We here at ELM deal in irreverence, sarcasm and occasional abuse. We get as passionate about the music we like as we get insulting about that which we don’t. We enjoy hearing from people who agree with us but also from those who don’t, especially when they put us in our place in a way that makes even US laugh. Music polarises opinion, and causes intense debate amongst sensible people over what is, essentially, a subjective matter of personal opinion. But that’s great; the world would be a boring place without it.
But occasionally, something pops up which makes you realise that, when all’s said and done, it doesn’t matter. Today, the cowardly animals who murdered young Goth Sophie Lancaster were sentenced, with the two main killers sentenced to life, and I sincerely hope they serve that. Sophie was targeted because she attempted to defend her boyfriend, who was attacked for being a Goth. Lying on top of his prone body, they beat her to death. There aren’t words to describe the barbarity of this crime. The shocking senselessness of this event is so much that it saturated mainstream opinion, jaded as that is, numbed by what appears to be an incessant outpouring of continual atrocity. The reason this crime did so was that everyone felt ‘there but for the grace of God go I’. If looking different, acting different, liking different things – just BEING different – can lead to this, what hope is there for anyone?
Whatever your subset, whatever your taste – be it from things I find heinous to things I like that you despise – I hope we can go about it, slagging, agreeing, debating and cajoling with a degree of humour and an open mind. Because otherwise, we are no better than the vermin who murdered a young woman for kicks, because they thought she looked funny. In an intolerant world, let’s just keep music in perspective.
RIP Sophie Lancaster.
Filed under: General Stuff Tagged: | goths, Sophie Lancaster, tolerance
Humanity has always struggled with keeping the lid on our ‘primal nature’ and sometimes we simply can’t. These animals had fewer human traits than can keep us in check.; basically they were wild, feral, pack animals. We should all be worried about that.
Vive la difference.
I’m a believer in rehabilitation mostly, but I’m having a hard time hoping for anything other than misery for that lot.
As you say, Vive la difference.
I believe in rehabilitation, too. The kind that comes in 2oz of lead with a metal jacket.
These scum are running wild in the streets. The cities (Glasgow, certainly) are lawless in certain areas. I heard an item on 5 Live the other day about areas being policed by gangsters, vigilante-style for a £1.00 a household a week. Makes you think, eh?
Sophie and family deserve better. These weasels should be exterminated.
I can’t argue with anything you say HowlinWhippet. I’m trying to be nice and liberal about it, and not make this ned (chav) v everyone else, but in cases like this, I can’t just blame society, or bad parents (though they have their part to play.)
If you are capable of kicking a defenceless girl to death because you don’t like her clothes, you aren’t capable of ever being a human being. End of.
I know that’s a bit Daily Mail, but it’s how I feel right now.
even older post (yes im liking your say on music and reading the archives) sorry but this was really weird for me i already knew this story as the eyeliner i buy the company donates some money to the sophie lancaster fund a charity which the mum of sophie set up to promote eveyr one can dress how they want and be accepted kinda thing and reading this wrote at the time it happened brought back the shock i felt first learning about the charity felt very odd anyway thought you might like to know the positive thing her mother did after this