NationStates Jolt Archive

In idea, everyone to some extent is emotional, lest it be much or little. What I'm talking about is the wave of extremely whiny and emotional people that have flooded popular culture, may it be the cutting fad that seems to be on the rise, the new wave pop bands such as Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday, or the push for "self-esteem" in most middle schools through out the country.

What I want to start is a discussion to find out why this tread as blossomed lately, it’s relation to past treads and it’s political and social effects.

I want as much Critique and many comments on the issue. So fire away lest we Title you EMO.

Q: How many emos does it take to replace a light bulb?
A: None, just let them sit in the dark and cry.

Q: How many hipsters does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: You haven't heard that one? I've got it on vinyl.

One thing has been overlooked, emo isn't short for 'emotional', it's short for emocore. Emotional hardcore, that is to say hardcore with introspective lyrics, has nothing to do with pop bands, or with whiny preteens.

What could these emo bands be sad about? Making too much money?

What could these emo bands be sad about? Making too much money?

All their groupies being too young to nail?

Taken from Maddox:

No pseudo-intellectual is complete without a pair of ultra-hip "EMO" glasses. Just put them on and let the smart vibes flow. A mere glance and people will be able to tell that you're the type of person who reads Dostoevsky. You won't be mistaken for anything short of an astro-physicist, or a theoretical physicist of some sort. All physicists go to stupid raves, bleach their hair, and listen to angst-filled music because they don't want to seem uncool in front of the other scientists.
If you want to go the extra mile and really seal the deal, wear plugs in your ear lobes so you have giant nasty sagging flaps of skin hanging off of your head. It'll look great when you pull your head out of your ass and go to a job interview some day. Then again, you're EMO; you don't need a job. You're totally unique, and all unique people wear box-framed nerd glasses. Even though real nerds wear glasses like these, they're not cool because they wear their glasses out of necessity.

One thing has been overlooked, emo isn't short for 'emotional', it's short for emocore.
"An emo by any other name still sounds as shitty."

All their groupies being too young to nail?

Yeah, as if that would stop them.

One thing has been overlooked, emo isn't short for 'emotional', it's short for emocore. Emotional hardcore, that is to say hardcore with introspective lyrics, has nothing to do with pop bands, or with whiny preteens.

I can tell you were listening to a Fugazi album with one fist making the horns as you typed that.

I hate people who are way to emotional. It just makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes you should keep yor emotions to yourself.

One thing has been overlooked, emo isn't short for 'emotional', it's short for emocore. Emotional hardcore, that is to say hardcore with introspective lyrics, has nothing to do with pop bands, or with whiny preteens.

I believe the author is talking about those who follow emo fashion and the emo scene, not necessarily the form of rock from which both were spawned. Teens find solace in music they can relate to. They are often angst-ridden, dealing with heartbreak and other extreme emotional experiences, which emocore bands nearly always sing about with their lyrics. By labelling themselves emo, teens can come out and show the world their pent-up emotions, which is obviously attractive to other teens. Within their own little subculture, they are accepted and rarely ridiculed. They can find like-minded individuals and form close bonds, which is far more difficult when you don't fully share your feelings and open up to another person. This tight-knit community enables those within it to have no fear about what outsiders think, which boosts self-esteem and allows them to find and express their individuality.

In my opinion, those following the emo scene can do what they like. As long as something makes you happy, go for it. Though I'm sure they'll be outraged at me for accusing them of happiness. ;)

This thread seems good, seeing as my high school has a surprisingly large band of them. (what I wouldn't give for a grenade when I walk past). Anyway, the problem is that they've no desire to excel at anything, they're lazy, they don't make any attempt to cope with the rest of the world, and they try to form their own culture to escape from the real world. The problem with this is, it shelters them from ridicule and criticism. Once they're finally ready to come back to our world, they've no idea how to actually handle it, scaring them back to their "culture". After several repeats, they become too deeply rooted in "emo". Of course, this leads to a serious degradation of self-esteem, resulting in the "cutting" fad. Fine, we've got a small problem here, right? Not neccessarily. While it may be only the originals, or the actual, real-deal people that go through this, the real trouble is that kids who think this is "cool" or "hip" follow along. They hear all these people thinking about cutting or killing themselves, and they play along, often with dire consequences. That's the real, large problem. And it mostly happens in the young to mid teens when kids are having an identity crisis anyway. Those that are weak succumb, and those that are strong go on, walking past these groups of hopeless outcasts, wishing that they had a hand grenade to finish the job and let the rest of us get on with our lives. In the end, there really are people who have troubles, they're not the problem, the copycats are.

"An emo by any other name still sounds as shitty."

The point being if it's not hardcore, it's not emo. ;)

The point being if it's not hardcore, it's not emo. ;)
God bless our wonderful genre bending music critics.

God bless our wonderful genre bending music critics.

All hail.

i am talking about Emo rock too. anyway, emocore makes to sense. i like just calling them extremely emotional

While I like some of the new emo bands mentioned, I've never had a problem being labeled emo (and I'm nearly 30). Emo came out of hardcore at a very important time and gave an alternative to the adrenaline soaked music of the time.

Do I think all emo is good music, hell no. But there is a lot of good music that is emo.

i am talking about Emo rock too. anyway, emocore makes to sense. i like just calling them extremely emotional

I don't know about that...emo has to have a break down just like everything else, there is emo (which is more straight forward), emo-punk (more upbeat, like Yellow Card), screamo (think Hawthorne Heights), and emocore (Like AFI or perhaps Every Time I Die). They are all emo...just in a different way...

I believe the author is talking about those who follow emo fashion and the emo scene, not necessarily the form of rock from which both were spawned. Teens find solace in music they can relate to. They are often angst-ridden, dealing with heartbreak and other extreme emotional experiences, which emocore bands nearly always sing about with their lyrics. By labelling themselves emo, teens can come out and show the world their pent-up emotions, which is obviously attractive to other teens. Within their own little subculture, they are accepted and rarely ridiculed. They can find like-minded individuals and form close bonds, which is far more difficult when you don't fully share your feelings and open up to another person. This tight-knit community enables those within it to have no fear about what outsiders think, which boosts self-esteem and allows them to find and express their individuality.

In my opinion, those following the emo scene can do what they like. As long as something makes you happy, go for it. Though I'm sure they'll be outraged at me for accusing them of happiness. ;)

Thats quite true we are, although the irony is good. And the sense of community is brilliant, it really is.