Title of Article: Parents, beware of the emo kids
Author: Sandra Davie
Publisher: The Straits Times
Date the article was written: 19/03/2007
What's Up With "Emo"?
There has been a growing fad filled with angst that has teens cut themselves and write about suicide. This latest teen fad is being coined "emo" short for emotional and is best represented by the emo fashion, listening to angst-filled music such as bands like My Chemical Romance, and the increase of self-mutilation by teens and the writing about suicide, in which all four have a heavy death related theme.
This gives rise to concerns about how the fad will bring about negative thinking in the minds of the teens, with ideas such as suicide and self-mutilation as a form of pain relief. I feel that following fads is part and parcel of maturing from a teenager to an adult, and they are apparent in any place and any period, mostly in the form of fashion. However, when these fads tend promote extreme thoughts, teens should not follow them blindly. With emo rock band music easily available, it is not uncommon to see the teens grow interest and curiosity for the ideas that the bands promote in their music, such as suicidal thoughts and such, and it will subsequently lead to the fads that we see today.
I feel that it is not wrong to follow such a fad, which the teens feel as what best represents their inner feelings. However, a clear line should always be drawn between following the fad to keep up with times, and obsession with the fad. Personally, I find that it is fine to adopt the emo fashion, but that is the limit.
If one explores further into the emo culture, the morbid idea of death will be a recurrent theme. From there, it expands to supposed forms of relieve, such self-mutilation. That, is being too obsessed with the fad, as it allows the fad to control oneself, even to the extent of life and death. Those extreme emo teens may argue that they are not blindly following the fad, but instead, treat those actions as a form of expressing themselves, as there are not any other better outlets for their thoughts to be expressed in. However, I would like to question the effect of the actions that it is supposed to bring.
According to the teens, it eases them from pain and helps them express their thoughts, albeit in a morbid way.
Does it really ease their pain?
How can someone find ease from mental pain by inflicting physical pain to himself?
How does it express their thoughts in an effective way too, instead of having a lending ear from someone?
From these leading questions, my opinion is that there are alternatives to the morbid actions that the teen might take, and what seems effective to them in easing their pain might not be what really is best for them. Thus, I think that the emo teens that are conscious of such actions should seek help from their parents, peers or counsellors which may provide better ideas and help that the teens need.
