This was not a topic that interested me very much till today. Sure, I have heard the term; had a vague idea about EMO, but I never really cared to delve into the subject until a family member ended up in a psych ward because of her involvement in the EMO movement. Needless to say, I spent most of my day researching and thought I would share that knowledge and my thoughts with you.

EMO is emotive hardcore - a genre of music. The EMO scene is full of dramatic depression and love of pain - emotional or physical. Apparently it started as a sub-group of the Goths. But, thanks to MTV and the likes, has grown into a cult movement of its own. I have been reading some of the lyrics from groups that the EMOs favor, such as Chemical Romance, and the music is sad, emotional and in many cases these groups sing to our children about cutting, self mutilation, suicide and murder. It is all about avoiding mental pain through physical pain.

Here are a few lines from “EMO” Music:

“If you could slit my throat, with my one last gasping breath, I’d apologise for bleeding on your shirt”
Taking Back Sunday - You’re So Last Summer

Emo songs on certain themes:

Self-Mutilation
“The ribbon on my wrist said “Do Not open Before Christmas”
Fall Out Boy - “Our Layer Made Us Change The Name Of The Song So we Wouldn’t Get Sued”

Death
“I’m in a car underwater with time to kill, thinking back I forgot to tell you this, I didn’t care that you left and abandoned me, what hurts more is I would still die for you”
Armor For Sleep - Car Underwater

Love
“Kiss me with your cherry lipstick, never wash you off my face, Hit me I can take your cheap shots, leave you with the love we made”
Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive

Accident
“So push the seats back a little further, Roll the windows down and take a breath, I can see the headlights coming, They paint the world in red and broken glass”
Thursday - Understanding In A Car Crash

Sex
“The fever, the focus, the reasons that I had to believe you weren’t too hard to sell. Die young and save yourself. The tickle, the taste of…it used to be the reason I breathed but now it’s choking me up.”
Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria

EMO fashion apparently strives for boys to look like girls and girls to look like boys. By almost all current definitions that I read about, emo clothing is characterized by tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe bangs often brushed to one side of the face, dyed black, straightened hair, tight t-shirts which often bear the names of rock bands, studded belts, belt buckles, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, skate shoes, or other black shoes, often old and beaten up, and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses. The style continues with piercings - many piercings and thick dark make-up worn by both boys and girls.

I can already hear the arguments - in fact I have read many of them today. So here are a few of the arguments and my answers:

“EMOs do not always participate in Self-Mutilation.” I agree. Not all teens involved in the EMO scene get involved with self-mutilation. But how many kids slashing their wrists or committing suicide does it take before a ’scene’ or ‘cult’ becomes dangerous?

“The EMO scene is just like the punk rock scene or rock and roll. You had your thing - let us have ours.” Rock and Roll songs are about love, sex, drugs and enjoying life. And yes! our parents hated it. But Rock and Roll has never portrayed death, suicide and pain as the “EMO” band’s lyrics do.

“You just do not want to understand us.” It isn’t that I do not want to understand - I want to. But I cannot understand seeking pain.

So who do I blame for the spread of this EMO craze? I wasn’t really sure till I went on Amazon and search for EMO. There are quite a few books written targeting teenagers on this subject. Titles like: “Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture” written by Leslie Simon, managing editor of Alternative Press magazine and frequent guest for Fuse and MTV and Trevor Kelley, leading contributor for Alternative Press or “Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo” written by Andy Greenwald, senior contributing writer at Spin and frequent gust on MTV and VH1.

MTV. VH1. Spin. Alternative Press. The media. They have commercialized a fad that may have quickly died if left alone and made it vastly appealing to some of our teens. Of course, they will say that they have the right. After all America promises freedom of speech. But with any freedom comes responsibility and a moral obligation. I think that is a forgotten truth in this day and age.

So, what about my family member? She has issues in life and the EMO scene led her to intensify the emotional aspects of any every day situation making everything very dramatic. At the worst of times she became self-destructive. The physical pain was easier to bear the learning how to deal with the emotional issues that all teens have.

Again, I do not believe this happens with every person involved in the EMO scene.

But how many children have to hurt themselves or commit suicide before we say enough ……

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Lifestyles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.