Emo Blamed for Girl’s Death
My Chemical Romance’s music was recently blamed for the suicide of British 13-year old Hannah Bond (above). Hannah was an avid fan of the band and authorities are now shifting the blame to the popular New Jersey Emo band.
The main investigator from the coroner’s office told nme.com:
“The emo overtones concerning death and associating it with glamour I find very disturbing.”
“Emo overtones”? WTF? Since when does the coroner’s office become an expert on the Emo genre? And there’s no proof of it being a catalyst for suicide. It’s an asinine thought.
The bottom-line is that it’s obviously a tragedy that this young girl took her life. Suicide has been a complicated and universal dilemma before anyone played rock n roll, let alone Emo. That’s reality. The opinion above is over-dramatic and delusional.
This brings back bad memories of Judas Priest’s Beyond the Realms of Death blamed for suicidal instincts through backward masking (Backward masking. Anyone remember that lame phenomenon?).
May 9, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I actually agree with the coroner. Obviously, in the end we all make our own choices, but before the end comes there are many things that influence us. Music is a big one. Emo music does create a depressed, feel sorry for yourself attitude, in some people. It’s sad, but true. Lame? Maybe. But proven. Poor girl, only 13. Wow.
May 10, 2008 at 4:00 pm
it was this girls choice to kill herself …just because she listens to my chemical romance and dresses emo doesnt mean that it was the bands fault. perhaps she had emotional problems no one knew or she hadnt consulted anyone about. i realy dont think emo subculture is to blame
May 11, 2008 at 5:41 am
really my chemical romance isnt to blame
she wanted to think she was all cool being “Emo” and killed herself
its not like in my chemical romances songs it says
kill yourself, take a tie and hang yourself, cause suicide is cool
and my chemcial romance is the last band on earth anyone would commit suicide to
when some one commits suicide for litening to HIM, or Marilyin Manson
come back and contact me
May 12, 2008 at 2:56 pm
MCR are NOT emo and they’re against suicide. If people who blame them understood their songs they’d know it. I hope this is not going to destroy the band, because if this happens, I’m sure there will be more suicides…
May 26, 2008 at 9:09 am
[...] There have been mixed comments about this tragedy on this blog. [...]
May 26, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I think its pathetic how people always have to point a finger at someone for everything that happens. Yes, lets blame MCR because some girl decided to kill herself. Its tragic, yes, but not anyones fault, let alone a music group’s. Their music isn’t even about that.
The guy who wrote that article saying that emo’s go to the black parade and all that other shit obviously hasn’t listened to a single song of theirs. Its about hope, and carrying on in life even though it gets hard sometimes.
Why doesn’t anyone talk about the fact that the guy also blamed blink 182 (which i don’t understand, since they haven’t been a band for ages) and good charlotte?
This is sad, yes, but why do we have to blame someone for it?
Did anyone want to blame Superman when a little kid jumped out a window after watching a superman movie? NO.
Everyone just likes to diss the whole emo thing. Everyone expresses themselves in their own way. Don’t blame others.
May 27, 2008 at 8:32 am
[...] Personally, I think this is a good response… a little late (did they really just learn of Hannah’s suicide?) but better than never. All in all a good sentiment. And I agree with them. Sometimes music may be bleak — simply a reflection of the dangerous world around us — but the message is to have the strength to pull through such darkness. There have been mixed comments about this tragedy on this blog. [...]
May 29, 2008 at 9:07 am
I am horrified to read this. My 11yr old child is into “EMO”, she started dressing different and listening to different (negative)music. She was a happy outgoing kid up until then. The school councilor has said she thinks about hurting herself. This is a parents nightmare. She is very impressionable at this age. I am afraid to leave her alone. I will get her professional help, stop the EMO “lifestyle” and help her focus on more positive things. I know I was a “thrash metal” person in my day but never thought of sucide etc. I believe some people are VERY influenced by outside things and others are not. Unfortunately those easily influenced take it to far and one never knows which person that might be. My thoughts and prayers are with Hannah’s family.
