This is an essay I wrote as a summative in Grade 9 Geography, I got 90 in the class. My teacher was kind. I edited it up a bit just now, so it makes more sense, but still it makes absolutely no sense.
Urban Dictionary defines the word “Emo” (ee-moe) as, like a goth but much less dark and more like Harry Potter. Is emo a growing subculture in North America or just a fad amongst overdramatic teenagers? This essay delves deep into the history of Emoism, the arts, social structure and the history of sacrificial cultures proving that emo culture is, in fact, more than just a fad.
To truly understand the issue you must first look at the history. In the mid 1980s emo rock music surfaced in Washington DC. Then it was called Emotive Hardcore but has since been reduced to Emo. The music lasted in waves and still has a wide fan base today. The music is generally soft and has emotionally based lyrics meant to invoke a feeling in listeners. Since the inception of the music scene other aspects of the culture have developed including fashion (usually dark clothing sometimes with bursts of neon colours). This history in itself proves that Emo is not a fad. Where other alleged fads, such as chia pets, failed emo music and its culture alike succeeded in lasting over two decades.
The definition of culture in terms of anthropology is, the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another. Essentially it is the way of living of a group of people. Some important aspects of culture to remember when judging whether something is valid as a culture are language, art, music and fashion. Emo culture meets all such expectations. When it comes to language, many poems are written by self-proclaimed “emos.” This also ties into music with some language and poetry being put into the emotionally potent lyrics of the culture’s music. This music has also inspired a mix of fashion and art with amazing artists basing graphics and drawings on their favourite emo bands. Using this irrefutable evidence it is obvious that emo wave is, in fact, a culture.
Many argue that emo could not be a culture because it praises self-mutilation and suicide. If a culture committed suicide it would not have anyway to transmit knowledge from generation to generation. The fact of the matter is that most in the emo culture do not practice self-destruction although their lyrics and words do praise the same. Instead of taking ones life, most in the emo culture channel such emotions and problems through art mediums such as song, poetry and visual arts. The culture has evolved to channel frustration and sadness through their art-forms lowering the likelihood of violence and suicide. Many others in Western culture have learned to hide their emotions from friends and family which results in violence, even against oneself. This is counter to culture. However, the emotional nature of this emo culture reduces the prominence of suicide and violence, proving that the argument against Emo as a culture is debunked.
In proving that emo is a viable culture capable of growth and prosperity, it is relevant to look at historic cultures. The fact is that many cultures and religious movements in the past, up to and including Christianity have praised death in the form of sacrifice and martyrdom. Many cultures have also prospered for millennia actively practicing ritual sacrifice and to this day practice mock sacrifice. Emo culture is no exception to this rule. Emos praise physical and emotional sacrifice in their lyrics as part of their culture. Through looking at historic examples of death-worshipping cultures Emo can in fact be considered a viable culture.
Throughout this essay it has been proved without a doubt that emo is a culture. It meets all requirements for culture and has its own distinct characteristics from others. The culture supports open emotion, sociality and creativity, all characteristics of a distinct culture. Emo culture is evolving and is making an impact on modern music, art and fashion; its about time we accepted Emos as a viable sub-culture in Canada and all of the world.
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