Saturday, September 30, 2006

RM September 21 - Is your child an Emo?

I borrowed a paragraph from a previous post to use in this column, so you may have read part of it before, apologies!

THE phrase ‘Emo’ is one that has been popping up in our household a lot over the recent months.

You may have heard it yourself if you have teenagers. It would probably be in conversations which sounded something like this ‘ach they are nothing but a weirdo Emo!

It probably shows my age because to me the person who would be called an ‘Emo’ is actually what the majority of us would recognise as ‘Goths’ with a liking for emotionally-charged punk rock music. You know the type, the kind of music that has you banging the wall yelling ‘turn that down’.

Emos is short for emotional and the best person to explain Emos is the Young Wan herself, so over to her.

I am not an Emo before I start explaining. Right an Emo is yes you guessed it another label. An Emo is someone who has black hair short usually and a side fringe that covers his/her eye. They are suicidal and cry all the time. They listen to bands like Bullet for My Valentine (which are the only good Emo band in my opinion). They write poetry and aren’t very good at talking so they express themselves in their own way which is grand but they take it over the top. I have nothing against Emos I have friends who are very Emo but I wouldn’t like to be one. Some idiots would use it as a insult but really it is pretty unimaginative. Emos (as in the real ones not the wannabes) are usually quite artistic. Anyway Emos are good listeners and are nice people in general so if you see one on the street give them a hug. But be warned you may get a punch.
So how do you spot an Emo. Well they will often sport greasy black hair with a long heavy fringe, wear children’s t-shirts, sporting horn-rimmed black glasses and they feel no one understands them.

While being an Emo sounds like the epitome of teenage angst it is not always doom and gloom. If you read anything about them it is normally concerning their propensity to self-harm and other such negative details.

But this is a mass generalisation and has no real basis in truth. I wrote recently about research into Goths which show that Goths are a very accepting and non-violent group as well as being high achievers academically. While Goths and Emos are two separate groupings there is more than a little cross-over in our house.

A British national newspaper recently had an article on Emo and self harming and the Young Wan was all annoyed. The paper claimed Emo is a celebration of self-harm. I have to say that is utter nonsense.

The article went on to say “If this environment is coupled with the psychological traits of self-pity, introspection, self-dramatisation and hormone imbalance, you have a fully-fledged Emo, even without the small T-shirt and black hair.”

Surely that just describes the vast majority of teenagers not a new and foreboding Emo cult.

So to any parents out there who may be worried because their child is displaying some of the characteristics described here, don’t worry. Okay your child is going to look a bit scary for a few years, there may be some door slamming and shouting. And there will definitely be some loud music. All of which is nothing to worry about, is it?

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15 comments:

David Todd said...

are they into this comedian?

Red Mum said...

Laughs, dont think so!

Anonymous said...

you are sooooo emo and gay! so shut up!

Red Mum said...

LOL at anonymous, now really was it worth the time to comment cos it wasn't worth mine reading it.

Anonymous said...

I think, or at least HOPE the emo fad is dead. I still do see some young teens following the emo look, but maybe it is just the vapor-trail of what was one of the most destructive media created fads to date.

Emo kids DO self-injure. That is undeniable and it is why they have a reputation for doing it. Self-harm, in the proportions seen today, is not a natural spontaneous reaction to emotional pain. Many emo kids get the idea from the media or from their friends and simply follow the crowd. Sadly, when they finally pull out of the emotional nose-dive a few years later, the cutting and burning scars will remain though adulthood.

With the focus on self-pity and sadness being so intense, many of these emo kids fall to HEAVY drugs like oxycontin (an opiate) and recreational use of anti-depressant drugs.

The teen years are critical in the formation of an individuals future. High school years have an enormous influence on an individual's educational and career paths. After years of self-pity and group moping, a lot of these kids pop out of it at 18 years old and realize that they were so unproductive during high school that they are not eligible to go to a good university.

The music industry is still pumping the teen-depression theme hard for every drop. For example, the previously dark emo band "My Chemical Romance" recently rinsed the black dye from their hair and wiped off the pink-eyed drug look and released a whole album completely dedicated to dying. So, it ‘aint’ over quite yet. The media has absolutely no shame with the way they are willing to exploit teenage emotion to make a buck.

