Why does society look down upon "emos"/people who are depressed?

[Esper]

"Why does society look down upon "emos"/people who are depressed?"

These are my own theories. People who are different are going to get looked down on and "emo" is an easy target for a couple reasons:

1) They've visibly different. You don't even have to know anything about the person before you can pick on them. Some people get picked on for their habits or personality, but won't get looked down on by total strangers if they look "normal".
2) Society doesn't tolerate certain kinds of discrimination and reacts harshly to people who say negative things about race, religion, and so on, but being emo doesn't really come under that umbrella. We all know it's not okay to make fun of someone for the color of their skin and we hear that enough that it's a pretty immediate reaction that we get upset when someone's being racist. I think that without reinforcement a lot of us would let bullying and discrimination pass even for things that we know are wrong and get told are wrong an awful lot so since you don't often hear people say "don't pick on someone for wearing different clothes" then not a lot of people are going to stand up like you did.

People look down on depressed people because:

1) People don't want to be reminded of things in their own lives which make them feel sad/uncomfortable/etc.
2) People are selfish and distrusting. They see depressed people as asking for things which, to their minds, they are already able to do for themselves. They don't understand how depression affects people.

And of course people who don't know any better mix emo and depression together so some of these things overlap in their minds.

 

[bubblewrap]

I'm kind of in depression now and it's really odd. I've always been the kind of person all like "go cry emo kid" but being in legitimate depression ****ing sucks. And antidepressants aren't helping at all.
But I don't think this stuff needs a slash... Depression =/= emo kids.

But for the stupid emo kids who basically have no family problems and just cry and cut for attention... I'm not okay with that. I have legitimate bad family problems and I try to be as normal as possible and hide it instead of whoring it out in public or with my friends to get sympathy. But I always get this kind of explosion and just let it all out to my mom or something.

So people who are depressed because of legitimate reasons and just really bad, awful ****: get the help you need and get the best of luck.
Emo kids who really don't have any bad problems and just want attention: stop it. The wanting for attention thing might be some other deep problem and I hope they get help for that, not depression which they kind of "make up" because of the insecurity they have with themselves...

But I just have weird views on stuff. Don't mind me.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Clinical depression is one thing, but most of these people are just angsty kids who need to get over it. Life's gonna be tough. Deal with it, the rest of us do. The goods far outweigh the bads.

I agree life has it's goods too it doesn't always have it's bads ^-^
Also in my last post i meant to say that we should try to help people get out of depression instead of ignoring people with depression problems and making matters worse by mocking them.

 

[Azureth]

Even though legitimate cases of depression do exist, how do you tell the difference between something that legitimately needs to be treated and people that just need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and actually simply work to impove themselves?

 

[Oryx]

Even though legitimate cases of depression do exist, how do you tell the difference between something that legitimately needs to be treated and people that just need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and actually simply work to impove themselves?

From what I've seen:

People that are legitimately depressed and not getting help for it aren't going to talk about it in any kind of public forum. They won't be the ones posting on their Facebook things like "I just wonder if life is worth it..." or something similar. You can also tell because depression can't just be turned off so someone can have fun with their friends, and often people act depressed and then are happy when they're hanging out with their friends.

The biggest way to tell is attention. Depressed people have no need for attention, in fact in general they try to draw attention away from the way they're feeling or themselves in general. "Emo" people don't do that; instead they talk about problems they have to their friends, on Facebook, everywhere they can get peoples' sympathy because the whole goal of them is to get attention.

 

[Beechlgz]

From what I've seen:

People that are legitimately depressed and not getting help for it aren't going to talk about it in any kind of public forum. They won't be the ones posting on their Facebook things like "I just wonder if life is worth it..." or something similar. You can also tell because depression can't just be turned off so someone can have fun with their friends, and often people act depressed and then are happy when they're hanging out with their friends.

The biggest way to tell is attention. Depressed people have no need for attention, in fact in general they try to draw attention away from the way they're feeling or themselves in general. "Emo" people don't do that; instead they talk about problems they have to their friends, on Facebook, everywhere they can get peoples' sympathy because the whole goal of them is to get attention.

Completely in support of this statement.

Also, jut to add, you do get some people who have been depressed for too long and have reached a point where they realise they do need help, in which case they may make how they feel known to some people. But it's not likely to be in front of a bunch of strangers.

I think there are rare cases where people do turn to random strangers on the internet for genuine advice, so it's not always 100% certain that they're attention seeking. Or perhaps they are attention seeking but they're looking for a certain type of attention (good advice, not pitty) and I've seen some people take on board advice. The sympathy fishers tend to knock back every single bit of advice they get.

 

[Dawn]

I'm pretty sure emo and depression stopped being the same thing when being emo started being cool. And they never became the same thing again when it stopped being cool.

Emos are not accepted because they're usually not /really/ depressed.

Depressed people are not accepted because depression is a serious freaking problem that needs to be solved, not accepted.

People mistaking emos for depressed people is probably the reason there is a lack of tolerance.

 

[Kirozane]

I'm pretty sure emo and depression stopped being the same thing when being emo started being cool. And they never became the same thing again when it stopped being cool.

