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A pseudo-scientific (i.e. fake) study on depression
http://isqareport.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/a-pseudo-scientif...A pseudo-scientific (i.e. fake) study on depression People seem to get one thing wrong all the time…they think that because you become from a more privileged environment, you somehow are entitled to be happier. According to them, it doesn’t make sense for middle class kids on up to be depressed or emo because, as one of the dangerous cliches reminds us, someone always has it worse than you do. Let’s take a quote of what these guys are saying: I guess I just don’t understand where some of you guys are coming from that you are so unhappy with your life. I really just want to sit and talk with you guys about your views on life. I have no job, no girlfriend, very few friends, am not in great shape, am not that good looking and have a slightly below average dick. But I would NEVER describe myself as depressed or unhappy. Most of you live in America and never have to go through the hardships of just surviving in a third world country. You have the power and resources within you to make yourself a successful, happy person. I am certain of this. These guys miss the fact about depression and emo-dom that psychology and sociology have seemingly failed to realize for so long: depression arises BECAUSE of privilege, not in the absence of it. Think about the starving children in Africa? Are they depressed? You might be tempted to say yes, but then you might realize, no, they aren’t. You don’t hear about anyone in Africa whining about starving. That is the way of life. Starving is the norm. You may recall Susan Sarandon whining about starving children in Africa, and although those children aren’t by any means happy, they aren’t sad. They don’t have enough things to be happy about to have the absence thereof. If you’ve never tasted good cheesecake, then how can you know what bad cheesecake tastes like. You just think cheesecake. On the other hand, when you think about emos or depressed kids, you think about people from 1st world nations (or the wannabes of those nations). You immediately identify them as 1st world, middle class, etc., and this is for a fact because you look down at them for this reason…you can’t understand why anyone with so much would be depressed. I know you’re trying to say to yourself that you’re an angel and you would never pidgeonhole someone in such a way, but quit lying. This is the internet, where no one knows you’re a dog. I used to be the same way…but then, I became enlightened…I read a little book by Pearl S. Buck called The Good Earth. I guess Academic Decathlon was trying to get me to realize all kinds of grandiose things about 20th century China, the treatment (or mis-) of women, and all that good stuff, but I found the perfect scenario for what I term the Rich Depression effect. Wang Lung = Poor farmer. He’s not happy, but he’s not sad. He wants to move up in life. Bam. He gets some success, and his children are raised in this success. They become educated, but then…one son becomes, as Ms. Buck described it, “moody.” He begins slacking in his studies and hanging out with the wrong crowd. Sound familiar? No, I’m not saying that all emos/depressed kids/etc., stop studying and start hanging out with the wrong crowds, but it seems there’s this trend…as you become more privileged and more educated, you keep up with the Joneses, and when you can’t, bam. Emo-dom. I don’t know if you’ve seen any research on this (I’m pretty sure TED has covered this once or twice), but people with less are somewhat able to be happier in their stations than people with more. And, a general trend is that as people become more privileged and educated…it seems that increased happiness isn’t the natural result. I dunno. I’m not a doctor though. So, cut out this stuff about rich kids having no justification for being depressed and emo. I have every darn right to write bloody valentines to my androgynous girlfriend on my $500 phone while wearing my sister’s designer $200 jeans. P.S. Big congrats on Mexico. Although it’s unfortunate that it’s having major riots against emos (which I do not condone in any way), this is a clear indicator that it has emos, which means…quite simply…that now, Mexico has. Welcome to the haves, mi amigos, I think you’ll find it’s a much better crowd than the have nots! **Disclaimer. This isn’t real science, obviously, except for the links. Depression is a complex psychological and neurological issue. Although, I’m willing to believe sooner or later, I could go somewhere with that privilege -> emo idea and make millions of buck$, so please don’t sue me or steal my ideas. Also, please don’t cut me or yourselves.
