Russia to Make Emo and Goth Music Illegal

First “The Man” says kids in Michigan can’t wear sagging pants, now, the Russian government is going to make emo and goth music illegal. Banning music and fashion styles? What century are we in?

Calling the emo/goth lifestyle “a dangerous teen trend”, the Russian government is drafting a proposal that will regulate emo websites and ban the black clad kids from schools and government buildings. The “Government Strategy In The Sphere Of Spiritual And Ethical Education” bill aims to crush the emo subculture, calling it a “social danger” and “a threat to national stability”.

This bill is being developed partially in reaction to the recent suicide of British teenager Hannah Bond. Her death was questionably linked to the teenager’s following of emo band “My Chemical Romance”. Critics of the emo music and lifestyle feel the music’s dark imagery and themes of sadness and despair lead to a  preoccupation with death and suicide.

A psychologist interviewed by the Moscow Times countered this fear mongering with a logical perspective: “Suicide is not a symptom of emo culture. I work with other teens too, and every group has emotionally troubled kids.”

[via Kerrang!]