An Article on "Emo Kids"

This is an interesting article I came across published in a University's online newspaper, I don't agree with a lot of what the author said, however I think it's an interesting opinion worth reading.

"Cheer up Emo Kid, It's a Brand New Day

JP Porretta
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Updated: Sunday, August 10, 2008

When it comes to music, I would like to consider myself open-minded. I am always eager to discover new bands, and I would never criticize a person for having different musical interests. Except when it comes to emo kids. For the life of me, I will never understand this new obsession among teens. The fashion style is embarrassing to look at, and the music is just pure crap.

If you aren't sure what an emo kid is exactly, here are some basic characteristics to look out for: long, jet black hair that's straightened down to cover the face, black eyeliner, skin tight jeans, studded belts, Chuck Taylor's converse sneakers, and a skin-tight t-shirt that has some band logo with a stupid name like "As I Lay Dying" or "Cute is What We Aim For."

Don't get emos confused with emus. Emus are those adorable birds that roam around Australia. Emos- not adorable. Some emos like to cut their arms, while Emus don't even have arms.

The media believes that "emo" is a corruptor of youth, which evokes a dangerous behavior that has taken control of kids.

Some bands that the media has put particular focus on are AFI, Hawthorne Heights and My Chemical Romance, mainly because of their questionable lyrics.

Take for instance MTV favorites Hawthorne Heights. In their most popular hit, "Ohio is for Lovers," the lyrics continuously repeat the line "cut my wrists and black my eyes." Considering this is the kind of band that is marketed towards 13-year-old girls, I wouldn't consider these kind of lyrics to be appropriate. But I guess you've got to give the band a break. I mean after all, I would be severely suicidal too if I had to play in a joke of a band like Hawthorne Heights.

Emo kids like to spend their nights on their computer updating their Myspace profile with lame poetry about how their lives are depressing and blogs about how they can't wait to attend the upcoming BloodxTornxHeartx concert (no, that's not a real band).

Each day I see more and more people fitting these characteristics. They slowly get into the emo scene and through the music, they start to think it's cool to pretend to be suicidal and talk about cutting your wrists. They continually rant about how their home life is such a struggle, even though they live in nice mansions in Long Island with a Lexus in their driveway.

This brings us back to the age-old question: how many emo kids does it take to screw in a light bulb? The answer is none. They prefer to sit alone in the dark and cry.

Parents, teachers and spectators everywhere are taking notice to this new fad and are acknowledging that it might be a dangerous trend for adolescents. I couldn't help but notice how over the last few weeks several news stations have been showing interest and concern in this trend.

Some people hear this and say that the genre is being taken too seriously, and that listeners know not to take the lyrics too seriously. Unfortunately they are wrong. Over the last few years, suicide has become one of the leading causes of teenage deaths, and the suicide count is increasing each year.

You may say people take this too seriously, but many believe that it's the emo music that play heavy factors in all of this.

Look at "Fall Out Boy's" bassist Pete Wentz, for example. Anyone who has shown interest in this band probably is aware that Wentz likes to talk about his several suicide attempts that he has made in the past. Dude, you gotta shut your mouth. You are the bass player (crappy bass player, might I add) of a multi-platinum pop-punk band, and you are dating mega-hottie Ashlee Simpson. You have absolutely nothing to be upset about. And it's not too great that this man is both an icon and "role model" current pre-teens look up to.

Although the amount of emo kids running around on Fairfield's campus is limited, some students still have their opinions about them. When talking about the parental point of view on emo music's influence on the youth, Vanessa Jackon 08' said, "I think parents look down on the whole emo thing, because 'Debbie Downer' doesn't play nice with all the other children at the yacht club."

I guess the reason why I have such a feeling of resentment towards this trend is because of people's misconception of it. Just because I listen to Death Cab For Cutie and wear high-top converse with collared shirts, that doesn't mean I'm emo. I hate emo, and I get really offended when people call me emo. I'm sure this is the case with others as well, like The Mirror's own Sean Corbett.

I don't think there is much need to worry, though. I have a feeling this ridiculous fad will be gone faster than you can say Limp Bizkit. Remember them? Yeah, exactly."

http://media.www.fairfieldmirror.com/media/storage/paper148/news/2007/03/08/Entertainment/Cheer.Up.Emo.Kid.Its.A.Brand.New.Day-2762635.shtml