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Emos Vs. Punks
http://spectreofbohemia.blogspot.com/2008/04/emos-vs-punks.h...When I first saw this and told my roommate. She thought it was from The Onion. She was like really punks beating up emo kids? Riot cops getting involved and police protection? Really? Yes it's sadly true and the riot cops aren't trying to stop a revolution... but make sure fashionably dress people are protected! OMG. Can't we all just fight the man instead of each other? ::emo tear:: Anti-Emo Riots Break Out Across Mexico By Alexis Madrigal March 27, 2008 | 5:42:52 PM Riot police have taken to the streets of several cities in Mexico to ... defend emo kids? A series of attacks on dyed-hair, eye-makeup-wearing emo kids began in early March when several hundred people went on an emo-beating rampage in Querétaro, a town of 1.5 million about 160 miles north of Mexico City. The next week, shaggy-haired emo teenagers were harassed again by punks and rockabillys in the capital, prompting police protection and a segment on the TV news. Most recently, a Mexican newspaper reported that metal heads and gangsters have warned Tijuana's emo kids to stay away from the town's fair next month. But the so-called emos are organizing, too. Last week, they demonstrated against the violence, pictured above, and Wednesday some met with police in Mexico City. "They're organizing to defend their right to be emo," wrote Daniel Hernandez of LA Weekly on his personal blog, which has provided stellar coverage of the whole affair. Music-based subcultures have permeated Mexico's major cities for decades, fueled by constant migration from rural cities. But only in the past year have emos begun to make their presence felt in the streets. In response, many of the established so-called tribus urbanas like punks and metalheads are responding with violence. The emo-punk battles are reminiscent of earlier subculture fights among various factions, like the Hell's Angels fighting hippies at the Altamont Music Festival or the Mods taking on the Rockers. But while videos of Mexican teenagers with pompadours advancing on equally baby-faced emo rockers seem like scenes from a south-of-the-border version of John Waters' Crybaby, there are ugly undercurrents to the story. First, by some accounts, the emo subculture is identified with homosexuality in Mexico. As Mexico City youth worker Victor Mendoza told Time.com: "At the core of this is the homophobic issue. The other arguments are just window dressing for that." Gustavo Arellano, the author of Ask a Mexican and an editor at OC Weekly, said that the sexual ambiguities cultivated by emo fashion helped set the group up for targeting by more macho groups. "What do you do when you are confronted with a question mark about sexuality in Mexico?" Arellano said. "You beat it up." Forum posts show similar sentiments. One person wrote on a government youth-website forum, "detesto a los emosexuales," which translates as "I hate emosexuals." Emosexual is an obvious play on homosexual, especially in Spanish, where the H is silent. Many of the attacks have been planned, or at least fomented, on violently anti-emo websites like Movimiento Anti Emosexual, which features videos of physical violence sprinkled liberally with anti-gay sentiment. Last.fm's Anti Emo Death Squad group has almost 4,000 members. But Arellano said he thought the riots could have a positive impact here in the US. "It's a great clusterfuck for the American mind's idea of Mexico," Arellano said. "This teaches the rest of the world that Mexico is not just a bunch of cactuses and sombreros." Photo: Mexican emo kids gather in response to anti-emo violence by metalheads and punk rockers. http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/anti-emo-riots.html
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Linking Reality and Fiction: Emo Heston
http://ridersblock.blogspot.com/2008/04/linking-reality-and-...What do the beatings of Mexican emos and Charlton Heston (R.I.P.) have in common? Kids in the emo subculture are being targeted for their appearance and nonconformist lifestyle in much the same way Heston was persecuted by the robed mutants in The Omega Man. Except Chuck used semi-automatic weapons to defend himself and left the mascara at home. Los emos y el hombre Omega dicen: "Voy a sentir mejor después de escuchar My Chemical Romance"
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Viva los emos!
http://www.scuffletown.org/?p=3086Viva los emos! Violence against emo kids in Mexico, from other youth niche groups with obviously nothing better to do. Oh, and see what Time says about it. by eve at 2:28 am under general
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Things That Sound Made Up
http://www.theideaofprogress.com/2008/04/things-that-sound-m...When I first read about this in Time, I had to scroll up and look at the date to make sure it wasn't an April Fool's joke. It just doesn't sound real. But it is. There are apparently anti-emo riots going on in Mexico. Yeah. Emo. Rockabilly kids and metalheads and cholos have been ganging up to beat the crap out of sissy eyeliner wearing emo kids. Like, hundreds of people chasing down four or five sensitive teenagers. And beating them up. And recording it on their cell phone cameras. Don't believe me? Here's another article about it from Wired. I don't know whether to be concerned that kids are getting beaten up just for their taste in music...but... I mean... They're emo kids.
