It's Not Wholly Their Fault

It started with the music. What followed were the eyeliners and square-rimmed glasses. Oh, and don't forget the side fringe that obscured half their faces. It started with a handful of teenagers parading around in their black clothes and black auras. A year or so later, it managed to take nearly half the youth population by storm.

Emotional. Or "emo", if you would like to abide by what pop culture dictates. These are very different things, in my opinion. Being emotional is expected of every human, while being emo is not. Many sites define "emo" as a genre of music that stemmed from punk sometime in the late 90's, but in this generation, it is certainly more than that. It has evolved into something more significant, something that warrants careful attention and something that attracts discrimination.

I asked a friend to define emo in his own terms. Here is exactly what he said:

"They're those suicidal guys, right? They wear black stuff and eyeliner, and they slash their wrists to attract attention. And the hair, it's either covering half their faces or it's stiff with wax. They need serious help."

It was, admittedly, quite bigoted to say despite the fact that it is quite real in some cases. Alarmingly, "emo" reached a point when it is no longer just a fashion statement. It became more than just an expression of teenage angst and it went beyond the appreciation of emo music. It evolved into something bigger than a fashion statement. Some people took it much, much further, to a point when even they cannot handle the consequences. I'm talking about self-harm. And the extreme: suicide.

This is the point where everything goes down the drain. People who look the least bit like emo receive the worst treatment possible. They are accused of being deranged, attention seekers, homosexuals. They get bullied, jeered at and teased maliciously. Been there, done that. I admit that I was once charmed to the allure of the emo culture. And I like their style of dressing up. But that was it. There was never any self-harm involved. The phase ended there. But that, and being female, didn't spare me, and I was just lucky enough that all I got were cruel words. Some even get roughed up. And this, this blatant and heartless discrimination was what drove some kids, who were not even thinking of self-harm before, to commit suicide.

I don't know what to call it. Is it merely a trend, a fad? Or is it something much more to those who follow it? Is it a culture, a lifestyle to which a person must live by? Is it worth dying for? Is the glorification of this culture worth your life and everything that you've lived for before you even became "emo"?

It's fine to use eyeliner and tight, dark clothes. It's fine to dye your hair black, to write poetry and it's definitely okay to cry. But it's not okay, and definitely not cool, to use the blade.
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Oooookay. One of the reasons I ranted about "emo-ism" is the fact that I have to write a term paper about it. I can't figure out where to start, and then I realized that, maybe, writing a blog entry about it would get the creative juices flowing. But another reason is the fact that the problem exists, even here in the Philippines. Even kids below 12 years of age are becoming hooked to this. But they shouldn't be. I swear to Immanuel Kant that they shouldn't be.

This is sooo NOT cool, people. Hurting yourself and taking your life should never be an option in the first place.

And these are not right, either. Do you know what these are called? It starts with "b" and ends with "y". I think I don't have to spell that out for you. All I'm asking is, please, let's behave and don't judge other people by what they wear or by the music they listen to. It's just as bad as self-harm, because you're hurting others.

Disclaimer: these images are not mine and were just taken from: http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii48/boroP/, i275.photobucket.com/.../anti-emo-1.jpg