'Why no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo'
First off, please read this as it’s taken me a good five to six hours to compose it so the least you can do is read it, and preferably respond. Also, consider passing some of the information on to your journalists so they can do some research. You’ll see what I mean ...
I’m a fifteen year old girl who absolutely loves My Chemical Romance and that article is the biggest load of s*** I have ever heard. No, I am not emo before you start thinking that and don’t you dare think that at all because I get offended. Whilst I am really sorry for Hannah's death, I am so angry that time and time again you blame 'emo'. In fact, I’m so incredibly stung with rage that you continuously hold My Chemical Romance responsible for people’s deaths that I feel like stabbing the next thing that comes near me (okay, I’m not that crazy, I won’t do it).
Your writers really need to do some research before they write these articles; I can't even believe you employ these people. For a start, 'Emo' stands for Emotive Hardcore which is a genre of music that developed in the eighties. People who label themselves 'emo' don't all dress the same and most definitely do not all self harm. That is the most ridiculous thing ever! In the past, I have self harmed but that doesn't make me ‘emo’. If people knew more about self harm, they’d know it doesn’t just affect ‘emos’. Also, more research, a lot more research is needed into 'The Black Parade'. I laughed so hard when I read "the 'black parade' is a place where all emos believe they will go when they die". Get a grip! The Black Parade is the name of My Chemical Romance's latest album and it is a concept for the band. Nobody EVER said that it was "a place where emos believe they will go when they die". A lot of people who label themselves ‘emo’ are religious anyway, many are Christian or Catholic etc and many don’t follow any religion so bang go that theory.
‘Emo’ is being blamed for this because that’s what humans do; blame something they know nothing about on things they also know nothing about. That’s just the easy way out, right? ‘Emo’ does in no way promote death. That is merely a misunderstanding and a myth. “Inevitably, criticisms of emo culture are laughed off by those who consider themselves to be at the heart of it. It's just a music thing, they say, and anyone who takes it further has something inherently wrong with them.” That is the lamest and most pathetic counter argument I have ever heard. You really need to employ someone who can do better than that! People do not “laugh it off”, they say that because it’s true and you need to get your thick little heads around that!
Music for a hell of a lot of people, myself included, is a way out. My music relaxes me and helps me clear my mind. A few of the bands you named are My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte and Blink 182. Again, more research is required here, surprise surprise. None of these bands are ‘emo’. They’re only ‘emo’ because people with absolutely no lives decide to label them when they know nothing about the actual band! If you researched it, then you’d find out that in fact Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, dismissed ‘emo’ as “a pile of s***”. If you want ‘emo’ bands, listen to Rites Of Spring or Gray Matter. My Chemical Romance are actually Punk Rock so I suggest you train all of your journalists to do proper research and learn the meaning of ‘emo’.
As for Lorraine Harrison saying “Their lyrics seem to be associated with depression and self-harm, and I feel shock when I listen to them" about My Chemical Romance. Their lyrics are associated with depression but in a positive way. Gerard Way worked at cartoon networks and on the way to work one day he witnessed the 9/11 attacks. He saw bodies falling. That incident made him realise that everything he put value to was priceless and he decided that if he wanted to do one thing before he died, it was make a difference. A week later, he started My Chemical Romance as a therapy for himself and to help others through difficult times. The entire reason he started the band was not to become famous or to lead a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ lifestyle but merely to help other people. A song specifically written about suicide called ‘Headfirst for Halos’ has the lyrics ‘Just think happy thoughts and we’ll fly home’. This refers to when Way felt suicidal and he is discouraging suicide by saying ‘think about things that make you happy and don’t be negative’. I’ve never been happier since I found My Chemical Romance. I was introduced to them when I was depressed and by listening to them, they helped me accept who I am and now I’m really happy with my life again. Their “deep lyrics” really helped me through hard times as I can relate to them. The band is in inspiration to me and I find I can connect with not only the lyrics, but the band members too. To explain this, I will use the words of Gerard Way himself: “There are five dudes out there who are just as f***** up as you are”. Every one of them has been through depression and some have dealt with being an alcoholic and using narcotics but they have still pulled through. /Some fitting lyrics from ‘Skylines and Turnstiles’ are ‘You’re not in this alone’. Knowing that you are not alone and that someone else has felt that way and managed to get through it is very inspirational, and most importantly, not at all depressing. So for heaven’s sake, STOP BLAMING MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE! Let people listen to whatever they like and leave them the f*** alone! And one more thing you need to know about. The MCRmy. That’s a name given to the fans of My Chemical Romance. Gerard Way called us an army not a cult as we all belong in it and, as the moment, we seem to be fighting against things like this!
