Russian Government Ban Emo And Goth Clothing In Schools
Those who wear either Goth or Emo clothing have protested in Russia against their government’s plans to outlaw the popular styles of clothing from schools. There were dozens of people involved in the protest, held on July the 20th in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. These new rules, proposed by the government in Russia, do not only extend to alternative clothing, but also to the monitoring and censoring of student’s text messages. A measure which many have felt is an unfair violation of both the student’s basic freedom and rights.
This political move is thought to be in response to a reasonably high level of fear amongst those in power with respect of movements or groups which encourage suicide amongst teens, similar to those that begin during the 1980’s in America. It is thought that similar groups are increasing in popularity by the government, who were given a broad approval on these new laws last month, which are expected to come into effect within the next few months.
Goth and Emo music have long been linked by some as factors in the increasing suicide rate amongst young people and these extreme measures are being brought in to counter these growing statistics. However, this response which will directly ban people from wearing alternative clothing as well as infringing on their privacy, is a response considered unreasonable by many to a problem which in comparison to American doesn’t exist in Russia.
Alternative clothing grew in popularity in Russia with the break down of the old Soviet Union, with the country becoming far more liberal and immersed into Western culture than ever before. It has fast grown in popularity over recent years, but could this put an end to the cultures popularity or will these protests provoke a government rethink? It will be interesting to see how this issue pans out and we will be keeping our eye on this story over the coming months.
