on tv, mental illness has never
been portrayed as what it really is.
no matter what the producers say,
no matter what neurotypical people say--
they never really show what it's actually like.
instead, they
romanticize it,
glamorize it,
dramatize it.
make it seem like
wanting to kill yourself
is a cute little quirk
and not a serious ailment.
act like leaving behind
tapes is the same thing
as leaving a suicide note
and not a disgusting revenge game.
hannah baker was never classified as depressed--
they never brought up mental illness once,
never thought to really dive into what
depression and suicidal tendencies are really like.
they just gave graphic instructions on how
to commit suicide and acted like if clay
had said he loved her maybe she wouldn't have
killed herself-- because to them that is how this works.
i dated a boy who was suicidal
and on the same night i first told him
i loved him he tried to overdose on tylenol.
i gave him all the love i could muster
and his depression didn't go away
because that is not how it works.
it has never been how it works.
so stop saying 13 reasons why
is a groundbreaking show
because it's not.
it pushed the same old ideas
and the same old tropes
and, as per usual, when
mentally ill people spoke out,
they
didn't
fucking
listen.
YOU ARE READING
how the words come
Poetry"this is the poetry that has come from finally realizing it is okay to be okay but also not okay at the same time." ~ 'how the words come' tells the story of overcoming the aftermath of an emotionally abusive relationship. the book is separated into...
