The Papers Got It Wrong... Again.
 

EMO cult warning for parents
By SARAH SANDS
Parents warned over the new EMO goth danger
Headlines

Flicking through the autumn glossy fashion magazines, I noticed that some of the models did not look very well. A few of them appeared to be dead. This is because one of the key looks, especially at the younger end of the fashion spectrum, is Goth.
Faces are chalky white, eyes and lips black. You can wear any colour you like so long as it's black.
To achieve that just-got-out-of-acoffin look, you need corsets, capes, Celtic crosses, an unseeing stare and a prop such as a slightly mutilated china doll dragged along in one hand.
For those of us who have lived through Siouxsie And The Banshees and the Rocky Horror Show, the look is depressingly retro.
Fashion acknowledges those of us who lived through it first time round - Elder Goths, as opposed to Baby Bats, who are the under-30s. It even nods to a working population, permitting Corporate Goths, who wear black trouser suits.

There is a also a term which is new to me and amounts to a much more dangerous teenage cult. The Emos - short for Emotional - regard themselves as a cool, young sub-set of the Goths.
Although the look is similar, the point of distinction, frightening for schools and parents, is a celebration of self harm. Emos exchange competitive messages on their teenage websites about the scars on their wrists and how best to display them. Girls' secondary schools have for some time been concerned about the increase in self harm.
One governor of a famous boarding school told me that it was as serious a problem as binge drinking, but rarely discussed for fear of encouraging more girls to do it.
Although it is invariably described as a 'secret shame', there is actually a streak of exhibitionism about it.The internet has many sites dedicated to Emo fashion (dyed black hair brushed over your face, layering, black, black, black), Emo bands (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), Emo conversation (sighing, wailing, poetry).
The Instant Emo Kit site gives advice on identity. Wear a child's T-shirt with a slogan such as 'Unhappy Chick' and drive a Vespa. Above all, 'show your inner despair by looking like you are too sad to eat. Obesity and emocity do not mix.'

Adult Goths refer to the Emos disdainfully as 'the spooky kids' or 'moshers'.
The Emo song, by the American band Adam And Andrew, has cult status on the internet, appearing on many personal websites. It is called Dear Diary and is both witty and alarming.
The chorus goes: 'Stop my breathing and slit my throat, I must be an Emo.
I don't jump around when I go to shows, I must be an Emo.
Dye in my hair and polish on my toes, I must be an Emo. I play guitar and write suicide notes, I must be an Emo.'

The courting of misery and death is a long-established teenage tradition. How many bedroom walls have been plastered with posters of drippy pre-Raphaelite heroines, or Marc Bolan or Kurt Curbain? When death is a long way off, you can afford to be more morbid about it. Film-makers note that horror films are now more popular than romance among young women.
In particular, Goths and Emos are a rebellion against sporty, manly cultures - which is perhaps why they flourish particularly in North European countries or North America. The androgynous nature of the Goths is appealing to the young because it is sexually unthreatening. Teenage girls are frightened of manliness: they like boys who look like girls. Kate Moss, the girl who never grows old, understands youthful taste completely.
There is also a deadly glamour about the Goths. The word femme-fatale is Goth based. Many of the alluring women of our time - Nigella Lawson, Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Lily Allen - have a touch of the Goth about them. They have a sophistication and depth lacking in the blonde, bouncy chav faces which dominate our television screens and nightclubs.
Who are the male pin-ups for young girls? Johnny Depp and the comedian Russell Brand, who is about 90 per cent Goth. Lord Byron, of course, was the greatest Goth of all time.
Emos have a strong arts graduate bias and are among the few that read poetry (if only of the romantic, morbid kind). Some pretty terrible Emo poetry is offered on websites. A cartoon of two Emos has a bubble which says: 'What rhymes with razor blade?' But compared to the music, the poetry is positively cheerful. The Gothic bands have names such as Bloody, Dead And Sexy or Colder Than Death.
There is a genre, popular in Germany, known as Death Pop. Bands include The Knives In The Attic and Love Equals Death.
Although Goths are from the same family tree as punks, they are a lot less fun to be with. While I loved punk for its energy, Goths were too bloodless to lift a finger.
One of the most annoying characteristics of teenagers is their refusal to open their curtains. Their world is dark and airless. If this environment is coupled with the psychological traits of self-pity, introspection, self-dramatisation and hormone imbalance, you have a fully-fledged Emo, even without the small Tshirt and black hair.
The wondrous thing about being an adult is that you have so much more to worry about that you stop striking poses and get on with it. Unless you are an Elder Goth - in which case you have fashion on your side and everybody else against you. What worries me is that teenagers are less equipped to manage strong emotions and a cult of suicide could have real and horrible consequences. It is irresponsible for the fashion and music cultures to encourage it. If you want retro style, I recommend Ian Dury's song Reasons To Be Cheerful.