June 12, 2008 at 8:45 am
Why do people always point fingers? Of course it can’t be her paren’ts fault! Even though they completely ignored their daugther’s depression! Because obviously any child that cuts themselves is not fine! Music does, I repeat, does not cause suicide! If the daily mail actually did their research they would find that MCR’s music does not promote suicide. For example:”I am not afraid to keep on living”.
I listen to Good Charlotte and Blink 182, and I have never wanted to kill myself,etc. And I wear black, so what? It’s fashion.
June 13, 2008 at 7:39 am
If you can credit music for lifting you up, than you can blame it for bringing you down. It’s not right to blame a suicide on bad music, even if it’s a contributing factor. But I do know one thing: MCR falls nowhere in between Slam and Glam!
July 14, 2008 at 12:20 pm
haha u gotta be kidding me MCR… I mean I luv my chemical romance but none of their songs ever said: “and go hang urself and die now” it makes no sense I mean GC and MCR…etc that kind of bands dont make u wanna kill urself but for example a song like “JOIN ME IN DEATH” by HIM that kinda sens that message lol but anyway y blame the band and the emo style don’t get me wrong I feel bad for the kid but suicide was there before MCR and emo and all that stuff u know so maybe the girl herself was mad or angry at something but that is no reason to blame the style of MCR and may that girl rest in peace
July 14, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Dear Neko, Karolina, Hannah, et al., just to make you aware that this blog was founded and frequented regularly by guys in their forties.
July 27, 2008 at 11:11 am
[...] This should be an interesting idea for MCR. A good break for the band, too, because every geek in the world is waiting for The Watchmen to released next year. Good exposure after all the bad (and unfair) press over influencing a young girl’s suicide in England. [...]
July 30, 2008 at 11:43 pm
okay I’m sorry but music doesn’t cause suicide! It’s just music! That’s like saying um I watched tv and now I’m going to kill myself! It’s just people refuse to take responsibility for their actions and refuse to place the blame on the person who committe the act! The girl is dead cause she wanted to be cool! Simple as that! MCR is not responibile for her death! She is and her parents are for not paying attention! Stupid ass people!
July 31, 2008 at 7:33 am
I bet if you were locked in a room and had Phish played for you continously, you’d want to kill yourself.
August 11, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I’m goth, not emo (there’s a distinction for some of us) but they have their similarities and I think its stupid to blame any one person or thing over these decisions that people make. Often there’s a lot to it, though there might be ONE trigger that leads someone to suicide- that trigger is usually the last straw on top of everything else (and very rarely is it music… “depressing” music/poetry yada yada is actually more of a release for all those emotions, not a supporter or cause!!!). I myself have been suicidal through the years, but I was more so BEFORE I was goth… heck I was more suicidal when I was a good little Christian girl who listened to nothing but upbeat, positive Christian rock & pop (I was 11 the first time I considered it, I’m 25 now)- a lot of people don’t realize that because I hid it then and now is when I am vocal about things because now I realize that I need someone to be there for me when things are tough. In some cases, maybe even hers, what makes things harder and leads you to giving in is the fact that you feel you can’t talk honestly about what you’re going through- for whatever reason. Some of us just want someone to be there even if they don’t understand, we just want someone to care and not freak about everything that interests us just because it doesn’t them. Differences don’t make us bad.
August 11, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Emo owns… everyone that is emo go and kill yourself now!!!
