It looks like England’s emo protest movement has achieved something after all. In the Daily Mail coverage of the recent suicide of Sam Leeson, a 13-year-old British My Chemical Romance fan, phrases like “emo suicide cult” are noticeably absent, replaced by references to online bullying the teenager received due to his taste in clothes and bands. Hannah Bond’s “emo initiation” scars are randomly brought up at the end of the piece, but the rest of the article is noticeably more sympathetic to sad children wearing eyeliner, even describing YouTube videos from friends damning Bebo bullies for their treatment of the kid. Maybe the staff doesn’t want to have to risk hearing a youth choir sing “The Black Parade” at them again.
Despite the Daily Mail‘s claims that its reportage on the “emo suicide cult” was “balanced, restrained, and above all, in the public interest,” a small herd of darkly dressed teenagers jumped around and sang My Chemical Romance in a creepy “We love you, Conrad” unison within shouting distance of the paper’s offices on Saturday. A group wearing V For Vendetta masks can be seen, and I’d like to believe that they were the members of My Chemical Romance themselves, watching over their vulnerable flock and debating whether or not to call for their throngs of fans to kill themselves as proof of their devotion to the Black Parade.
Offended by the Daily Mail‘s portrayal of My Chemical Romance as a “suicide cult band,” following the death of 13-year-old fan Hannah Bond, an ever-increasing number of the band’s fans are planning a peaceful protest outside of the newspaper’s offices on May 31. Fans are being advised to bring placards that say “MCR SAVES LIVES” or “I AM NOT AFRAID TO KEEP ON LIVING,” the latter also being the name of the organizers’ site. And on the fashion tip, those organizers would rather you left your “emo attire” at home.
