Josh's justified jargon

For something that began its life in such a beautiful way, I can't even begin to figure out what the hell happened. Back in the late 1980s, a subgenre of hardcore punk quickly gained popularity, especially in the Washington, D.C. area. Its spread continued into the mid 1990s until it suddenly vanished from the face of musical society. As of late, it has returned in an ugly, pitiful form. What was once a subgenre of punk gave birth to a bastard child which has grown to be a full-fledged adult in our society. This hideous abomination is emo. Emo, an abbreviated version of the emotional prefix that began the emotional hardcore genre's name, has transformed into a culture of jet black hair, overgrown bangs and way-too-tight clothes. In short, emo could be called Gothic For Pansies - or, in a less abrasive way, Goth Lite. The dyed, black hair, studded belts and dark clothing are all great ideas … especially when the goth culture took it on 20 years ago. Moping around all day or acting pissed off at world is pointless. Presumptuously, most of these kids could have a pretty great life if they would drop the act and not worry about all of the supposed injustices they have to deal with. Now, I am not saying emotions are a bad thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being emotional or expressing your emotions. But being sad - or acting in such a way - all the time is not a healthy way to live. It can lead to serious problems which aren't funny in the least bit. The biggest problem in the emo culture is the self-injury and suicide themes that follow the public's conventional image of emo. Neither of these ideas are something any person should joke about. Thousands upon thousands of people struggle with self-injury and suicide issues each day. Even more people have had their lives affected by self-injury and suicide. It isn't funny. I know not every so-called emo kid is like this, but many are. If you're one of them, grow up. Seriously. Like the fashion, the emo tag as a musical genre is unjust. Calling emo music emotional is incorrect because, as was pointed out by a fellow Fourth Estate staff member, the majority of music is about emotions. Other genres sing about their feelings for a loved one, anger, happiness or despair. All of these are emotions yet only one genre is called emo. Emo music tends to be considered as songs that speak of sad or depressed feelings, whether it is about a friend, loved one, long-lost crush or whatever crap the emo songwriters think will sell records. Bands such as Panic! at the Disco and My Chemical Romance have adamantly denounced the emo tag that was given to them by various outfits. Both bands have stated in interviews that they hate being considered emo and that emo music, in general, is bull. There certainly must be something amiss if the bands being labeled emo are going to great lengths to battle the classification. No pop-rock bands are fighting their label, neither are any country artists. Emo is truly in a class by itself. And so are its followers. It's time those followers buck up, lift their heads and thicken their skin. The world isn't an easy place but the majority of its inhabitants are still walking out the door each and every day without complaint. As I said last week, true punk music died almost a quarter century ago. I only wish the emo genre would have had the same fate.