An emotional issue · Issue 873

Lucy Thackray defends emos from the moral majority

Emos. We’ve all seen these dreary little teens wandering the streets, dodging sunlight and listening to woeful, self-pitying rock on their iPods. The term, derived from a 1980s punk scene known as Emotional Hardcore, refers to a young, trendy sub-set of the Goth trend, clad in black skinny jeans and Converse, and often sporting dyed hair, eyeliner and pale skin.

Until recently, being an emo was considered to be just another branch of teen conformity, but following a new trend in suicides and self harm, many have begun to take this ‘culture’ more seriously. The Daily Mail last year warned parents of the emo ‘cult’ which is based on a ‘celebration of self harm’. In fact, the majority of emo kids are simply a more visually extreme form of the classic teenager – their ‘cult’ is based on loud, angry music, dark clothing, feeling misunderstood and wanting to be left alone.

Unlike the often-prevailing crowds of chavvy teenagers pumping hip hop from their stolen vehicles, preoccupied with impregnating or stabbingeveryone in sight, emos take pride in thoughtfulness and an appreciation of the arts. While both cliques are inevitably annoying, the tabloids’ demonising of emos is ridiculously short-sighted. Every adolescent is going to look for some sort of culture to belong to; wouldn’t we rather they were painting sorrowfully in a dark bedroom than terrorising the streets armed with a kitchen knife?

As long as parents communicate with and support their kid’s choices, a generally comfortable, happy kid is not going to top themselves because of a cultural phase. The case of 13 year-old Hannah Bond’s suicide was suggested by her parents to be solely a product of an ‘obsession’ with emo music and websites. There are indeed emo lyrics and sites that portray death and self harm, but although emos are bound to dabble in the dark side of their fashion and music, attributing a suicide to this alone seems a little suspect.

The most hormonal, unbalanced teenager, if surrounded by a generally happy life and supportive family, is unlikely to be tipped over the edge by My Chemical Romance alone. The Sun and The Mail jumped on this case, creating unnecessary worry for parents over their emo teens. America is blamed for this bleak teenage trend, and it is American bands such as MCR who are feeling the brunt of this scrutiny. Their lyrics are undeniably morbid, but they set a standard for releasing dark feelings and thoughts through creativity, and after a few years of moshing furiously to this black soundtrack, the average emo kid will no doubt emerge as a well-adjusted young adult.

‘Sudden’ suicides like Hannah Bond’s are usually the product of a lack of communication and release where depression builds up undetected; many Emo followers protest that their music and camaraderie provide exactly the support and release to counter such dangers. If any self-righteous tabloid journalist delved into their past you can bet there would be stories of harmless experimentation, embarrassing music and fashion tastes.

Through the growth in emo popularity, the high-school outsider has become an insider; moronic violence is out, while intelligence, creativity and thoughtfulness are back in. Instead of attacking a new scapegoat, older generations would do better to learn about their kids’ tastes, talk to them without condescension and help them see past the morbid content of their music. No teenager is ideal, but in the current climate of random violence and hatred, a little depth and introspection is hardly the worst thing for the UK to be faced with.