Emo kids

"My grass is so emo, it cuts itself."  We've all heard this phrase a million times, but have you ever stopped to really think about the meaning behind those words? What is this emo that is meant here. Emo is supposed to be emotion, but I last time I checked 'Happiness' and 'Love' were emotions. I think that a more accurate definition for 'emo' would be 'void of emotion' or perhaps 'void of any emotion that involves smiling, laughing, or anything remotely related to the emotion of happiness.' Now that we know what 'emo' is supposed to mean, what are 'emo kids'? Emo kid: (n) A young person who is void of emotion involving happiness. Back to the quote "My grass is so emo, it cuts itself." If 'emo grass' cuts itself, then I think it is safe to suppose that 'emo kids' cut themselves. But why? Did thier father abuse them? Did their mother enjoy the gin and tonic? How about Uncle Larry in Vermont, did he play 'house' with them? This papers goal isn't in any way to say that these things don't happen in real life, or that there aren't kids who are deeply emotionally scarred, my goal is to unveil the sickening new trend of kids between the ages of 13 and 22 to dress in black and 'cut' themselves for attention. These idiots are adopting a real disorder that real kids (and adults) deal with in real life daily, and making it into a perverse right of passage of adolescence. They are utilizing such media as 'myspace' and 'facebook' to let the world hear about what they are doing, which makes this one of the fastest spreading trends to date. A lot of those partaking in these events were the ones who had the soccer coach dads, the PTA moms, and they stayed in Uncle Larry's Yacht in the summer. Again, it begs the question, "why?"

The most heartbreaking aspect to the way these kids are getting attention is the ones left behind because of it. What these 'emo kids' don't realize is that they aren't just 'hurting themselves', they are hurting others. Since I was about fifteen, I've been tutoring at the elementary school in my home town. Kids are amazing, they are honest, they are real, most don't care much about what is 'cool', that worry comes later. About a year ago, however, I met a special little girl. She had a smile that could melt even the hardest heart, and she was always very affectionate towards those around her. I never thought she'd be one that I would have to spend time tutoring, until when she was in fourth grade, she started slipping behind in school work. I helped her every day after school, trying to get her up to the other kids' level so that she would be able to move on with her friends to the fifth grade. It was in one of these post school tutoring sessions that I noticed dark bruises and scratches on this girls neck and legs. My mind immediately jumped to 'abuse' as I tried to picture her sweet mother as anything but sweet. I reported my suspicions to the proper authorities immediately, but the result was fruitless. it was not abuse, at least not from her parents. After a little more in depth research done by a very nice social worker, it was realized that this girl was doing this to herself. She would use her fingernails, and anything else she could think of, being only nine, to hurt herself. The teacher was the first to suggest the new trend with kids, where they would harm themselves for the approval and acceptance of their peers, but looking around and realizing that she was the only one suffering quickly ruled that out. She wasn't copying a trend, a trend was copying her. After weeks and weeks of investigation, it became known that the girls older brother was molesting her. This molestation had caused such a self hatred in her mind that she thought herself worthless, and would actually cause physical harm to vent off emotional distress. I'm happy to report, however, that through the stringent investigation of social workers and her parents, that this girl was saved. Her brother was removed from the home, and she is doing much better in the fifth grade. The point to this story is focused around the belief of the teacher that this girl could be harming herself to follow a trend. She almost fell through the cracks of society and was labeled a superficial 'emo kid.' These stupid, self-diagnosed 'emo kids' are clogging up all the forms of the media and the school systems in America with thier black clothes and eyeliner, and almost cost a nine year old girl her life. Who else is being affected by this? Not just teenagers. That thirty seven year old mad who jumped off of the bridge? He was afraid to tell of his problems, didn't want someone to mis-label him an 'emo kid wannabe'. That teen who smiles at everyone, picture perfect who was found hanging from a rope in her room didn't want that label either. When are 'emo kids' gonna learn that if they continue on this path they are going to wind up doing more harm to the community than they can imagine. In twenty years they are goint to have to wear long sleeve shirts to hide the scars caused by the superficial wounds they inflicted on themselves as they carved their girlfriends name into their arm. I say if you wanna show affection, send some flowers, there is no romance is showing someone your scabbed up arm bearing thier name. If all the 'emo kids' in America were truly depressed... we'd have a lot less kids in America.

Up next we have... Myspace! Who's in your top eight? Did you see my new blog? Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! Wait... who cares? Chances are that hot babe who is sympathizing with you is really a middle aged man getting off on your problems. These 'emo kids' sit at their computer and write angst soaked poems about their pain at being fourteen and single, and then post it all over myspace and facebook and any other website that they can use to suck pity from others. They post a million head shots and snapshots of their 'handiwork'... that star they carved into their wrists. Doesn't something about that seem wrong? Why would someone who is so emotionally depressed that they can't handle not attemptying suicide daily, someone who is so self loathing that they can't stand to look at themselves, why would they want that kind of attention? Posting a poem with have one of two effects: One- people will read these poems and like them, giving the 'emo kids' nice comments that would consequently improve the 'emo kids' moods so much that they might actually wear (insert gasp) orange, or yellow if they are really frisky. Two- no one will like the poem, they will flame it and cut it down, and their negativity would be enough to push someone teetering on the edge over into suicide. So, why don't we have more orange and more death? Probably because these kids wouldn't know real depression if it bit their asses. What they don't realize is that the 'anger' and 'sadness' that they are experiencing are growing pains, the same thing that their parents went through, and their grandparents. Only, somehow their parents got through scratch free. I feel very confident when I call these kids fake, especially when you actually go to their pages on these sites. Its like picture central. Headshots from every angle, each with more eyeliner and less light than the last. I can't imagine someone with self loath enough to harm themselves wanting to sit around with their digital camera while they snap photo, upon photo, upon photo of themselves. Sounds like they are pretty conceited to me. They want people to see thier new haircut, and their new earrings... just like every other teenager. I would bet my bottom dollar that these kids don't hate themselves at all. With all the pictures they are taking, and the attention they are drawing, I'll go as far as to say that they love themselves! Now that I've cracked their cover I'm sure to see more color in my future.

When is this going to end? When are kids going to realize that they don't hate themselves, that they love themselves. When are they going to realize those that they are harming along the way? When are they going to realize that myspace isn't a place that depressed people go... its a place attention seeking people go. I hope that one day soon there will be a change in this trend. I am confident that by the time my kids are my age, they will be writing papers about how self asorbed people are, and how they wear bright colors to show off and draw attention to themselves. This emo phase is just that, a phase, and when it passes, it'll leave behind those who are truly distressed, and pave the way for healing. It is time. It is time for America to take a stand against the emo. It is time for us to realize that they are hurting people, that they are really just as self absorbed as the next teen with growing pains.