has surprises or not. I mostly care about the essence of the movie or the TV show.

I consider a TV show as a form of art, and in my opinion, what art should do, is to go beyond reality. I’m not saying that it should become fiction. All I’m saying is that art, should not just present how things are in reality, but should present a way out of reality, an alternative reality, a feasible, different, better reality. Art should be a thing that inspires and motivates the audience. And this TV show, in my opinion at least, does not satisfy this. Because of that — I’m out!

Thanks for reading.

13 Reasons Why – Episode #4 (1)

Hello People. It’s me again, writing my thoughts while watching 13 Reasons Why.
I really liked that episode, the episode #4. I liked it because it referred to a lot of different things, and this is why I will split this article into two parts.

First of all, I have noticed a pattern — as long as it can be a pattern since I have seen only four episodes till now. Hannah is stronger than I thought. In every episode, if you notice, it shows that something bad is happening to her, but every next episode shows how she has got through it and got over it; until the next mistreatment will come! In this episode for instance, it seems like she has forgotten about the List and the behaviour of Justin’s friend, whose name I still can’t recall, and she has become friends with… well with the girl that she has become friends anyway, I don’t remember her name either. And she seems really good with the all situation and she is fine and happy; she is living her life. In fact, I think Hannah is a really mature girl, realising and observing what is going on around her and in life in general — as much as a seventeen years old girl can be at least.

But then the photo of her and her friend came out, showing them that they were making out, and the suffering starts again for Hannah, loosing again her friend. Here I would like to present something I think is very important.

Is our world really progressive?

First of all, I’m very convinced that as long as someone is bullying or treating someone bad, or making fun of someone, does not do that because of the subject on topic. The subject he or she is choosing, I claim, is just an excuse to justify his or her behaviour. What he needs and wants is to mistreat others, for different reasons: it might be because he is misbehaved as well, or because he wants to show his superficial superiority by humiliating others — it might be for any reason. But even if the subject people are choosing in order to mistreat others is not what matters the most, it still matters. Nobody would mistreat somebody because he or she is drinking water, right? He has to find some ground on the subject he is choosing. We might believe that we live in a progressive world, but in fact, I claim, our world is still very puritan.
It is not about what someone would say in a public discussion about something, but it is about if this opinion would match his or her actions as well.

For instance, publicly, not a lot of people would claim that if you are a girl and you are making out with a guy in a park (Hannah and Justin), is something bad. Also, a lot of people, especially those who want to be seen as cool or whatever, would not claim publicly that a person who is making out with another person of the same gender (Hannah and her friend), is something bad either.

However, in practice it seems like we are not as cool as we think we are.

If what is being said in public, was indeed what people believe, then the reaction of someone who sees Hannah and Justin making out in the park, or Hannah and her friend making out in Hannah’s bed, should be more or less the reaction of seeing someone drinking water. And not only that. If we were really as cool as we think, we should look the person who is making fun of someone because of the above cases, in the same very weird way we would look him if he was making fun of someone because he was drinking water. There shouldn’t even be the need of writing or debating about it.

Actions have consequences

Clay got drunk with only one beer. This is not something weird and it doesn’t have to do about his age. He is not a drinker, and anyone who doesn’t drink, in whatever age he or she might be, would have the same results. What is interesting though is the different perspectives of his dad and Clay’s.

I do like his dad. He is calm, caring, and willing to discuss, although it seems like, he was not always like that. When Clay’s dad asked Clay what is the lesson he can get out of his hangover, Clay answered that he shouldn’t drink. And this is correct of course. But just as his dad did, wouldn’t be better to use an experience to get a much bigger lesson? Since, you disliked the hangover more than you liked the drinking experience, of course the lesson is that you shouldn’t drink — or at least don’t drink up to the point of hangover. Bear in mind though, that your hangover is the result of something, the very fact that you drunk alcohol. There is a connection between things and because of that, this could make us a little bit more careful about our choices.

You know, in an era where pseudo-wise quotations like carpe diem, just do it, don’t analyse things too much, think only of the present etc. I find phrases like “actions have consequences” highly important. Whatever we do, contributes to what we will do tomorrow. Whatever we are, contributes to what we will be tomorrow. The reversed is also valid. If we are, believe, or do something today, this is because of whatever we have done, and were in the past. Of course not everything plays the same important role, or in others words, not every action has the same important consequences, but it plays a role nevertheless. Thus, it would only be a benefit for us, if we would spend some time to think.

Of course this does not mean that, because actions has consequences, you can predict the future. Life is something very complicated and a dynamic procedure, not a static one. But at least, it can be a little bit up to us of how life will follow.

Till next time!
Stay tuned!
Adios!

13 Reasons Why – Episode #3

I start from the episode #3. It might still be too early. It’s definitely not late though – how could someone write about something from the first “meeting” with something or someone? After three episodes though, I think it’s a good time to start writing about it.

I’ll start backwards though, since my thoughts changed over watching it.

The episode 3 ends with Clay, but while I was watching the third episode, I thought it would end with Alex, when he fell down – by purpose – into the pool. Thus I will consider this scene as the last scene of episode #3, and this is the point I have watched till now.

