Morne Harmse, stabbed a fellow pupil to death with a sword at school - not only was he in posession of a sword but he bore the mark of the beast, an imitation Slipknot mask. It as if the curtains raised upon a tragic victorian play - our young male protagonist, adorned with the theatrical mask, plunges a sword whilst under the masks spell, into a fellow student, killing the innocent victim and beginning rather than ending this miserable tragedy.

The audience as the events unforld have the opportunity to sit back and project their collective insecurity onto the characters they see before them, and as the curtains draw to a close, there is sufficient lag between action and repercussion, to come to their own conclusions as to the rationale behind this gruesome tale they’ve played witness to.

The mail and guardian, which owing to its prestigious nature, was given the best seat in the house quoted the Harmses, the parents of the protaganist, who’d “said “to our regret, it seems like he had started experimenting with Satanism” and went on to accurately point out that “the mask he wore is said to be similar to masks worn by heavy metal band Slipknot, who have been accused of producing Satanic music.”

The Times, caught on their way out of the theater simply echoed what the Harmses had said : “His words to us were: ‘When I put the mask over my face, everything went dead quiet and only my body moved. I wanted to stop but I couldn’t',” finally adding “many have blamed the stabbing spree on the “Satanic music” the sword-wielding youngster allegedly listened to.”

The mask it would seem is the common denominator, a protective covering which both disguises and shields the wearer from those individuals in his / her near surrounds. A mask is also a shelter from the reflection of one’s self, and a means by which one could don a new persona unnoticed. Could this have been the real reason for the Slipknot mask? The Harmses seemed to suggest that young Morne was being bullied by his classmates for being a small boy - a dilemma in the domain of ‘the masculine’ - was the mask a reference to Slipknot or was it a barrier which prevented the real world’s entry.

Slipknot, and Satanic Music managed to ominously sneak into the minds of the audience who it seems revellled in intrigue and the joy of othering the uknown for the sake of a mystery. If the audience had come prepared, they might have understood the story line was not novel - ostracized children had killed before; Marilyn Manson, Rammstein and Slayer had been pegged as the sinister puppeteers in those sad sagas and yet no true correlation had ever been found between the lyrics of the artists and the violent deeds of the young murderers. Alienation from peer groups and a feeling of anomie / normlessness / confusion had all been present in all four scripts and rather strangely had their guilt absolved by the forgiving press who overlooked their involvment and made as their focal point the ‘uknown’ much to the delight of their adoring public.

If it is to be believed that the young Morne’s vengeful act was in some way, shape or form catalyzed by Slipknot’s influence then we must question young Morne’s ability to detach himself from the unreal - we must question Morne’s mental state and not the lyrical content of Slipknot. Slipknot are no more demonic than Loyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera - a somber sonic experience which exists for the most part underground and has as its villain a narcassistic fallen angel of music. Morne’s actions were not prescribed to him by Satan, certainly not demanded of him by Slipknot but were necessary in light of his own objectives to affirm his self-loathing and to extract revenge upon those who had treated him, the way the press does that which it cannot understand - with contempt and distrust.

“His friends said he was a quiet boy who kept to himself. “They said they all thought he was a nerd.”"..

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A final twist in the tale, the two faced shit for brains COSATU makes this empassioned plea.

“We also call on parents to monitor their children very closely and get help urgently from clinical experts if their children demonstrate signs and antics of hate, including withdrawal from society or family which in the long-term results in such incidents of violence,”

Who is keeping an eye on COSATU’s propaganda machine lest it fall under the evil influence of say the two horned demon known as Politics or alternatively safegaurd it from speaking publically again as it seems to have jumped on the bandwagon once more without looking where its heading. Perhaps when its forehead meets the floor in a final act of stupidity it will realise the understand that the statement above speaks volumes about the society it serves to reproduce…afterall educational and political institutions are primary influencers in a childs socialization..Idiots..