Marching For Emo
The suicide of 13-year-old Hannah Bond was a tragedy, but emo music is not to blame. And tomorrow, an estimated thousand music fans will march on the offices of a U.K. newspaper in an attempt to point that out.
Emo music, and My Chemical Romance in particular, have been under an unpleasant spotlight in the U.K. this month since a depressed teenager from Kent took her own life. And the fact that she was a fan of the genre has been blamed.
The scapegoating of alternative music in the press is nothing new. But what’s all the more disturbing about this case is that the coroner singled out the emo genre as playing a part in Hannah’s death. Roger Sykes said, “The emo overtones concerning death and associating it with glamour I find very disturbing.”
This was all the Daily Mail newspaper needed to revive their crusade against a culture that actually has much more to do with uniting people and sending a message of hope. Nevertheless, they whipped up another editorial about this apparent “suicide cult” designed to panic parents, even going as far as to make inaccurate claims that MCR’s “Black Parade” is “a place where all emos believe they go when they die.”
http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/36468
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-566481/Why-child-safe-sinister-cult-emo.html
My Chemical Romance spoke up because they had to, sending condolences to Hannah’s family, but pointing out that: “My Chemical Romance are and always have been vocally anti-violence and anti-suicide. As a band, we have always made it our missions through our actions to provide comfort, support, and solace to our fans.
“The message and theme of our album The Black Parade is hope and courage. Our lyrics are about finding the strength to keep living through pain and hard times. The last song on our album states, ‘I am not afraid to keep on living’–a sentiment that embodies the band’s position on hardships we all face as human beings.”
The Daily Mail whipping up fear and misunderstanding is nothing new either, but the fans who feel this music has helped them through their problems, not exacerbated them, are not standing for it.
Tomorrow, an estimated thousand fans will march upon the newspaper’s London offices, in a show of solidarity, and respect for Hannah. Organizer Anni Smith told NME.com: “The [Daily Mail ‘s] words ‘suicide cult’ really stand out for me, because it’s just so far from the truth. As a fanbase it’s such an insult because we fight so hard and so many of us suffer from depression, and we fight every day to ward it off.
“The way [many teenagers are] fighting it is with My Chemical Romance’s help and it’s just such an insult to tell us that the last thing we have to hold on to and the last thing that’s keeping us alive is killing us, because it’s not.”
NME.com will be at the march tomorrow.
http://www.nme.com/news/my-chemical-romance/36848
this is one of the song that they are blaming!
the black parade.
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
“Son when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?”
He said
“Will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non believers, the plans that they have made?”
Because one day I’ll leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join the black parade.”
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
“Son when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?”
Sometimes I get the feeling she’s watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
Went through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you’re gone we want you all to know
We’ll Carry on,
We’ll Carry on
And though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
Carry on
We’ll carry on
And in my heart I cant contain it
The anthem wont explain it.
A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Let’s shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call
To carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
And on we carry through the fears
Oh oh oh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Oh oh ohh
Take a look at me cause
I could not care at all
Do or die
You’ll never make me
Cause the world will never take my heart
You can try, you’ll never break me
We want it all,
I’m gonna play this part
I won’t explain or say i’m sorry
I’m unashamed,
I’m gonna show my scar
Give a cheer, for all the broken
Listen here, because it’s who we are
I’m just a man,
I’m not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
Just a man,
I’m not a hero
I Don’t Care!
We’ll carry on
We’ll carry on
Though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated
Do or die
You’ll never make me
Cause the world will never take my heart
You can try, you’ll never break me
We want it all,
[We’ll carry on]
I’m gonna play this part
Do or die
[We’ll carry on]
You’ll never make me
[We’ll carry on]
Cause the world will never take my heart
You can try,
[We’ll carry on]
You’ll never break me
We want it all,
[We’ll carry on]
I’m gonna play this part
[We’ll carry on]
We’ll carry on!
some comments on the topic
“I’m 59 and a big music fan — everything from swing and the Beatles to show tunes and Counting Crows. Music is a source of great comfort and joy for millions of people. People in positions of authority and responsibility often prefer to look for scapegoats rather than solutions, and popular music is a favorite one. The death of this young woman is a tragedy and not something for a newspaper to use to sell papers and stir up a phony controversy. Instead, they should be asking why teens feel so hopeless — why they have no place to turn to when depressed. They should be pushing for funding to set up more hotlines and free counseling services — to train teachers and parents to look for warning signs — to encourage adults to reach out to kids and let them know that someone cares. As other people have noted, music is sometimes the one thing that keeps a person going on in times of trouble. To condemn a type of music as a causative factor in suicide is just ridiculous.”