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Lo que dice el Times sobre los "emos"
http://contratiempo.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/lo-que-dice-el-...Lo que dice el Times sobre los "emos" Abril 5, 2008 Por Alfredo Estrella / AFP / GETTY Los tres adolescentes de pelo largo protegían sus cuerpos de los golpes y patadas que cientos de jóvenes les propinaban, mientras la paliza era grabada con las cámaras de los teléfonos celulares. “Maten a los emos”, gritaron los asaltantes que habían organizado, por Internet, reunirse en la ciudad de Querétaro para el ataque. Después, la policía hizo algunas detenciones y las víctimas ensangrentadas se sentaron a llorar sobre las banquetas, a la espera del arribo de las ambulancias en tanto la multitud corrió por las calles riendo y cantando vítores. La terrible escena, que fue transmitida en los noticieros televisivos, es parte de una nueva ola de violencia en contra de esta tribu urbana que ha surgido en México durante la última década. La subcultura emo probablemente existió desde que íbamos en la preparatoria, mucho antes de que ésta floreciera. Es el último movimiento de un proceso representado por los góticos en los años 80 y otros tipos de rockeros de los 90. Los muchachos han sido golpeados durante décadas. Los emos son sólo una de las coloridas culturas juveniles en los Estados Unidos y Europa que han cruzado el Río Grande mientras la nación abre su economía y política a una nueva generación que crece con la Internet y la televisión por cable. Punks, góticos, rockeros, rastas, breakdancers, skaters y metaleros están en las calles de México, adornando sus plazas y sus paredes con su pintura en las paredes. Pero mientras la mayoría de las tendencias se han reunido en un ambiente de aceptación, los emos han provocado una reacción violenta. Así como hubo disturbios en Querétaro, una turba los atacó en el corazón de la ciudad de México este mes. Además, se quejan de que cada vez están siendo más amenazados y asaltados por pequeños grupos en la calle. “Es peligroso para nosotros salir ahora. Nos gritan, nos escupen, nos lanzan cosas. Hay tanto odio allá afuera”, dijo Santino Bautista, un estudiante de 16 años, sentado en una plaza de la ciudad de México junto con otros adolescentes en jeans negros, entallados y con oscuro maquillaje. Los atacantes, catalogados como “antiemos”, pertenecen a otras tribus como los punks, cholos y metaleros, aunque muchos de ellos son simples adolescentes de la casa trabajadora. Se burlan de los emos por considerarlos “posers” (falsos), excesivamente sentimentales y porque les han robado sus géneros musicales. Con raíces en Washington, D.C., en la década de los 80, las bandas emo tocan un estilo de rock que se inspira mucho en el punk y en el indie rock. Se centran en la exploración de sus emociones (de ahí su nombre) con una vivencia típica de la depresión adolescente. La mayor parte de los atacantes agreden a los emos por su vestimenta afeminada, un estilo que provoca reacciones negativas en un macho mexicano. “En el centro de este tema está el asunto homofóbico. Los otros argumentos son solamente una ventana”, dijo Víctor Mendoza, un joven trabajador. “Esto no es un batalla entre la música y sus estilos. Es el lado conservador de la sociedad mexicana que lucha contra lo que es diferente”. Los emos son un blanco fácil para los agresores. En su gran mayoría son adolescentes entre los 15 y los 16 años, de calse media, sin experiencia en los pleitos callejeros de los endurecidos barrios mexicanos. Por su naturaleza, los emos atraen a los seguidores que prefieren una indulgencia intelectual a los puños. Durante la preparación de los ataques se haba cada vez más de manera agresiva en los foros en línea y los programas musicales de televisión. Los blogs son otro medio en el que se ha exarcebado la rabia contra ellos invitando a los usuarios a darle “muerte a los emos” y exhibiendo dibujos animados en donde son decapitados jóvenes con el pelo largo. En Internet se pide a los escritores “antiemos” que “recuperen” los espacios públicos como la Plaza de Armas, en Querétaro. Kristoff, un presentador de música popular de Telehit también ha lanzado críticas mordaces en contra de los emos. En una emisión, llena de maldiciones, Kristoff dijo que los emos eran un movimiento inútil de niñas púberes. Sin embargo, a raíz de la violencia colectiva, condenó a los atacantes por ser tan cobardes y dijo que su programa está destinado a la diversión únicamente. Las noticias de cientos de atacantes golpeando a unos pocos adolescentes han conmocionado al público en general. Los comentaristas y algunas autoridades de la ciudad han llamado a la tolerancia comparando estos sucesos con la persecución nazi en contra de las minorías. “El peligro es que el odio se ha ido colando más y más en la sociedad mexicana”, escribió Hugo García, columnista de Milenio. “No debemos olvidar que la violencia conduce a la intolerancia y al fascismo”. Sin embargo, muchos de los agresores parecen impenitentes publicando en Internet los videos de los ataques y acompañándolos por mensajes de celebración. “Hey, emos, si están tan deprimidos, entonces mátense a sí mismos. Querétaro es mejor sin emos”. (Traducción AGGB)
