Emo/Scene

[Talon]

Do have anything against emos or scenes?

What about emo or scene music? Do you have an issue with that?

I have no problem with either, considering I am both.
People tend to think of the word "emo" as a synonym for a suicidal, over-reactive, depressed, mental child. People tend to think that there is something wrong with emo kids. What people don't realize is the actual definition of emo. It means emotional. Is it wrong for someone to be in touch with their emotions? Is it right for someone to become a bulwark of no emotion? Someone who is emo does not hate everything. They don't always want to kill themselves. They don't only wear black. They don't all have long, black hair. Black is a great color anyways.

So, is it so wrong for someone to feel bad about themselves? Is it wrong that some people develop uncontrollable mental disorders? Is it right to let people that have had these things suffer alone, because they're different in uncontrollable ways? Why would it hurt to help them, when they actually need help? Would do you any harm to be seen with someone that isn't exactly liked by everyone?


Lets just use me as an example for this.
I went through a rough time where I didn't want to live anymore. We had just moved, I had no friends at my new school. First day in 5th grade, I knew no one. I made a fool of myself by going to the wrong places, at the wrong times. People let it go, I was new. No one held anything against me for a while. I became a popular kid. Then, something happened, and people stopped talking to me, I became an unpopular kid, and people stayed away from me. It really hurt me. More than you could think. Some people still stayed around me, but not many. All these people are my best friends to this date.

When we moved up to middle school, we met knew people. People didn't like me. I was the smart athlete that girls kinda mooed over. It pissed guys off. My social anxiety had started developing in 5th grade, and by now in 6th it was really prominent. I went through a period where I didn't talk to anyone. I just shut myself out. Then, I started talking again and people where surprised by the things I was saying. I was darker and simply sadder. Some people asked me what was wrong, I could only say "Nothing.", because I had no idea what was wrong with me. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't tell. I kept pursuing my Track & Field ventures, never making the team because the coach didn't like me (I was one of the fasted runners, ok. I should have made it every year. They told me they didn't like, too. I didn't like them either so it's k.). All throughout 7th grade I met knew people and became more social. Until the summer. After summer break, I didn't talk to anyone in 8th. I was sort of this dark character that no one really talked to. I had few friends that I talked to anymore, and my outfits where getting darker and darker. Teachers where noticing a change in me. I got sent to counseling in school one day. They told me they knew what was wrong. They said I was listening to the wrong kinds of music and watching the wrong kinds of things on youtube. I was pretty damn sure that wasn't true, because at this time I didn't use youtube that much, and listened to people like Eminem and Three Days Grace. So I went on with my life, until something bad happened in 8th grade. It ended.

Last year, my Freshmen year in high school, I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety. My parents and I sat down one day and they told that they knew why I was having so much trouble talking to people, where I hadn't before. They diagnosed SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder). No doctor has ever said anything about it, because they can't really tell if you have it or not. It would require a deep and thorough investigation that we don't have the money to pay for. It's the most common mental disorder. Last statistics I read, about 18% of all people currently have it, and around 30% of teenagers will have it at some time. Throughout last year, I got didn't really talk to many people. I got most of my teachers to either hate or love me. Mostly hate. I was a dick to the teachers. Not my best idea, but I passed all my classes, so they can't say I wasn't paying attention in class. I was, and now that's obvious to them. I started to wear all black, and let my hair grow out long. I got a pair of black, fingerless gloves, and that did it for people. They started wondering about my sanity, and didn't understand what Social Anxiety was when I told them. Eventually, someone asked me why I'm so quite, I stood up in the middle of the class and gave them a speech on it. I explained why I'm always so sad, why I wear black, why my hair is long, why I'm quite, and finally, to leave me the ♥♥♥♥ alone. And they did. No one teased me again, and I started to recuperate from the mental damage that SAD was doing to me. I met a girl, that ended being my best friend, and my life got better.

SAD isn't gone, I don't think it ever will be, but does it make me, an emo kid, a horrible being that should be exterminated from the earth?

That's emo. Let's go over scene.
Scene and emo aren't the same thing. You can be emo. You can be scene. You can be both. Scene is a fashion statement. That's where the black clothing and hair comes from. It's just a fashion style. No emotion really attached to it. People attach emotion to it, but by itself it doesn't have to be an emotional thing. Nothing wrong with that, right?


People say that emos are people who "think" they're depressed. Depression is a real thing that people have. They may or may not be depressed, but if anyone is sad enough all the time to self-diagnose depression, somethings wrong. If someone says they're depressed, you help them. Even if they aren't depressed, and just sad, you still help them. Is there something wrong with helping someone?


So what's the issue with emos and scenes? Would any of you anti-emos out there like to explain to me what you have against us?