“Well first of all, let me just express how incompetent and uneducated the person who wrote this sounds. “Emo is a genre of music, not a type of person. Also, the My Chemical Romance album titled “The Black Parade” is considered “alternative” NOT “emo!” On of the things that bothers me the most is when people who do not have any exposure of affiliation with the subculture of the people who feel “emo”(which is just short for EMOtional) automatically think that they can relate and know everything that goes through the mind of one of these people. They cannot relate at all, and have no idea what goes through their heads. And if the girl was suicidal, there were obviously signs, that the girl’s friends and family should have been able to spot. Instead of blaming it in a band, maybe you could blame it on something realistic, like depression. The band, My Chemical Romance, has always had a very positive message to bring. They have never supported self harm, violence, suicide, or anything of that nature. At the end of the “Teenagers” music video, they state, “Violence is never the answer. If you feel like acting out, reach out. Go to NATIONALSAVE.ORG or any other youth violence prevention source for information on ho how find an alternative to violence.” They also to not affiliate themselves with the ’emo culture in any way.'”
“This is the biggest load of bull there ever was. My Chemical Romance, nor any alternative rock band is to blame for her committing suicide. MCR is about NOT bending to your darkest desires and taking the ‘easy way’ out. They show that its cowardly to end your life, instead of the other way around like other people make it seem. If you actually listen to ‘Teenagers’, Gerard is singing about how other adults with leave teenagers alone if they ‘darken their clothes’ but he won’t. They formed because Gerard was so moved by 9-11. In interviews, he states that their goal as a band is to save kids lives. I know that they helped save mine. No, I never cut myself, but I’ve thought about suicide, probably too much for shrink’s comfort. Listening them really helped me realize that not everyone in the world is so screwed and messed up as I thought. I mean, you look at pop stars who don’t sing about serious issues and you see them dancing around in their underwear high on coke. I don’t think thats an apprtopriate message. If they need to blame someone for her suicide, then they need to look to the people she actually saw everyday. If she had to look completely to music and twist it into a dark message, then where in the hell were her parents? They obviously failed to get her help, same with her siblings and peers. I know how it feels to be a loner, and ignored by family, but you don’t go drown yourself with false damning messages. ”
“To speak against a genre of music because of the choices of one individual is wrong. Case in point: the Columbine High School shootings. There are parents out there who continue to blame the music that the shooters listened to as the cause. The cause was total alienation and shunning from their peers. It’s probably the same for any suicide, what was going on around Hannah that would drive her to so desperate an act? Who was supposed to be looking out for her? Don’t blame the music, muic is a gift, a joy, and can grant a cathartic release. We are defined by our choices, not by a genre, so can MCR be blamed? No, for they have nothing to do with the choices of one girl, one of billions of people who have access to the music.”
“This kind of makes me want to flip out. People kill themselves of their own free will, I’m so sorry it happened but likely this girl turned toward her music to comfort her and find something she could relate to. Music and, especially MCR enhances my life. I have never known a person who didn’t find solace in their favorite music. Beside which music is so not the issue, people aren’t the music they listen to, they can’t be boiled down to “Emo” or “goth”, people are complex. Certainly music is a part of everyone’s life, but a much bigger part is family, friends school, if people want answers they should look to these. The truth is nobody will ever know why becasue the one person who knows is gone, it’s done and any search for answers is based on wild guess work which will create blame and wrongful judgments.”
“The media and what not are just looking for someone to blame. Since the only person they can find out the truth from is Hannnah (and they can’t) they blame the obvious. This is what she looks like. People automatically think that because she has thick eyeliner on and listens to MCR she will slit her wrists and kill herself. when non-emo people kill themselves do they blame their music? NO! So they should stop hitting on emo’s and take a look at the real world and not blame 1 band and 1 type of music!!!”
“first of all, emo has nothing to do with death or the idea of it. when the emo genre started in the late 80’s it was a group of punk musicians who instead of writing lyrics about politics and anarchy they wrote about deeper emotions; hence emo. The fact that emo is a term coined for the dark and depressed now is as much a shame as this girl taking her life. The emo scene as it was originally is dead thanks to bands and people who cant come up with their own original ideas anymore.”
“My Chemical Romance is a band that wants to save your life. Anyone who is a fan knows that. Parents want to blame the music because it’s eaiser than admitting that they couldn’t see that their child needed help before it was too late. If I lived in the UK I would be protesting too.”