Alex, apparently, is sick of himself, mostly because he feels guilty, for Hannah’s death, or at least a part of his death. And not only he feels guilty, but he thinks others are, and should feel, guilty as well. What is interesting also, but not surprising, is that connection of something bad and the doer of the bad. No doubts, he would feel bad and sad for Hannah, even if he would not have done anything, but the fact that he considers himself that has contributed to her death, makes him even more sad but mostly guilty. I’m saying it’s not something surprising, because we see that everyday. It is a fact that there are a lot of upheavals around the world, and a lot of people may suffer, but as long as we don’t consider ourselves responsible for these (no matter if that’s true or not) we keep living our lives, without letting it affecting us at all.

Back to Alex for a little bit more, I don’t know why he fell to that pool. It seems to me more like he just wanted to distract himself from all the apathy he sees of his friends, rather than that he wanted to suicide as well. Falling to a pool, while you know how to swim, is like the little kid who says that it will hold its breath until it dies. We all know that something like that can’t happen. Of course, it could still be the case that he wanted to end his life, as probably Hannah have done, and maybe he will try it in the following episodes, since suicide has a lot of time been considered (as probably in Hannah’s case) to be the salvation, no matter the type of suffering, as long as it is intense.

Up until now, it seems like the list had played a very important role. Yeah, Hannah got hurt by Justin but getting friends with Jessica and Alex, she went through that and got over it, but it seems like the list was too much for her; something she couldn’t handle.

There is one extremely important aspect on this show, and I think it demonstrates real life in a very accurate way. It shows how much self-obsessed are most of the people; either they are students, teachers, or parents. What I mean by that is, that it shows significantly how much lack there is of trying to understand the other, or putting one’s self in other’s shoes.

For instance, it has been made clear that Alex created that list only to piss Jessica out, because she didn’t want to sleep with him. His intentions was just this. It seems like he didn’t spend the slightest second to think about what Hannah, or the rest of the people on that list, would think or feel. And besides that, even if he did, even if we do from time to time, there is a difference between judging how the other person would feel based on our mindset, criteria and values and judging based on the other’s person mindset, criteria and values. And I have to admit, even by recognizing this, that this is a thing really difficult to do.
But there is no other way to co-exist with others, without spending time to understand the other person, no matter how stupid, or funny, or useless the other’s thoughts and feelings might seem to you. Also, if you want to get understood, you have to stand up and make yourself clear. Because even if by trying to understand someone – something that even this, as I just claimed, doesn’t occur often – you will always fall into uncertainties; apparently you cannot be on others’ mind.

But it is interesting that even for Hannah, who got mad and sad about the List, for a minute she tried to re-consider herself, and thought that maybe she was taking it too seriously, maybe it was just a joke. At that point I thought: yeap! just be cool.
After all, what will you do? Bad or stupid or careless people will always exist! I know that probably you can’t get into a pseudo-nirvana mode that you don’t allow anything around you to affect you, but at least you can evaluate things and consider which things are important or not. Ok, some stupid kids didn’t have anything better to do than to make fun of you or someone else. (Let’s not forget that at that time Hannah didn’t know why and who did it). The best you could do is to feel sorry and pity for them.

But then, or a little after, I don’t recall it right now, the scene in the market came. Creating a stupid category list ? That can be ignored, not easily, but can be.
Hanging out with a guy (Justin) and proven that he is an asshole? Ok, this can be ignored as well, again not easily, but can be.

But touching her ass in a very improper and humiliating way? Oh oh oh! That’s too much. For me, to be honest, it is not only that it was her ass, something that especially to a girl I imagine can be really awkward and sensitive. But only the fact that someone has surpassed the limit of speaking and talking bad at you, and have “intruded” in your personal space; for me this is enough. Because something like that is unavoidable. As I said above, the other things you can avoid or just ignore them. But how could someone avoid something like that? And all these are happening in the 21st century! Anyone who is being harassed in any way should look for any kind of help, until the harassment will stop.

Before coming to the end of this article, since it is already 1000 words, I will say two words about Clay and Parents.

At the market scene with Clay and the other guy, whose name I don’t even remember, I was expecting that Clay would hit that guy, because of the way Clay listened he treated Hannah in that exact market. But it is quite interesting that he didn’t, but maybe more more realistic, because once again, Clay doesn’t seem like the guy who would stand up that easily, and we have to bear that in mind. But everyone has to have in his or her mind, that there will not always be a ‘Tony’ there. Thus, the best favour everyone could do to his or herself, is to try becoming as independent as he or she can, even if that means postponing other obligations; school, work, anything!

Now as far as the parents are concerned, there is only one thing I can say to you, Parents. If you really mean that you love your children, then try to see beyond their appearance and looks and superficial behaviour. Try to pay attention to them. Spend time with them. Be friends with them. Show them that you indeed  love them and care for them. And most importantly, try to understand them. As I said above, try to understand the situation through their eyes and mindset, and not yours.

I would like to say more, but it is already too long, and who likes to read long posts ? Especially in this era where information and stuff are falling in the speed of rain on our screens.

I will leave the comments section opened, in case you want to comment.

Till next time, stay tuned, and never, never forget:

even if you think life is bad or a mess, always have in mind that it can also be really good and a source of happiness; and I think this is something worth striving for.

Adios!