 

[maccrash]

Black Veil Brides is not emo. it's ♥♥♥♥.
Fall Out Boy is not emo (debatably). it's just ♥♥♥♥.
My Chemical Romance is not emo. it's just ♥♥♥♥.
these things are not emo and it makes me ♥♥♥♥ing Angry when people mislabel them as such. they're just ♥♥♥♥♥♥ watered down post-hardcore-pop that a bunch of kids who have no idea about what angry, frustrated music actually is are going to lap up because it sounds So Mad and So Emotional and It Really Makes Me Feel Whole Because It Is Personifying Me Through Music. no it's not. it SUCKS. AHA.AA.AAAAAAAAAAAAAA. this is not a personal attack. but it could be, if you're STUPID. this is what emo musicians looked like in 1994. that's real emo. that's midwest emo. that's GOOD emo. that happens to be my favorite genre of music, much to my dismay, really, because it's always awkward and STUPID to try and explain to people upon their asking that, no, I don't like Bring Me the Horizon, and then THEY LAUGH BECAUSE THEY'RE MISINFORMED AAAAAAAAA IT MAKES ME MAD. I probably sound like such a caricature right now or something but, really, that's okay, at this point I'm half joking anyway. anywho, these are not emo musicians. these people are what's called A Stereotype, and by feeding into this Stereotype and saying "omg they're so emo~~~ so emotional~~~~" and dying your hair black and blasting their music and shopping at Hot Topic you are officially Perpetuating The Stereotype and I think lesser of you and it makes me weep for thou. sorry. ughghghghgg

anyway, I've already gotten way off topic. I have absolutely nothing against emo music because sounds like this and not this. why would I have anything against the first four wonderful links I provided? they're wonderful and I love them! as opposed to this watered down SO ANGRY~~~~ :3c ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ which is manufactured pop anger. okay, I've hammered that point far enough into the ground at this point, I think.

so-called "scenesters" are frustrating because they're romanticizing depression and self-harm and whatnot, and they're making it sound like a good thing, when in fact, it is not. you can sulk, but you shouldn't glorify it. you can wallow in your god damn sadness all you want, but you shouldn't make it a personal goal of yours to be really f'in sad all the time. idk. I'm not a subscriber to the whole scenester philosophy, you can, I don't care, whatever, I don't care.

calling yourself an emo is absolutely silly because it makes me think of emus, which are large, goofy-looking birds and I laugh at you in spite of your oh-so-serious mental instability.

feel free to pick apart my post as I'm not sure I'm answering quite everything here, and I have far too much time on my hands so I'll be able to give you a response, really. and if this came across as super volatile then I apologize.

 

[Sir Codin]

I thought emo/scene was dead.

The revelation that it isn't just completely ruined my day.

 

[Alice]

not

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about the emo scene, and have never listened to anything like this... it actually sounds pretty cool, lol. The costumes and lyrics are kinda silly, but w/e. Never understood why any of this was such a big deal.

 

[Kanzler]

What's emo? There's a bit about being in touch with your emotions, a bit about having social anxiety, and a bit about music. I still don't know what emo is.

 

[Ultramarine]

I was misinformed by various peers etc, as to what emo was, and I've never even heard of scene. I was always led to believe emo was people with long hair who wore chains and were always dark and such. I never really believed that, though I never did research to learn otherwise. On that note, I don't really have a problem with emo people, as I tend to make my decisions about a person on who they are individually, I don't stereotype often.

 

[Sir Codin]

What's emo? There's a bit about being in touch with your emotions, a bit about having social anxiety, and a bit about music. I still don't know what emo is.

This is emo:

You know those fashions that we look back on, like Glam in the 80's? How we thought it was cool at the time, but now we make fun of it for being so lame?

Emo is different in that it's still in fashion, but it's already lame.

Read the lyrics to any Linkin Park song. That's emo.

 

[maccrash]

This is emo:

You know those fashions that we look back on, like Glam in the 80's? How we thought it was cool at the time, but now we make fun of it for being so lame?

Emo is different in that it's still in fashion, but it's already lame.

Read the lyrics to any Linkin Park song. That's emo.

Hahahaha hLol That's fFUNny Bro

no it's not. you do realize that emo actually sprung up in the mid '80s as an offshoot of hardcore punk, right? it didn't originate in 2001 or whatever when Linkin Park starting singing about how numb they were and how in the end it doesn't even matter. if you read my first post you'd know that. Linkin Park is some nu metal ♥♥♥♥ or something, idk. this is the problem with the word emo in 2014: it's got such a negative stigma attached to it that's being perpetuated because of people who don't actually know the origins of the term and the genre and just slap it on whatever's convenient.

e: please don't take this as a personal attack, I just get pissed at this misconception because emo is something I love: not watered down faux-emo, but the real stuff. I probably sound like a douchebag.