If we are lucky, this up new generation of up and coming mopers will see the terrible self-injury scars of the previous generation-emo and just dwell in self-pity and depression on the weekends and during off-hours.

Anonymous said...

just like to say that the emo fad has been around for many many years starting out with bands like rites of spring in the mid to late 80's but its just an other used frase nowdays.

self harming is done by anyone not just emo kids

its nothing to worry about! if ur kids an emo cool! you only have to worry about them when they have no mind of there own and start cutting themselfs because the media says "thats wat an emo does"

safe =]

Anonymous said...

i dont even see why we have all these stereotypes to be honest. i mean its not just 'emos' who self harm. 'chavs' do it too and so do a whole load of other people. and would you believe that elderly people even commit suicide? because they do and somehow i dont think theyre emos. i have friends who think im an 'emo' but im not, im just me. yeah sure i get depressed at times but then again everyone has their ups and downs. i completely hate myself with all good reason after my childhood. i blame myself for a lot of things in my life. at present i am studying for my A levels in biology, psychology, health and social care and englist literature. 'emos' are smart people, artistic, (i got a B in my gcse art exam!!)anyhow, stop going on about 'emos' depression is caused by a chemical imbalance of the brain so therefore its not their fault. get over it!ive slef harmed many a times before an i have considered going to a doctor. anyone who thinks they may have depression should get help immediatley. to see if its worth it and for more facts of depression visit www.suicide.org it helped me and i realised life can be worth living. goodbye all.

Anonymous said...

Oh My God why are people so stupid. I am an emo and I don't self harm and I don't dye my hair black.
Some of the comments here show a lack of understanding in what emo actually is. Its outrageous how people feel they can disrespect a person just because of a label they have been given.
Leave emos alone for God's sake!!

Anonymous said...

Just a few comments on the music industry stemming from the comment about the emo band "My Chemical Romance"
Rock and Roll is a Circus act and there is nothing wrong with a good circus act - Sadly, many kids don’t understand that but, they are hooked alright and its all about making $$$$$. What a joke it really is ha ha ... except everyone around them has to suffer the BS kids are peddling from the experience. If you are or have been a rock musician you can really appreciate that. Do we use gimmics and fads? Yes yes we do and its sad when we see a Rock Band using suicide as a gimmic to sell its music.... but that's how the one hit wonders usually go just like the fad itself.

Anonymous said...

I've seen this with my own eyes. Maybe not all emos cut, but a large percentage do. Definately more than any other group. They also seem to show off their cuts, which isn't done with what social workers call self injury. It is attention seeking! I see it at least every week, if not daily. Here's a link to a website that explains alot of it.
whatisemo.bravehost.com
emo is sick, and something should be done about it!

Anonymous said...

I know I'm late to this, but I agree with the previous post. I'm a teacher and I see this almost every day. I visited http://whatisemo.bravehost.com/ I found it to be most informative! Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

u ppl are so wrong about emos im emo and im not gay or cut myself so shut up u dont even know what ur talking about and ur stupid teacher so fhuk off there is nothing wrong with being emo ppl dont under stand us!

Anonymous said...

okay well for one YOUR INSANE!

emo is a genre of music. and ANYONE can selfharm. Also what kind of person in their right mind would beleive anything that you wrote? This artical is EXTRAMLY bias.

Honestly your really JUDGEMENTAL and you dont know what your talking about.



I have black hair with a fringe that covers one eye and i LOVE My Chemical Romance, I wear eyeliner and write depressive poetry, I have thick framed glasses and wear kids shirts. oh and im Bisexual.

so does that classify me as an emo?



just because of the way someone looks doesnt mean anything. I get straight A's and am a very happy-go-lucky person.

so why dont you go out and find an 'emo' kid and talk to them. Im sure you'll be suprised at how sweet, nice, and caring they'll be.

and please for the love of god DO NOT WRITE SOMETHING SO MENTAL EVER AGAIN!

Red Mum said...

I would suggest you reread the piece again, in no way is my post judgemental. If you read it carefully you would realise the nonsense article was published in the Daily Mail.

In case you didn't realise it I am actually being supportive.

Anonymous said...

YOU DONT KNOW SHIT BOUT EMOS IM EMO AND I DONT HAVE BLACK GREASY HAIR I DONT WEAR CHILDRENS SHIRTS I WEAR BAND SHIRTS AND I DONT WEAR HORNED RIMMED GLASSES