Emos are not accepted because they're usually not /really/ depressed.

Depressed people are not accepted because depression is a serious freaking problem that needs to be solved, not accepted.

People mistaking emos for depressed people is probably the reason there is a lack of tolerance.

I have to be honest. I never thought I would agree with you. But I do. The interconnection of the two factions has kind of ruined it for those who don't actually fit in the "emo" category. Like me. I'm depressed a lot but I'm not emo. It's just a chemical imbalance in my brain.

And though acceptance would be NICE, a solution should be found, rather than "I accept you for your depression, but I'm gonna ignore your problem." That doesn't actually make sense, does it?

 

[Sydian]

From what I've seen:

People that are legitimately depressed and not getting help for it aren't going to talk about it in any kind of public forum. They won't be the ones posting on their Facebook things like "I just wonder if life is worth it..." or something similar. You can also tell because depression can't just be turned off so someone can have fun with their friends, and often people act depressed and then are happy when they're hanging out with their friends.

The biggest way to tell is attention. Depressed people have no need for attention, in fact in general they try to draw attention away from the way they're feeling or themselves in general. "Emo" people don't do that; instead they talk about problems they have to their friends, on Facebook, everywhere they can get peoples' sympathy because the whole goal of them is to get attention

This. People that do that don't realize the real problem with depression. It's consuming. You're most likely not even gunna want to hang out with your friends if you're really depressed. I know in my case, I've become more socially inverted and I don't even like talking to people, whether I know them or not.

The common "emo kid" cry is "Why don't people accept me?!" or the like is absurd. You're not accepted because you're drawing attention to yourself because of your false condition, which makes those with the real condition suffer too, because then they too are looked down upon, and grouped with the people that lie about it. I just find it very insulting.

 

[Livewire]

From what I've seen:

People that are legitimately depressed and not getting help for it aren't going to talk about it in any kind of public forum. They won't be the ones posting on their Facebook things like "I just wonder if life is worth it..." or something similar. You can also tell because depression can't just be turned off so someone can have fun with their friends, and often people act depressed and then are happy when they're hanging out with their friends.

The biggest way to tell is attention. Depressed people have no need for attention, in fact in general they try to draw attention away from the way they're feeling or themselves in general. "Emo" people don't do that; instead they talk about problems they have to their friends, on Facebook, everywhere they can get peoples' sympathy because the whole goal of them is to get attention.

Ding ding ding we have a winner. Exactly. Emo is away to dress up and a way to act, not a clinical mental disorder.

 

[pastelspectre]

Honestly, I don't really see why the people should shun depressed/emo people. I do know that depressed people are not similar to emo people. Emo is just a way of expressing yourself, I guess and you have a choice whether or not to be emo.

Depression, you don't really have a choice. I guess it just comes on its own. It just comes by itself. Usually people are depressed because of something traumatic, bullying or something serious. I am depressed, actually, right now, due to personal reasons I only tell close ones. Though I will admit, when I found out I was depressed, I was surprised. i mean, I knew it would happen eventually. But not for that reason.

Basically, I really don't think Emo or depressed people should be shunned. They're regular people just like us. They merely think different and act different then most people. They have a different way of seeing things, thinking things, feeling things. Everything they think, feel or act is different. But that doesn't mean you should just go around shunning them. Everyone is equal, despite differences. Everyone is just like each other in some way.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Depression still has a long way to go to being accepted as a real illness in many people's view. In legal cases, compensation for psychiatric damage (like PTSD and depression ensuing from someone's negligence) is consistently lower than that for physical injuries (like a broken arm), as judges and juries can see the injury, as opposed to relying on testimony from doctors and witnesses. PTSD wasn't even considered a psychiatric illness until the 1970s after US soldiers came back from Vietnam. So, ignorance of both the condition itself as well as its severity can cause many people to simply dismiss those depressed as merely 'glum' and not in need of medical attention.

With regards to emos, while it's been mentioned that they certainly don't help themselves by acting depressed and presenting themselves significantly differently from the mainstream, (which shouldn't be discouraged: variety is the spice of life, after all...) they're still people at the end of the day, and don't deserve the amount of vitriol that many seem to have expressed at them. Emos aren't, for the most part, hurting people and it's surprising that society apparently both looks 'down' on them, and that they've received this level of scorn from anonymous people on the internet.

 

[Anthraxinsoup]

Emo is just stupid, IMO. But then again, it's just my opinion.