August 12, 2008 at 3:43 pm
i don’t know what anyone else here has written, i don’t want to rinse and repeat, but i was suicidal, and thank fully i woke up, it’s movies about that sort of thing and music that got me through. i don’t think those outside of the situation can understand, but these songs don’t encourage this behaviour, if anything it i was not wanting to because of the lyrics, i didn’t think it was impressive to be an empty space in a room, that my mother couldn’t bear to touch, i thought there is more to my life, and just a slit of my wrists would have taken it all away, and left me as another excuse for people to blame those around me, as oppose to taking into account that i was unwell, and please thirteen??? what was she doing dressing in this way and acting this way and her parents knew the picture she had on her bebo page, so why was she not given help, and why was this sort of thing not banned?? if your child is not in the right mind frame to deal with it, don’t let their exposure to it continue. guilt seems to drive these people to trying to take it out on those who are speaking out and putting it out there that suicide is real, it is when things are totally taboo that no one is aware that the twenty other houses on their street feel as sad and lost as they do.
August 15, 2008 at 9:39 am
i think emo is difrend. Kill? His is cool girl bet hi kill? His ben realli emo ;( i cri
August 15, 2008 at 10:04 am
I guess Metal isn’t the only music that causes brain damage. Paging Chris Paige! Where is our managing editor?
September 19, 2008 at 9:39 pm
THIS is not fair she was soo pretty..if only she knew..that she is the only girl in the world like her..
October 8, 2008 at 3:34 pm
can i just say something please
right the only reason she killed herself was because she had a huge fight with her parents before she hung herself
r i p Hannah i didn’t know you but you are missed
all my love and respect Anna’
xoxo
October 8, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Anna, we are done with this subject. Move along.
October 11, 2008 at 8:57 am
omg i didnt think people r that insane
October 11, 2008 at 12:08 pm
It’s the music that makes them insane. Insane in the membrane! Insane in the brain!
October 22, 2008 at 12:55 pm
look mcr have nothing to do with this she just commited suicide instead of arguing we should give her family full support LOOK IM EMO THAT DONT MEAN I TRY AND COMMIT SUICICDE OKAY YEH I USED TO SELF HARM ALOT BUT ITS BECAUSE ALOT OF U DONT NO IS THT—- US TEENAGERS GET ALOT OF CRAP ABUSSED AT US FOR BEING WHO WE ARE AT SCHOOL IT HURTS AND WE DONT NO HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
October 22, 2008 at 3:51 pm
You think you got it tough? Wait ’til you turn 40, if you’re lucky to live that long! Just kidding. I’ve never been happier, and I listen to a lot less music. The only way to deal with it is to not react. Give up your anger and it will all go away…
December 9, 2008 at 6:20 am
dont blame my chemical romance. ‘emo’ is a genre of music. kids listen to the music they like and love, so why would they kill themself over something that keept them standing, and keept them talking to felllow fans? maybe something happend in her life and she turned to emo music and self harming. depression is unwriten, inside of everyone. there obviously was a reason why she killed herself, but dont blame it on something she obviously loved, like other kids aswell. and its not fair on the band. personly i love them, and alot goes on in my life, but i dont slit my wrists because of them. i dont know the girl, so i hope she r.i.p srsly, and all my respect and love to her family and friends. but i dont think its the bands musics falut. it isnt fair to blame them after how fair they’ve got in there music careea. so yeah. and thats an opion of a fourteen year old girl, whos into the same music, but more immesnse shit than mcr. just give her some respect, as well as the band. sheesh.
r.i.p xxxx
December 11, 2008 at 7:04 pm
shes a dumbass and took her own life and its not mcrs fault theyre against suicide and gerard said emo is bull shit so ya she was a wannabe emo she killed her self for one reason but not a serious reason to die again its not mcrs fault wtf makes u think its their fault she was just a fan if i killed myself are they gonna say its fall out boys fault ? see how stupid that sounds same with this. basically she was a wannabe emo dumbass who took her own life but still R.I.P. and its not MCRS FAULT.
December 11, 2008 at 7:28 pm
When you put it like that, it makes a lot of sense. I guess she was a dumbass for killing herself.
January 30, 2009 at 10:36 am
emo people are dumb
January 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm
…and ignorant as well.