Hannah Bond - Why no Emo is safe from the Daily Mail's sinister cult of lies against Emo

The Mail's sickening campaign of hatred continues started in 2006 (See More media lies about goths and emos) they will not be satisfied until a large proportion of normal teenagers who happen to like particular music are seen as suicidal freaks and outcasts. They are encouraging the sort of vile propaganda which may end up creating the scenes of anti-emo violence we have seen in Mexico. If this was being said about a religion, race or sexuality the Mail would be vilified. Hannah's death is a tragedy trying to pin it on the music she listened to is just plain stupid. This builds on earlir reports covered here Hannah Bond - Press/Coroner blame another suicide. Typically the Mail has continued its vendetta.

If anything is an unreasoning cult it is the Daily Mail's cult of lies. There are almost too many distortions in this article to catalogue correctly. To name just a few a number of MCR fans and the band themselves have long said they are not really emos. How can there be a cult if the members don't even agree who is in it? Not to mention the album the Black Parade is nothing to do with suicide.

Why no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo
Daily Mail, UK -4 hours ago

No different, in fact, to the Goth subculture that first emerged in Britain during the early 1980s.
There is, though, growing concern that there is a deeply unhealthy undertone to the emo movement.

Some time before her death, Hannah's parents, who live in Kent, noticed scarring on the inside of her wrists. When they questioned her about it, honest and open as ever, she told them she'd inflicted the wounds herself and that it was part of an emo "initiation ceremony".
Only after her death would they discover how she had secretly chatted online to emo followers all over the world, talking about death and of the "black parade" — a place where emos believe they go after they die.
A check of Hannah's home page on social networking site Bebo revealed her pseudonym, Living Disaster, and that she'd decorated it with a picture of an emo girl with bloody wrists. Another picture showed a child's exercise book scrawled with the words: "Dear Diary, today I give up."...

To be honest emo websites are not really that different from goth/black metal websites in decoration. So people have gloomy stuff on their websites. What does it matter? The vast majority of people with morbid websites do not commit suicide. Churches are full of morbid imagery as well so are horror films watched by millions of people. The fact is the girl died after having an argument with her parents... you could blame them instead just as unfairly. At the end of day she was mentally unstable as are many teenagers who kill themselves. Most teenagers who kill themselves are not emos or any other particular group there is no easy answer to why they do it but treating them sensibly and not as outcasts certainly might help.

Nor does the claim that there is a " "black parade" — a place where emos believe they go after they die" have any basis in reality at all. It is a complete lie as it is not a term in use by anyone till now.

When they talk to an actual teenage emo in the article her words are damning:

Levi insists that her mother is worrying unnecessarily.

"I think many of the concerns around emos aren't true," she says.

"To me, emos skateboard a lot, dress in darker colours and listen to alternative rock music.

"It's also true they probably think about feelings more than other people.

"I do get teased for being an emo because some people at school think it's just about suicide and self-harm.

"But I think you would have to be depressed already to self-harm — and I'm not depressed.

"I like going out dressed in emo clothes because it causes a stir. There aren't many emos where I live, so people look at you.

"It makes you feel individual."...

So the Daily Mail discovers that lies about self harm lead to bullying which has recently led to one suicide and loads of attacks. See the Dominic's tragic fate: Emo Bullied to DEATH!

The closing words of the article are just looking for the biggest stir:

The 200 friends and family who attended Hannah's funeral will no doubt echo that.
But not everyone seems to have learned the lesson.
In a tribute book set up at Hannah's school, one pupil left the following message: "I hope you enjoy the black parade."

Naive, misguided or just plain stupid.

But then, that's always been the trouble with some teenagers. And the danger of emo.

The danger of the Daily Mail more like. How many more 12 year old alternative kids have to suffer being attacked by a gang like this case or even be killed like Sophie Lancaster? Lies lead to violence.

Impfest against abuse

Latest anti abuse festival in support of Sophie:

ROCK FEST IN GOTH'S HONOUR
This is Scunthorpe, UK -9 May 2008

Proceeds from the three-day ImpFest, to be held at Scunthorpe's Lincoln Imp public house from August 1 to 3, will be donated to a newly-formed foundation named after the victim, Sophie Lancaster.

The foundation, set up last month by Sophie's mother Sylvia, is calling for new legislation to protect people from other sub-cultures.

Goth sub-culture stems from the gothic rock movement in the 1980s. Goth fashion sees fans often wearing black attire and make-up.

Mrs Lancaster, whose daughter was kicked to death because she was dressed like a Goth, said people needed to learn how to respect those who dressed differently.

She said: "It's a hidden prejudice and hopefully the Sophie campaign will raise awareness of that."

Lincoln Imp landlady Jan Price said the organisers of the third annual ImpFest wanted to see an end to verbal and physical abuse against young people who dressed differently.

Mrs Price said: "People need to be taught how to show respect and tolerance for those whose appearance and culture may seem different from their own.

"Last year we had a record number of 19 acts take part in ImpFest.

"This year we are expecting an even bigger response because the Sophie Lancaster Foundation will strike a chord with lots of young people out there."

Another article on Sophie:

Wemust not allow evil to win us over
Times & Star, UK - 10 May 2008

Emo Bullied to DEATH!

