Russia, famous for cracking down on dissenting Georgians, Chechens,
journalists and more, is now trying to outlaw emos. Sad face.
Last month the
State Duma held a hearing on "
Government Strategy in the Sphere of Spiritual and Ethical Education," a piece of legislation
aimed at curbing "dangerous teen trends".
The clueless conservative big wigs who may never have been in touch with their emotions, grouped emos together with skinheads
and are seeking strict controls on "emo" websites. They also seek to ban emo and
goth fashion from schools and government buildings.
Can you imagine the new signs they've have to get made? "
No dogs, no goths, no fun."The Guardian quoted Alexander Grishunin, an adviser to bill
sponsor Yevgeny Yuryev as saying "The point of the bill is so that by 2020, Moscow will have someone to
rule its government. This is the first
step in the public discourse." Quite.
The new bill describes "emos" as 12-16 year-olds with black and pink
clothing, studded belts, painted fingernails, ear and eyebrow
piercings, and black hair with fringes that "cover half the face". The bill describes emo
culture's "negative ideology" and may encourage depression, social
withdrawal and even suicide, the bill alleges – with young girls being
particularly vulnerable.
"Of course, there are emo teens who
just listen to their music. But our actions are not directed at them
but rather at those who also hurt themselves, commit suicide and
promote those acts," bill co-author Igor Ponkin explained to the Moscow Times. Slight problem targeting those who have committed suicide, we think. It may also be difficult to stop people expressing their emotions and to stop teenagers from being awkward and confused.
If there ever was a country where you'd expect emos, it would
be Russia. It's blisteringly cold, there's serious issues with
gas and oil supplies for heating, and they have a massively
high death rate from
alcohol abuse.
In
Siberia, emo kids took to the streets in protest. It's reported that the protesters sported piercings, dyed hair and
studs and held up placards reading: "Kill the State in Yourself," "Why Do
We Have To Think The Same?" and "A Totalitarian State Encourages
Stupidity."
While emo kids claim that their right to look different is being threatened, it's the sad thruth that they have been targeted because they all look similar enough to be indentified as a group.
Here is Russian emo band Origami bringing the rage: