Emo is merely one manifestation of the times we live in - we live in a dystopian world, in many respects. I don't see anything wrong with it, even though I don't have anything to do with it. But even more importantly, there's nothing wrong with being "emo" itself - being able to express emotions is much healthier than inhibiting them. Accusations of "faking" being depressed should not be counted towards emo, but towards an all too common human trait to want to fit in somewhere; the same type of behavior occurs in every subculture, clique, etc on earth.
the thing that annoys me the most is the feeling sorry for themselves and whining and all be as miserable as you want but golly gosh, dont make a pity party of your life and the whining "no one understands" "im so alone" "no one Loves me" so deal with with it, you may be right just get with it and move on
Actually Otter, after thinking for one drunk moment, I'm wondering if Emo is our cynicism. I mean you have to admit that a lot of people from our "90210" generation turned out to be cynics like us. Perhaps the emo kids are just like us, but they express it like completely different assholes than we did with our flannels and bonfires. LOL. I mean we had the whole grunge, be angry at the stupid world bit because it sucks. Now they have the whole emo hate ourselves throw a pity party thing. I guess the difference being is our generation actually killed themselves where as the emo generation just pretends to want to kill themselves in an attempt to get people to feel sorry for them (which generally happens then you get all of these special reports on 20/20). I guess a lot of people from our generation would still be alive if we had come up with this plan. But I like Seatle, flannels, and bonfires, so I will never get into the whole emo phase. LOL. But it is still the same teen angst that all of us go through. I just wish people would see the difference between such and actual mental illness. The lines are really blurred these days. And quite honestly I don't feel sorry for any emo kids, cause that is the point of being a teen. You are supposed to be emotional. Duh.
cynical otter- well said!! an illness shouldn't be a fad. edit- just read cutelildeadbear's post as well, that's really good thinking! i personally think that teens should get over themselves and do something useful instead. but maybe i'm too harsh nah, being serious now, everyone has problems and emotions, but it's up to us to deal with them responsibly. problems should be talked out and solved, not dwelt upon until you're sick.
I think it's interesting that apparently rich kids don't get real menal issues/anxiety and that because they're rich it's not as big a deal and they don't hurt as much because mommy bought them a fancy car. Now I'm easliy lower class and while I know that having money would certainly cushion some things, I think it's wrong to dismiss a rich kids's angst as invalid. Poor or Rich - both have problems but the grass always seems greener, doesn't it?
No one is dismissing rich kid's angst as invalid just because they are wealthy. That was not my point at all. (I am just jealous of rich kids, because I wasn't handed anything... what, you didn't think I'd admit that?). But on to a new point that you bring up: Perhaps if kids these days (and not all of course, but I do see a trend) had to work for the things they have and weren't handed so much, they wouldn't feel so entitled to everything therefore wouldn't feel so let down when the world doesn't stop for them. Just another drunk thought. (If you all haven't noticed I post mostly when I've been drinking. Mainly because I'm bored and this is a better form of entertainment than tv for me. Sadly, I make better points here than many sober people do.) I never meant for it to seem like wealthy people don't suffer from mental illness, what I mean is that being an emotional teenager, regardless of class, is a part of life and is not a real mental illness. I don't know why people just don't understand this very simplistic concept. However, I will state that it is easier for someone who is middle class or more wealthy to get help for their problems. It is very difficult to get the help that one needs with mental illness without insurance. I mean seriously, try dealing with state funded mental health facilities and you will just convince yourself there is nothing wrong with you, otherwise, you will most certainly drive yourself to further insanity. With money you can afford the best doctors and the best treatments available. So if you really do have a problem, it is a lot easier to correct it for someone with money. So yeah, I don't feel as sorry for them, because they have the resources that many of us simply do not. They should use them if they feel that screwed up that they need to run around and pretend to want to kill themselves. I am not trying to suggest at all that wealth or money brings happiness or erases all problems, but I know for a fact if I had more money at the moment, I'd be less depressed. Of course, if I always had money, I guess I wouldn't know any different. Plus, rich kids don't have problems they have the best coke and heroin money can buy. And emo kids don't have problems either, just horrible haircuts and bad taste in music.
This is so true. I have a friend who tried to commit suicide a few days ago. She was self-harming really badly, and she had told me about it before, but I never believed it was serious because she was an emo. I knew she was actually depressed and not just pretending like some of them, but I never thought it was actually that bad. She could have died, and if it wasn't for the stupid emos who go around pretending to be depressed all the time someone would have been able to help her before. I'm not denying that there are SOME emos who really are depressed and hae mental health problems, but I think most are really just pretending to keep up with the fashion.
when did rock stars become such pussies. yes musicians have always had a tendency to be more emotionally inclined but nowadays they just.... for lack of a better word.... suck. they sing in those high pitched girly voices that to me sound like someone taking their nails to a chalk board. The guitar work is just so... pop. I hate emo for the music. It makes me want to jump in front of a moving car. But the style or whatever.... kids have been trying to get attention and express themselves probably for as long as people have been around. Thats how they grow out from their parents. They don't look any stranger than the goths kids or "freaks" when I was in high school.
I agree with you, crystal, about the music. I've never really got the whole emo thing. Maybe someone could enlighten me on it? Peace and love
It's a problem when the person displaying their 'depresssion' isn't really depressed at all, and are just pretending to be depressed because it is the trendy thing to do.
I have to disagree with both of you. A gothic(REAL gothic,not mall goth hot topic green day lovers) subculture consists of coping with all of the morbid, dark things in this world by viewing them as an alternate source of beauty. Rather than fearing death, they embrace it as coming to terms with your mortality...when your soul, your true self, leaves your body. "Goths" are usually really creative people who appreciate such things, and hold such views, and have an appreciation for art and history, and dark music. They all just happen to dress that way. It has nothing to do with being depressed or worshipping satan, or any other bullshit that all the poseurs have brought the world to believe about 'goths'. There is a difference between having dark and morbid views and being depressed. The 2 may go hand in hand,sometimes, but they are still entirely different things. As for emo kids...stereotypically speaking, they are a bunch of kids with bad haircuts who listen to sappy music, wear eyeliner, pretend to be depressed, pretend to be nerdy outcast non conformists, like girl pants, pretend to be bisexual, and usually have a preoccupation with ninjas and/or dinosaurs. The difference between emo & the REAL goth subculture? Emo has became a huge trend. Goth subculture is more of an underground thing. You will rarely find a real goth out on the streets,where as you will find several emo kids walking around the mall or out on the town. Another thing. Emo music sounds nothing like real punk. How could you possibly compare Panic! At the disco or Fall out boy to The Clash or The Sex Pistols? You can't. I agree with Crystalsatreehugger. I want the old rock stars back. The ones who didn't give a fuck about what anyone thought of their music. The ones who played in a band because they had a passion for it, not because they wanted to become just another whiny sellout mainstream band with a bunch of 12 year olds wearing their tee-shirts when they've only heard 2 songs of theirs on the radio & couldn't name a single member of the band. Everything is so fake nowadays... Emo kids aren't angsty. They're too whiney to be sincere. They just pretend to be angsty because it's the trendy thing to do... Although I sound terribly hateful, I do know one thing...& that is to hate the trend, not the brainless sheep teenager for following it...-sigh-
I agree with you autumn about the music. There's not the same passion as what Kurt Cobain had behind his music. Peace and love
You're right about that. It's hard when you actually HAVE mental health problems and people say, "Oh, it's just a phase." How in the fuck can having a mental problem be a phase? I've had this for YEARS, and only a few doctors have tried to help because they thought I was "making it up". If people didn't pretend to have problems then maybe we people with mental problems could be taken seriously.
I think kids like it because its a group that identifys with social misfits and that insted of saying lets step up and correct this problem, there dwell in that reality and never get past it and feel that its life dystin for them! I think that its just bad social programing!!! I feel that way about clay akkin and jame blunt!
In the end pain gets too much that we start to enjoy it. I call this comfortably numb. This means that you don't react to pain because you no longer feel the pain or you do but you can take it. Personally I don't think Emu has become chic. I think that it is a case that many people can relate to feelings of depression, cutting, slicing, etc. We all have a basic understanding and is more common than cool. however one time I tried to freeze my wrist with CO2. Worked and had to end up going to hospital. I urge people to resort to hitting a cushion or letting it all out in tears rather than self torture. it isn't cool but understand why you did it.
Emo isn't being sad or emotional. Emo is pretending to be sad. That is actually a really good idea...I think people should also do this when they feel like hurting other living things...there would be alot less violence in the world...I mean,who cares about violence against cushions? It doesn't hurt anyone. Unless you hit it too hard.