The fall out from Hannah's suicide is goes on (See Press/Coroner blame another suicide on Emo) but some voices have denounced the media coverage:

Bad Journalism Alert: Emo is the New Terrorism Strange Glue Music, UK 9 May 2008

MCR made their response to the allegations:

KERRANG NEWS - Gerard hits back at Right Wing british media.

My Chemical Romance played the final show of their Black Parade world tour this past Friday (May 9) at legendary New York venue Madison Square Garden.

Closing their set with a rip-roaring rendition of hit single Helena, lead singer Gerard Way used the final moments of their performance to hit out against the right-wing British media who claim the band's music inspired a teenage girl to commit suicide.

Way repeated the line "If we never play another show ever again keep yourself alive" over and over again until he and guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, bassist Mikey Way and drummer Bob Bryar left the stage.

But what has not been noticed by the national media is that there was another Emo teenager who committed suicide whose verdict was reported only a few days later than Hannah's case. This did not make national headlines perhaps because it seems he didn't kill himself because Emo music was "depressing" but more likely because he was bullied to death just like in The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael or Tempest Smith. Perhaps Emos do kill themselves more than others (and remember there is absolutely no proof they do so) it will be nothing to do with the music the listen to but more likely because of the prejudice they face due to not just stupid thugs but media lies.

Bullied student drowned himself
Dorset Echo, UK 10 May 2008

A TEENAGE art student drowned himself after suffering years of bullying at school, an inquest was told.

Dominic Maynard's last words to his parents in an answerphone message were 'I told you it would come to this' before the message cut off and Dominic wasn't seen alive again.

Coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a suicide verdict at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner's Court.

A postmortem examination showed Dominic, 19, died of drowning.

The inquest was told that Dominic, described as 'sensitive' and 'emotional', walked out of his family home in Bridport on November 17 after an argument with his mother Penny over spending time with his brother's ex-girlfriend - Weymouth College student Stephanie Lam.

Mrs Maynard said that she was worried that Dominic could upset his younger brother Toby, so she told them both to leave.

The inquest was told that Dominic and Miss Lam then left in his Renault Clio and drove to Weymouth. Miss Lam told Mr Payne that Dominic asked her to take his car back to his parents 'so they would have something to remember me by' before he dropped her at home.

She said: "It was just so out of the blue. He had never mentioned anything as dark as that before. I was a bit puzzled but we just laughed it off."

DCI Jeremy Noyce said Dominic travelled to Bournemouth and was last seen on CCTV stepping on to the beach shortly before midnight. Mrs Maynard woke up to find he had missed his midnight curfew but had left a message on her answerphone.

She said: "He said I expect you don't want to hear from me' and I was really shocked.

"He said thank you for being a good mum and to thank Rachel and Toby for being a good brother and sister and then he went on to thank other friends."

His mother said that the family moved to Bridport in 2002 when Dominic joined Sir John Colfox School and it was there that he had such a bad time' after being bullied by two boys.

She said: "I did talk to him about moving to another school but it would mean taking his first year of GCSEs again so he said he would stay and put up with it."

Throughout this period his older sister Rachel dropped him off at school and he spent breaks with his form tutor and then Rachel would pick him up after school.

Mrs Maynard said: "After the first initial incident he stayed at home for three weeks because it wasn't safe for him to go to school."

After leaving school Dominic started an art course at Weymouth College where he made new friends and gained confidence until one of the bullies joined the college and started the verbal bullying again.

Mrs Maynard said: "He began to suffer sleepless nights. I think that had a bigger effect than anyone realised."

Mrs Maynard told how just three weeks before her son's disappearance she was upset by a picture that Dominic had drawn and put up in his room of a hanging man with the words one day you will find me swinging lifeless from this tree.' The court heard how Dominic liked the emotionally-charged punk music known as emo and these depressive lyrics were used on another painting displayed in his room. Mrs Maynard added: "Emo music is all to do with death."

Mr Payne said: "I have to take the view that he did put himself into the water, that he was feeling unhappy at that time and he was saying goodbye to his family.

"It is always a regrettable verdict, particularly when it is such a young life with so much ahead."

More on this below

Youth died after girlfriend row
BBC News, UK - 9 May 2008

Alternative subcultures hate crime report

The Gothic Liberation Front now have a alternative hate crime report form. This is a great idea.

http://gothicliberationfront.angelfire.com/

The Sunday Mirror has covered the early motion plan too

MPs bid for tough 'hate' law
Sunday Mirror, UK -10 May 2008

11/05/2008

Related Articles

MPs are demanding a change in "hate crime" laws after a woman was murdered for dressing as a Goth.

Sophie Lancaster, 20, was stamped to death by teenage yobs Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert, who were jailed for life last month.

She had been trying to stop them and three pals hitting her Goth boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, in Bacup, Lancs, in August.

Janet Anderson and Greg Pope - local MPs for the grieving relatives - are calling on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to dish out tougher punishments for similar attacks.

The MPs tabled a Commons motion, praising the yobs' prison terms.

Mrs Anderson said: "The Government should examine whether changes are needed to include hate crimes, such as the one on Sophie and Rob because of how they looked."

Currently, the law covers racial and religious attacks - but not groups targeted for how they dress.