Me vs "The Black Emo"
I'm not sure if I can comprehend this 'emo' craze, what it is , what it stands for or why circulation-restricting jeans are suddenly fashionable. I see them. Strolling through the shadows at uni, flicking that immaculately combed, black-dyed fringe from their eyes.
They don’t really bother me, even though I have the great dismay of seeing several uni acquaintances return from the summer break dressed in black in black ensemble with a hair dye effect that looks suspiciously like bird shit. But, whatever…people can choose to dress and act how they want. No big deal.
Well, it hasn’t been a big deal until recently, when in a sociology tutorial – where war was waged between my conservative, old-fashioned values, conformist self – and my new nemesis. I call him ‘The Black Emo” and his powers for hypocrisy and condescension know no bounds.
Upon discussing youth culture and popular music – I informed the class that I enjoy a vast array of music depending on my mood. As some examples, I told my fellow students my long list of favourite acts include: The Beatles, Beck, The Arctic Monkeys, John Butler Trio, AC/DC, Wolfmother and uh oh…..AFI.
“Obviously you can’t seriously appreciate each of those genres equally…” came a monotone, mumbled voice from the back corner. You could even hear the mascara-laced eyes of “The Black Emo” rolling back into his darkened sockets.
“Why’s that?” I replied.
“Because all of those bands stand for something different….you seriously can’t take the ideological standpoint of all those genres, can you?,” snapped “The Black Emo”
“I don’t listen to music for it’s ‘ideological standpoint’, I enjoy the music – the sound and sometimes the message – “ I said.
“ – The ‘message’ is the ideological standpoint dude,” Interrupted “The Black Emo” using his almighty superciliousness. “except for AFI – the others are testimonies to societies capitalist conformist values.”
That was it, I had enough.
Lets look at the word ‘conformity’
To ‘conform’ is to follow an established set of values, be it moral, behavioural or visual.
It’s clear that you put more effort into abiding by conformist rules that most people do judging from that black getup your sporting.
And capitalism? – where did that fancy “Coheed and Cambria” t-shirt and those fandangled skinny jeans come from?
Did you grow the cotton and weave the material together? Did you and your emo-amish clan produce that leather armband?
No, they were made by South-East Asian children in a sweatshop, packaged and delivered directly to your local merch-store and you exchanged them for the capital that you earned packing shelves at K-Mart.
Don’t go badmouthing capitalism when you’re the one buying into a lucrative niche market.
Your powers of hypocrisy may fool others “Black Emo”, but they don’t fool me.
Go write a bad poem or something.
Picture from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Emo.JPG
They don’t really bother me, even though I have the great dismay of seeing several uni acquaintances return from the summer break dressed in black in black ensemble with a hair dye effect that looks suspiciously like bird shit. But, whatever…people can choose to dress and act how they want. No big deal.
Well, it hasn’t been a big deal until recently, when in a sociology tutorial – where war was waged between my conservative, old-fashioned values, conformist self – and my new nemesis. I call him ‘The Black Emo” and his powers for hypocrisy and condescension know no bounds.
Upon discussing youth culture and popular music – I informed the class that I enjoy a vast array of music depending on my mood. As some examples, I told my fellow students my long list of favourite acts include: The Beatles, Beck, The Arctic Monkeys, John Butler Trio, AC/DC, Wolfmother and uh oh…..AFI.
“Obviously you can’t seriously appreciate each of those genres equally…” came a monotone, mumbled voice from the back corner. You could even hear the mascara-laced eyes of “The Black Emo” rolling back into his darkened sockets.
“Why’s that?” I replied.
“Because all of those bands stand for something different….you seriously can’t take the ideological standpoint of all those genres, can you?,” snapped “The Black Emo”
“I don’t listen to music for it’s ‘ideological standpoint’, I enjoy the music – the sound and sometimes the message – “ I said.
“ – The ‘message’ is the ideological standpoint dude,” Interrupted “The Black Emo” using his almighty superciliousness. “except for AFI – the others are testimonies to societies capitalist conformist values.”
(Artist's impression of an emo)
That was it, I had enough.
Lets look at the word ‘conformity’
To ‘conform’ is to follow an established set of values, be it moral, behavioural or visual.
It’s clear that you put more effort into abiding by conformist rules that most people do judging from that black getup your sporting.
And capitalism? – where did that fancy “Coheed and Cambria” t-shirt and those fandangled skinny jeans come from?
Did you grow the cotton and weave the material together? Did you and your emo-amish clan produce that leather armband?
No, they were made by South-East Asian children in a sweatshop, packaged and delivered directly to your local merch-store and you exchanged them for the capital that you earned packing shelves at K-Mart.
Don’t go badmouthing capitalism when you’re the one buying into a lucrative niche market.
Your powers of hypocrisy may fool others “Black Emo”, but they don’t fool me.
Go write a bad poem or something.
Picture from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Emo.JPG
Public Transport
I'd also like to mention that I've always been in the EMO crowd! Hell yeah!
Black hair, dark eyes, blunt black fringe... We asians, were cool from the begining, then some little white guy decided, hmmm.... That's pretty cool! Begone with you oh blonde hair! Begone with you oh blonde eye lashes! Begone my fat body, I want to look malnourished like a 3rd world south east asian child so I can fit into 80s crack whore Jeans.
Word.
Love your work. Emo-amish. Too funny. You surely are a truly entertaining fellow. Power to you you capitalist loving, world destorying whore. Magic.
Earache Hotel
With tools like this running around, it's no wonder Guy Piccioto (one of the people who were inadvertently responsible for the whole emo thing) want to have nothing to do with it. It was originally a response to the violence and conformity in the hardcore punk scene of the '80s, and now has become another mindless youth fad. It was never intended to be a movement and was never about fashion.
And were does he get off saying that AFI are the only band in your list that don't represent capitalist conformist values. Have you seen their videos? Let's just say they're not exactly DIY filmmaking. And the band's on the Interscope label for christ's sake: a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group: one of the big 4 record labels who have a stranglehold over the music industry.
Sorry for the rant, but it really shits me when market driven fads try and come off like genuine independent movements. I'd like to give your Black Emo friend something to cry about.