“Reading this article makes me think how much people love to hate. I mean some people that dont even like this band support this march. Why? Cuz it’s stupid how people can just blame music or even a band for a little girls death. Music has nothing to do with it. She died cuz of her own reasons not stupid ones like the english are making it to be. I’m personally a fan of MCR when im done i listen to them to make me feel better they need to listen to their music in order for then to state something stupid like this.”
“Firstly let me just thank you for bringing this to the American public’s attention. As others have stated it’s the same false conjecture that has happened over and over. Music was probably the one thing that poor girl had to turn to and instead of looking at peer groups, bullying etc., they take the easy way out and scapegoat music they can’t understand. Same old story. But I’m glad to see the younger generation organize and fight to be heard!”
“I think this is absolutely ridiculous. As a fan of MCR i know that the band members have been through tough times and that they don’t want anyone to deal with pain, and they encourage living not death. Saying that music can control someones life is ludacris and their actions are completely their own. Rock on MCR and stay strong!”
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Hannah bond but you don’t need to blame our wonderful heros my chemical romance who are PURLEY ANTI-VIOLENCE.
THEIR MUSIC HELPS US DEAL WITH LIFES UP’S AND DOWNS BETTER.
THAT WHY WE LISTEN TO IT AND BELIEVE IN IT SOOO MUCH.
I read the reviews back in 2006 when the black parade was released and and it got nothing but positive feedback from fans all over the world and that what made me believe that there is hope for this genre that they saved.
I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice and THEY ALWAYS SAY NO TO VIOLENCE AND THEY TELL US TO MOSH SAFELY AND PICK UP OUR FELLOW MEN IF THEY FALL INTO THE MOSH PIT.
So it’s purely not their fault that she died.
Please don’t blame this tragedy on them they did nothing wrong all they do is HELP US and thats the only crime they are guilty of is HELPING US GET THROUGH LIFE ALVIE.
“i think its wrong that anybody would blame anything on music. Its the parents fault!! and MCR is meant for encourgement, and they are NOT emo, i cant even tell you how many effing times Gerard as said ‘MCR is not an emo band’ and if people would stop judging the music, and blaming them and really listened, they would see that!!! but no, people have to be so naive as to think ‘blame the music, JUST because it sounds dark and creepy!’ its their fault because they are so blind as not to see the real problem. And i just absolutley ‘love’ the way this article states people with issues, serious issues like ’emos’ god, it makes it sound like a type of animal, and its offensive!!!!!”
“That’s disgusting. I thought the English were smarter than that. Maybe if they looked to help the depressed instead of finding something to blame… for me, music can help me cope and release my emotions. The Daily Mail has it backwards. Sadly, here in America it’s just as bad, with the “emo” label and crap flying around. Hence people bottle it up and turn to music to cope. Maybe if people stop being so intolerant and nasty… put the blame on them if you must blame someone. But in the end it was her choice.
The Daily Mail and society as a whole must accept partial fault for this problem.”
“Another band that most of you are too young to remember is Judas Priest. These guys almost went to jail because they were accused that there were hidden messages in their music that caused two teens to kill themselves. They spent a fortune hiring lawyers to try to protect themselves against ridiculous accusations. Nothing new.”
“BEFORE YOU FOLLOW MCR OR BANDS ALIKE PLEASE THINK.
mcr is a band that, while they may be trying help “save people’s lives“, are still very troubled and instable.
it’s hard enough to try to do something so personal when you don’t know a person personally, but i think it’s even harder for mcr to offer any positive advice because they have become such cynical and bitter people growing up.
because of it, their lyrics, though empathetic and supposedly pro-living, are written, naturally, in a confusing way and centered around morbid topics.
they force you to think of suicide, because they talk about it all the time, and to dwell on your problems instead of trying to see any kind of good in the world.
FIND A LINE WITHOUT A SARCASTIC, ANGRY, OR SAD TONE, AND WITHOUT THE UNDERTONE OR IMAGERY OF BLOOD, DEATH, OR SHARP OBJECTS. they are few and far appart.
i’m not a parent or adult. i’m a teenager who listened to mcr during a bad time thinking they could help. i got so wrapped up in the “black parade” and the emo lifestyle because i wanted something to fit into and to find strength in. in the end i realized i just had to pull myself out, and now i’m very happy.
I HOPE THIS HELPED SOMEBODY.”
Sweetangel16175 says: 