The main reason ‘emos’ self harm would be because of articles like this (which are the depressing thing, not the music) which encourage people to bully them which leads to depression. And there you have it: the truth. People like you are causing this, nobody else.
Isn’t it funny how some random country kid can have a less bias view than a full grown ‘adult’ who is supposed to be a journalist! I think it’s more the journalist, namely Tom Rawstorne, who is acting immature. This is such a bias article; you only ever show one side of the argument. The same applies to any other article with a similar theme – only ever one side of the argument. Employ better journalists, get them better training, teach them how to write a balanced argument, teach them to stop blaming things they have no idea about on the first thing possible. And teach them to stop talking as if ‘emos’ are objects. They are humans too. They still have feelings, evidently more than you.
Okay rant over. Thanks for pissing me off. And I’ll help your journalists a little ...
I strongly suggest you watch these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWSFiC3FVoE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUX0Z0IkZ4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8PC17rxU2w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9IrgCl5VM8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY1lZn1CIoU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqK2PpyMJbs&feature=related]
http://theydrewblood.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=33
Quotes:
“The fans look out for each other. It's like a gang-but not in a negative way.” – Mikey Way (bassist)
"What sticks out in my mind when we play are kids just breaking down and crying in the front row. Perhaps that happens to a lot of bands... but it's different for us. The music brings out the s*** in them. It's a release." – Bob Bryar (drummer)
“We pride ourselves on giving fans something to do. If they are going through some s***, they can go to a show and heal. I didn't want to let anyone down." – Bob Bryar
“We are not emo and we never were. I hate when people associate the word EMO with My Chemical Romance.” – Frank Iero (rhythm guitarist)
“Everytime somebody ever told you that you weren't gonna amount to anything, you know, that's your time to shine, you know, you can show everybody and prove to yourself what you're doing is real and that it counts and that it makes a difference.” – Frank Iero
“We're definitely a band that wants to save your life.” - Frank Iero
“If I get up there, and there’s....I dunno how many kids came to warped tour today maybe 18 000, if 5 of those kids went home from today and listened to what we said and did something good, we changed the world in a positive way.” – Frank Iero
“I don't understand how people can make such a fuss about people that are happy and in love, when there's people dying of hunger and war and they don't even notice that. I really don't understand that. That makes me so angry!” – Frank Iero
“So many kids have come up and told us that there are things in their (lives) that have been destroyed and from our thirty-five minute set they have figured some things out. If we can do that to one kid a night, we're done.” – Frank Iero
“We just have to have common decency and respect for our fellow man. That's really what it comes down to, to treat people the way you would want to be treated and to really take care of our world and our scene because if we don't give a shit about it, nobody else will.” – Gerard Way (vocals)
“We are very vocal about our feelings, and we just want to let you know it's okay to be a little messed up, just know that there are 5 other guys that are just as messed up as you. And we’ve overcome that in order to do what we do.” – Gerard Way
“I don't want people to be afraid of living, which I think is everybody's biggest fear. I want people to express themselves how they want. If that means dressing up in women's clothing, so be it. I'm very opposed to intolerance, racism and sexism. Men are still being called 'faggot.' I see women being treated as second-class citizens, even in punk rock. So if it's happening there, it's happening everywhere. I'm very much into acceptance.” – Gerard Way
“Like the band really saved all our lives, so it's kind of our way of getting back with the band, is to try to save other people's lives.” – Gerard Way
“If for one minute you think you're better than a sixteen-year-old girl in a Green Day t-shirt, you are sorely mistaken. Remember the first time you went to a show and saw your favorite band. You wore their shirt, and sang every word. You didn't know anything about scene politics, haircuts, or what was cool. All you knew was that this music made you feel different from anyone you shared a locker with. Someone finally understood you. This is what music is about.” – Gerard Way
“Be yourself, don't take anyone's s***, and never let them take you alive." – Gerard Way