 

[Rudy]

well i kinda see it as basic dislike toward anyone with a mental illness. people don't understand mental illness, so they're scared of the idea, leading them to dislike it without any real reason other than uncertainty.

and that to me is exactly what depression is. because it's something "wrong" with someone, people assume it's not something to be taken lightly and so talk down to those who suffer from it. just because their mental health is supposedly pristine, they automatically feel they have the right to treat those who feel down about their lives in a way that makes them feel they actually are better than them... if... that makes any sense.

and of course most of the time people feel - because of those who use "depression" as a means of getting attention - as if depression is fake/a joke. it's the same with most mental illnesses; people start taking it as a joke because kids who think it's all for fun claim to have mental illnesses [the most common being psychopathy/schizophrenia] and turn it into a joke because they're oblivious to the problems people with these problems have dealing with them.

it actually irritates me that people assume that all people suffering from depression are 'emo' and only doing it for attention. in fact, i get called an emo a lot of the time because OH MAN, AND I KNOW THIS IS A DAUNTING PROSPECT, BUT I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT MY FEELINGS SOMETIMES. i honestly can't count the amount of times i was told to 'stop being sad for attention' on the days i was at my worst. it's sort of hard to think about getting told that nowadays. i was really only a kid when i was at my worst, and i don't like to think about those kids who really are depressed and getting told to stop being how they are because people assume they're only looking for attention and UGH i hope they're okay ;_;

w0w i forgot the point i was making

oh yeah... MAN, STEREOTYPES RUIN EVERYTHING.
that works.

 

[hyperblast81]

Alright so my thoughts on it. I'm perfectly fine with people having depression, its an illness, you can't do anything about it, if i could be born without ADD, would I do it? heck yes, but I can't.

What I CANT stand is people who act / dress like that because its 'trendy' as in, just following the trend (Most have dubbed them 'scene kids') and the like.

Also: As Sydian said, depression =/= emo. Depression is an illness, being 'emo' is just a trend of doing the crazy hair and stuff, however, mainstream society, as 'nice' as it is, takes the easy way out and calls anyone with said problem emo..

 

[I Laugh at your Misfortune!]

I think the reason for looking down on emos is that they aren't suffering from depression - they're just whiny teenagers who claim they have serious mental health issues because they're desperate for attention.

 

[Oryx]

With regards to emos, while it's been mentioned that they certainly don't help themselves by acting depressed and presenting themselves significantly differently from the mainstream, (which shouldn't be discouraged: variety is the spice of life, after all...) they're still people at the end of the day, and don't deserve the amount of vitriol that many seem to have expressed at them. Emos aren't, for the most part, hurting people and it's surprising that society apparently both looks 'down' on them, and that they've received this level of scorn from anonymous people on the internet.

There are so many people who are actually depressed, that when they try to actually get help, are labelled as emo because of the trend. Emos feel like it's perfectly alright to declare themselves depressed when they're actually not, trying to get attention, while people who are actually depressed get lumped in with them and are thought to be faking as well. If they just chose to dress in black or wear their hair a certain way, that's different. I mean, I just dyed my hair back from green a few weeks ago. But when they choose to imitate a mental illness because they think it's "cool", there's a problem and they deserve the scorn they receive for that.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

There are so many people who are actually depressed, that when they try to actually get help, are labelled as emo because of the trend. Emos feel like it's perfectly alright to declare themselves depressed when they're actually not, trying to get attention, while people who are actually depressed get lumped in with them and are thought to be faking as well. If they just chose to dress in black or wear their hair a certain way, that's different. I mean, I just dyed my hair back from green a few weeks ago. But when they choose to imitate a mental illness because they think it's "cool", there's a problem and they deserve the scorn they receive for that.

Obviously if someone deliberately chooses to imitate symptoms of a mental illness, that shouldn't be rewarded; but I really doubt that's what most emos are consciously doing. From the emos I have cmoe into contact with, it's more a case of intense narcissism and self-involvement than anything else. While these personality traits are certainly not appealing, I don't think they're bad enough to mean emos as a subculture suffer such a wide condemnation as they do.

 

[Oryx]

Obviously if someone deliberately chooses to imitate symptoms of a mental illness, that shouldn't be rewarded; but I really doubt that's what most emos are consciously doing. From the emos I have cmoe into contact with, it's more a case of intense narcissism and self-involvement than anything else. While these personality traits are certainly not appealing, I don't think they're bad enough to mean emos as a subculture suffer such a wide condemnation as they do.

I tend to disagree with that; maybe we've just met different emos? The people I've talked to that consider themselves emo - each one labels themselves with a mental illness of some kind. They're on Facebook outright said "I'm depressed" or something of the sort, although sometimes it may be an entirely different disease. There are even people I know who, despite all that people who are bisexual or gay suffer at the hands of other people because of their sexuality, still say they're "bi", while obviously not feeling that way. I've even seen this of people I love, where they claim to be a certain thing to get sympathy, bisexual or depressed or something of the sort.

inb4 how do you know they're pretending to be bisexual...when the person says that anyone older than 30 isn't allowed to be bisexual or gay because "it's just gross", you can pretty much tell that they don't believe they actually are bi/gay and they're not just saying they are because they're young and it's cool for young people to do that.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

I think the reason for looking down on emos is that they aren't suffering from depression - they're just whiny teenagers who claim they have serious mental health issues because they're desperate for attention.

This. Teens with depression don't ask people why nobody likes them. They keep it to themselves. I suffer from seasonal depression and honestly its more like I just don't want to do anything and I don't want people around me and I just am lethargic and pessimistic about everything. The last thing I'd want, and probably most other people with depression want, is attention, which is why emos come off as so damn fake.