an article 9writtein for the articles section of www.studentcen
Recently the news has been covering a story about a 16 year old satanist, Luke Mitchell who murdered his girlfriend Jodi last June. Luke Mitchell was said to be a "goth" by the press and a "satanist" and has recently been convicted of jodi's murder.
I am in no way saying that i am defending this obviously voilent boy's actions, but i feel that the press, and the public have taken this incident in a way that has made others suffer, me included.
Before i tell you about my experince, i would like to make some corrections to the press's obviously un-researched 'labels' given to Luke Mitchell. A boy who has the side of his lip pierced and wore baggy clothes and a Nirvana t-shirt is most decisively not a goth. Also i even doubt this boy practiced satanism in its real form, being a satanist , i think involves more than writing 666 on a school excercise book.
But back to the main point of this article, which is a little more pressing.
I was simply walking through the main lobby of the ozone cinema in oxford, a mere week after the incident when a woman with two young childen of about 6 and 8 came rushing up to me. Not only was i horrified by what she said to me, but my dad, in his mid forties also thought it was outrageous. "You, you teenagers make me sick, you stay away from all the children in this cinema, you satanistic murdering scum. You have aposolutly no right to show up in places like this so stay away from me and my children." This middle ages exstatic woman then turned to my father and exclaimed "How can you bring up your own child in such a way" and stormed away husling her confused looking children with her.
I stood still in shock for it seemed like minutes, but was actaually a matter of seconds, everyone in the cinema was staring at me, what had i done to deserve this outburst of rage? Nothing, i had simply been stereotyped in such an extreme way i had never though possible.
Later on during the day i made the connection, Luke Mitchell described by the press as a boy who wore black baggy clothes with a lip piercing. I had made the mistake (without realising it) of also wearing black baggy clothes and having a lip ring. That is the only connection i could see that explained this womans earlier outburst, and i was furious. I was a complete stranger to her, did she know me? did she realise i am a completly nice and reasnoble person to talk to and have no voilent tendancies whatsoever? Did she know i, in no way worship, or infact believe in satan or satanism? No. She simply made a huge assumption on my character based on my appearance, which i find highly disturbing.
Due to an incident involving on individual is it going to have a social backlash on anyone who chooses to have a similar appearance to me? I dont understand why so many people make these wild assumptions, i am always polite and curteous, and yet i have always been constantly judged, and now unfortunatly it seems i will be further judged to an extreme. I hope nobody else of a similar situation will ever experience something as horrible and misconcieved as i did that day, but i am asking this, is it human nature to stereotype? Is everyone ment to suffer for an individuals actions? Time will tell.
what can i say this holiday has been fantastic..... untill now.... got my tattoo am v pleased with it, been out alot had fun....and seen some people i didnt think id ever get along with again.... but i dunno ive been down the last 2 days... there are reasons im sure those reasons will go unoticed by those who have caused them.... new years was a good evening.... but one of my new years resolutions (to have fun) is very vastly going down the toilet.....dam