 

[Kanzler]

e: please don't take this as a personal attack, I just get pissed at this misconception because emo is something I love: not watered down faux-emo, but the real stuff. I probably sound like a douchebag.

Kind of. I think Krieg was talking more so about the social aspects of the emo subculture, if I'm understanding correctly, as well as people who find themselves with confidence and anxiety issues, whereas you're just getting really specific about the differences and misconceptions in music genres.

 

[maccrash]

Kind of. I think Krieg was talking more so about the social aspects of the emo subculture, if I'm understanding correctly, as well as people who find themselves with confidence and anxiety issues, whereas you're just getting really specific about the differences and misconceptions in music genres.

hahaha sorry, I realize that, I'm just getting too swept up in that side of it. I also think that the music plays a huge role in how the social side of it is perceived, but I can understand not wanting to really dive into the details of that here.

 

[Sir Codin]

hahaha sorry, I realize that, I'm just getting too swept up in that side of it. I also think that the music plays a huge role in how the social side of it is perceived, but I can understand not wanting to really dive into the details of that here.

Well, the music aspect has changed too, because when I hear emo the last thing I think about is "offshoot of hardcore punk."

 

[Kanzler]

Ugh subcultures are soo confusing for someone who was a boring kid and never got involved with any of that at school. I really don't know much about it, but what I get is that emo glamorizes anti-social behaviours and such. I get that it's attractive to us when we're young and upset at the world, but I really don't think it promotes good behaviour. Well, I don't have much ground to say it's the music's fault, cuz people can get hung up on anything, whether it be drugs or the internet and get an unhealthy tunnel-vision perspective on life.

 

[Sir Codin]

Ugh subcultures are soo confusing for someone who was a boring kid and never got involved with any of that at school. I really don't know much about it, but what I get is that emo glamorizes anti-social behaviours and such. I get that it's attractive to us when we're young and upset at the world, but I really don't think it promotes good behaviour. Well, I don't have much ground to say it's the music's fault, cuz people can get hung up on anything, whether it be drugs or the internet and get an unhealthy tunnel-vision perspective on life.

Not to mention it supports Hot Topic, aka the place were cool things go to die.

 

[maccrash]

Well, the music aspect has changed too, because when I hear emo the last thing I think about is "offshoot of hardcore punk."

that's the thing though -- the stuff that's considered emo nowadays isn't actually emo; there's still a ton of actual stuff happening in the underground that's much more in touch with its original values than what it's become today. okay, I'll drop it now.

 

[£]

Resident Hipster has cleared up basically anything related to the emo culture.

It's actually a "mosher" culture to be into Bullet for My Valentine, Bring Me The Horizon Three Days Grace etc; and scene kids are most comparable to say, modern day moshers. God, this whole thing is very complex indeed.

Depression etc. is another ball park. You can have very optimistic emos, and you can have very depressed jocks. Maybe there's trends between stereotypical groups and incidence of depression, but I'm not aware of any studies into it etc. What I can safely say is that the actual cultures and such aren't focused around mental disorders. While emo (actual) music might touch on the feels of some, it's not closed off to people with/without said disorders.

 

[Oddisee]

People shouldn't hold onto definitions that much. If people misconceive something you're passionate about, they're obviously not the people for you. In the end they'll think whatever they want about something, whether it holds any true ground whatsoever or not.

 

[Sydian]

I have no comment on the emo stuff, but scene is just some fad from 2009-2010 which was very difficult to pull off and involved too much hair spray, eyeliner (GOD the eyeliner), rainbows, black clothing, hair extensions (raccoon stripes hnnng), and crazy hair colors. That's all I got there. lol

xoxo ex-scene kid

 

[Perriechu]

I have no comment on the emo stuff, but scene is just some fad from 2009-2010 which was very difficult to pull off and involved too much hair spray, eyeliner (GOD the eyeliner), rainbows, black clothing, hair extensions (raccoon stripes hnnng), and crazy hair colors. That's all I got there. lol

xoxo ex-scene kid

This tbh.

I feel that a lot of Emo/"scene" kids feel that their taste in music is superior to everyone else's, I'm not saying this applies to all of them, but the majority I've come in contact with do think that, as well as thinking all mainstream pop is trash etc etc.

I'm only gonna comment on the music side of this because I've nothing else to say about the rest, who am I judge to your bad clothing choices and such.

 

[uoneko]

honestly, dress how you'd like, listen to whatever music you want, idc, but don't act like you're better than other people for it [not specifically directed at emo/scene folks. this applies to basically everybody]. the negative stigma behind emo/scene is largely based on the ego of some radicals within that subculture. but at the end of the day, it's your choice to dress and act how you want, as long as you aren't harming or offending anyone, it should be cool.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

I would be lying if I didn't say I loathe it, but I really don't care enough about it to really say much beyond that. As long as people aren't actively encouraging others to harm themselves or others I really don't care.