ok, i haven't given a long and dull serious reply on here before, but this may warrant itthe point of it was really in the 'moral panic' comment. bad taste it may be, but it wasn't made with the intention of 'she died. let's all have a laugh'
i purposely chose this image of her because of how it was used during the time following her death. the supposed shocking nature of seeing her on her deathbed was used to promote a strong anti-drugs message: the implication being 'stay away from ecstasy or this could be you'. whereas, in fact, the chances of dying from an acute reaction to ecstasy are very small and the actual cause of leah's death - drinking too much water - could be partly blamed on an official drugs policy which concentrated on 'just say no' scare tactics rather than giving accurate information about the risks involved
i feel, with the photo already having been used widely in the media to make a particular point, it is a legitimate target for criticism and parody. it's a tragedy that she died of course, and i'm not attacking her, her friends or family. i hope that they are not offended by my picture, but i accept that they may be. i'm not claiming it's some wonderful work of art or satire - it's pretty sloppily-made, the events were a long time ago and my points have been made a hundred times before - but i think it's fair criticism, given the way her death was turned into an event at the time, and i stand by it
(i purposely chose this image of her because of how it was used during the time following her death. the supposed shocking nature of seeing her on her deathbed was used to promote a strong anti-drugs message: the implication being 'stay away from ecstasy or this could be you'. whereas, in fact, the chances of dying from an acute reaction to ecstasy are very small and the actual cause of leah's death - drinking too much water - could be partly blamed on an official drugs policy which concentrated on 'just say no' scare tactics rather than giving accurate information about the risks involved
i feel, with the photo already having been used widely in the media to make a particular point, it is a legitimate target for criticism and parody. it's a tragedy that she died of course, and i'm not attacking her, her friends or family. i hope that they are not offended by my picture, but i accept that they may be. i'm not claiming it's some wonderful work of art or satire - it's pretty sloppily-made, the events were a long time ago and my points have been made a hundred times before - but i think it's fair criticism, given the way her death was turned into an event at the time, and i stand by it
plentyofants more ghee, vicar?,
Sat 5 May 2007, 21:18,
archived)