“At times there will be people out there who are willing to do anything to put you down! But don't EVER solve that with violence! Cause you're faster than them, better than them, and a HELL lot better looking than them!” – Gerard Way
“I'm sure you all have seen in the tabloids calling us some emo death cult. But I'm sure you know that we have never encouraged you to be anything than your f****** selves, and to never take any one else's mother-f****** s***!” – Gerard Way
“Hey, girls, you're beautiful. Don't look at those stupid magazines with sticklike models. Eat healthy and exercise. That's all. Don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough. You're good enough, you are too good. Love your family with all your heart and listen to it. You are gorgeous, whether you're a size 4 or 14. It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, as long as you're a good person, as long as you respect others. I know it's been told hundreds of times before, but it's true. Hey, girls, you are beautiful.” – Gerard Way
“Even if you stop believing in us, we'll never stop believing in you.” – Gerard Way
“We'd hate to see any of you think to solve your problems with violence.” – Gerard Way
“No matter what happens, you never, ever resort to violence. You NEVER. Resort. To violence.” – Gerard Way
"If you guys have been listening to this band and coming to see us for a long time, you know we've always said to you guys that if you get depressed, that you can find somebody to talk to. You can find help if you feel suicidal or anything like that. That's something we've always said. That's something we've been saying on this tour... is that, you know, sometimes the world can be a really ugly place, right? It's not always really pretty, it's ugly, people's feelings get hurt. Sometimes it's terrible, but it's also a really beautiful place, and we all share it together. If you ever feel depressed or hurt in any way, or you find yourself feeling very desperate, you find somebody that you trust, that you can talk to-- be it a teacher, a parent, a best friend, a therapist at school. There's lots of free programs, you guys can find somebody to talk to... but the main thing is no matter what, no matter what happens to you, no matter how desperate you feel, you never resort to violence." – Gerard Way
"We want you to live. We want to save your lives. You saved ours. We never want to let a single thing hurt any of you. And you should all know...if you support us...you are not a cult. You are a f****** ARMY." – Gerard Way (This is where the MCRmy comes from)
"Suicide is a serious thing. And if you know anyone who is suicidal, you need to get them help. No one should be in pain. Everyone should love themselves. Like I love you all." – Gerard Way
"Oh my, you people are beautiful!" – Gerard Way (at a gig)
"I believed in you. When no one else did, I believed in you." – Gerard Way
“This band has a way of saving lives, you know, and it keeps us alive.” - Gerard Way
'"MCR saved my life’, see, that's the real point of all this." - Gerard Way
Lyrics:
‘I am not afraid to keep on living’
‘I’ll never let them hurt you, I promise’
‘I'm trying to let you know just how much you mean to me’
‘And I would drive on to the end with you’
'I'll let you know just how much you mean to me'
‘Know how much I want to show you you're the only one’
‘I fought them all off just to hold you close and tight’
‘I am not afraid to keep on living.’
‘I am not afraid to walk this world alone.’
‘If you were here I'd never have a fear’
‘Think happy thoughts’
‘It ain't the money and it sure as hell ain't just for the fame’
‘We'll love again, we'll laugh again’
‘I never want to let u down or have you go’
‘You really need to listen to me, `cause I'm telling you the truth, I mean this; I'm okay! (trust me)’
‘You’ll never take me alive’
‘Do what it takes to survive 'cause I’m still here’
‘I'd hate to see you cry’
‘C'mon, Angel, Don't you cry’
‘You're not in this alone’
‘You'll never make me leave. I wear this on my sleeve’
‘I'd encourage your smiles, and expect you won't cry’
‘You're the one that I need’
‘And without you is how I disappear, and live my life alone forever now’
‘And you must keep your soul like a secret in your throat’
‘Take a look at me 'cause I could not care at all’
‘You’ll never break me’
‘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’
Regards, an EXTREMELY annoyed and devoted My Chemical Romance fan
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Sorry that was really long, but that's what I sent. If you feel strongly about this then visit:
*This to join the peaceful protest.
*This to read the outrageous article blaming MCR.
*This to sign the petition against The Daily Mail.
*This to get in contact with The Daily Mail.
It's time we unite as an army and stand up for ourselves like our heroes taught us to!!!
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