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crime: emo kids attacked in México
http://holamun2.com/news/crime-attacks-on-emo-kids-in-mexico...(image by Prometeo Lucero [aka Prom] via flickr) Three weeks ago, nearly a thousand punks and metal heads took over the Plaza de Armas in Querétaro, central México, to rid the park of “emos.” Outnumbered, the mob’s victims could do little but huddle together and try to absorb the punches and taunts. Only a few days later, a similar confrontation took place a hundred miles away in Mexico City. Mexicans, long accustomed to disturbing news of violent crime, were shocked by television coverage of the mass violence. Over the last few years, emo, a fashion and music style defined by androgynous make-up, angular haircuts, tight clothes and a pop-punk sound, has become popular with teens throughout México largely due to the spread of MySpace and the global appeal of such bands as My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessional. The wave has lifted Mexican groups like Pxndx (Panda), Insite and Avella Ink into the spotlight. But not everyone in this often traditional and sometimes machista society is keen on this gender and genre bending youth movement. News reports cite homophobia as a likely factor in the attacks. Many anti-emo videos, blogs and bulletins contain slogans like “Movimiento Anti Emosexual” and “Emo is gay.” Some have blamed Telehit VJ Kristoff for provoking anti-emo sentiment with angry rants and emo-bashing sketches. (Telehit is owned by the powerful Mexican broadcaster Televisa.) After the attacks, Kristoff responded: “I may not agree with the emo philosophy, but I would die to defend their right to express themselves.” Last weekend, demonstrations were held in Mexico City and Tijuana in solidarity with the victims of the violent attacks, but tensions remain high. Few are certain as to what sparked the violence and whether there is yet more to come.
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Attacks on Mexican Emos Reflect Nation's Fundamental Social Problems—and Political Causes Behind Them
http://stkarnick.com/blog2/2008/04/attacks_on_mexican_emos_e...Roving gangs of young men in Mexico are beating and terrorizing teenage boys who like "emo" music. The situation shows the value of respect for rule of law and the pressing need for a culture of liberty. Time magazine reports that Mexican gangs are beating up and generally terrorizing male "emos," young men whose fashions identify them as following the alternative-rock movement known as emo, which tends to concentrate on exploring adolescent emotions and includes lyrics dealing with depression. Emo males tend to dress somewhat effeminately, and are predominantly middle-class, both of which have infuriated lower-class punks in Mexico's still macho-oriented culture. Thus roving gangs are tracking them down and inflicting serious physical assaults, in addition to verbal harrassement: The trio of long-haired teenagers grasped the plaza wall to shield their bodies as hundreds of youths kicked and punched them while filming the beating on cell phone cameras. "Kill the emos," shouted the assailants, who had organized over the Internet to launch the attack in Mexico's central city of Queretaro. After police eventually steamed in and made arrests, the bloody victims lay sobbing on the concrete waiting for ambulances while the mob ran through the nearby streets laughing and cheering. The attacks shocked many in Mexico, according to the reports, but there had been many clues in the culture that this was about to happen: In the lead-up the mob attacks, there was increasingly aggressive talk against emos in online forums and TV music shows. Blogs raved about "killing emos" and showed cartoon drawings of decapitated long-haired heads. Internet writers called on anti-emos to "take back" public spaces such as the Plaza de Armas in Queretaro, where the black-clothed teenagers sit around. Naturally, homosexual activists and leftists who see fascism everywhere have taken this as an opportunity to leap upon their particular hobbyhorses and begin rocking furiously, but the reality is that a society without a strong tradition of rule of law is perpetually vulnerable to this sort of madness. Until Mexico develops respect for rule of law and a culture of liberty, it will remain a fundamentally weak society and culture, and its economy will continue to suffer, perpetuating the nation's inexcusably low standard of living. The basic role of any government is to keep the peace, for all good things rely on that. One hopes that this latest series of outrages will bring that lesson home.
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Kill The Emos
http://ok-cleek.com/blogs/?p=2371Kill The Emos
