Fans Fight in Defense of Beloved Band

Emos. Goths. A cult. An army. Weird.

Whatever you call them, there is one thing certain of the fans of My Chemical Romance. They are not joiners, but faithful listeners who stick through thick and thin. And looking at recent times, the group is going to need it.

The New Jersey quintet, best known for such tunes as “I’m Not Okay(I Promise)”, “Helena” and “Welcome to the Black Parade”, has recently been in hot water since being blamed for a girl’s suicide. According to British newspaper The Daily Mail, thirteen-year-old Hannah Bond of Maidstone, Kent, hung herself on May 9, and her body was found in her room the next morning. While her parents haven’t said it themselves, the Mail accused My Chemical Romance of being a “suicide cult” who encouraged her to commit self-harm and was an influence on the death.

As soon as fans were able to read the article harshly snap at their beloved band, they snapped back just as harshly, most taking to the Internet to argue their case. NME.com user luvmark said “I find it disgusting that small-minded people would assume that music has that much of an influence, that someone would kill themselves because of it”, while fellow user mnd5×7 pondered “Do you really think a 13 year old can fully understand some of the lyrics?”

Johnnie and Kathleen, webmaster and mistress of MikeyWayOnline.Net, have been big supporters of the group and even posted what they called a ”soapbox”. In it they shared their experiences with self-harm and encouraged readers to seek help, even offering to be the help sought. “You deserve to love the world and most importantly you deserve to love yourself. You also deserve more than a razor blade.” Stated Kathleen, who herself was a victim of self-harm.  

The band has issued a statement on their website extending condolences to the family and insisting that they have no intention of glorifying self-harm. They also have encouraged readers to not fight their feelings alone.