-Taken from The Daily Mail. Now- Let's play 'Spot the Inaccuracies!'

For some reason, this makes me so upset I can't even begin to describe how pissed off this makes me. Oh my God. I hate narrow minded people like this. They can go shoot themselves.

Uhm...No comment.

I could spend all day long picking out false statements in this goddamn article.

This is about the most bias article I've ever read. I say go back and do your fucking research bitch, get enough knowledge of a topic before having the nerve to write an article about it.

Yeah, pretty much the same here.

That's hilarious! Do people actually believe that?!

I would hope no one believes this load of bullshit. This pisses me right off.

This sort of ignorance makes me livid. This is a classic example of having one rusty bucket of a mind to carry opinions in, and throwing everything into it together.

I am sending Sarah Sands a courteous but corrective email.

OK, I submitted a comment criticizing the article, let's see if they publish it, or see if they practice yellow journalism and disregard it.

If you want to submit complaints too, go to:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

I showed the article to a friend who is considered by Sarah Sands an emo. She got rather annoyed & submitted a comment, but it hasn't been put up.

Overall I think the article is a laugh. The woman is an idiot & obviously hasn't done her homework. I think putting the picture of Rosie Webster was the pinacle. She was as goth as a daffodil in a yellow kitchen. Although it was fun watching her & Craig on tv whilst it lasted. Her prom dress was amazingly awful. I think she was going for Siouxsie Sioux (can't be too sure as she was listening to an awful lot of Cradle Of Filth) but looked more like a drag queen.

Even in my little sister's magazine they had a 'How To Be Goth' checklist-
Black Hair Dye
Black Velvet Ribbon
Queen Adreena CD
Black Spider ring
Boots
Moody Stare!

Eh, I'm drifting off from the point, but y'get the idea.

I sent them a comment of my own.

Morons.

people REALLY believe this shyte! i know it for a fact...
and the people that write it deserve to get dragged into the streets and shot!!!

People do believe it, unfortunately. And for some reason, comments offered by natives to the goth and emo scenes seem to be getting ignored and avoided.
This was published in the Guardian, which is supposedly a trustworthy and sensible paper. People believe what they read in it. I do wish they didn't.

its almost as archaic as the concet of witches being old and having crooked noses...
its sad...and because of this, people are always gonna have thw rong impression of us...even punks have this problem!

It's a shame, this article was simply perpetuating every gothic stereotype known to society today. Clearly, no one did any research on the culture, clearly, no one interviewed a real goth for it. I cannot even begin to say how pissed this article made me, but sadly it is what we face, and that was what came with being goth, so we may as well expect it to happen all the time.

stupid emo kids...steel the punk scene from under our noses, will you?!?!

We should expect it, but we shouldn't have to get used to it. We should try to change things.

That woman obviously hasn't talked to a goth before, she seems to be making the whole articles out of generalizations and stereotypes. And how dare they relate emo to goth, there's barely anything in common with the two. I'd prefer stop now before I start a 6 page long rant. Still.........stupid article...*grumbles*

"Yeah look! I've found pictures of goths and emos on the internet! I now know everything I need to know by making simple generalizations based on biases and intuition! I'm so keen!"

This has always been a sore spot for me. Though what really tears me up is the thought that if I dress as they do, I wouldn't have to deal with all the stereotypes. Because, you know, I'm so unoriginal I get all my fashion tips form a single series of movies. Or newspaper clippings... yeah.

And Damn it! I just realized this woman has me defending emos! GAAH! No wonder I've become an anti-social hermit with tendencies toward isolation and a misanthropist view to the world.

"Although Goths are from the same family tree as punks, they are a lot less fun to be with. While I loved punk for its energy, Goths were too bloodless to lift a finger."

who determines this subculture family tree?

and (keep in mind, this is my personal opinion) i dont find similarities between the punk and goth subculture aside from the rejection of mainstream culture...

teeheee im a baby bat, thats pretty exciting!

-.- I want to write another comment saying how stupid this person is.

This rates right up there with the "If Your Child is Gothic" list.

Same here. I have but one question: Does the author of the article really believe what she's writing or is she simply trying to rile up the late night caffinades. I get called emo everyday and I just flash my left wrist and guve 'em the one fingered salute!

*silently starts giggling before breaking into an ear- deafening laughter* This lady's too precious to be taken seriously... hahaha. I submitted my comments also, adding that if the reporter feels like talking to us goths, we don't bite...

lol.

I admit this isn't a big problem here in Norway. Most people don't know what goth is. That's why I can laugh about it...

Did the OP say that BLACK was a color (or was that the article)? If it was the OP, die. If it was the person who wrote the article, die.