GenQ - For the not so straight individual

*Emo: The New "Fag".
There is a very negative trend currently going on in the music scene / underground. This is a trend based on prejudice against people who dress a certain way (often referred to as "gay" or "girly"), and are involved in an "alternative" sub-culture, listen to a certain style of music, and who may have a perceived sexuality outside of the traditional heterosexual framework. I will refer to the trend of this general way of thinking as "Anti-Emo", as it is most commonly called, and to its adherents as "anti-emo-ites". While I am not particularly a fan of this style music, I am still compelled to expose the hate beneath the surface of the "Anti-Emo movement".

*What is Emo anyway?
Here is some history on "emo" and its development as a subculture:

In the late 1980s and early 90s there was a movement in the hardcore genre that came to be known as "Emotive Hardcore," and the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used. This movement considered to be spearheaded by bands such as Rites Of Spring, Embrace and others. "Starting in the mid-1990s, the term emo began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influences of (the band) Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo.....As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the moniker emo within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, the term emo was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today's emo is even more vast, leaving the term "emo" as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music......

As the chorus of detractors increased, emo became more and more a target of derision. As certain fashion trends and attitudes began to be associated with "emo", stereotypes emerged that created a specific target for criticism........In ensuing years, the derision increased dramatically. Male fans of emo found themselves hit with homosexual slurs, largely a reflection of the style of dress popular within the "emo scene" and the displays of emotion common in the scene."
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28music%29

*Emo History from a personal perspective:
When I was involved in the DIY music underground during the 1990s, I started seeing ads and flyers for bands billed as being "Emoticore", "Emocore" and later, simply "Emo". The music of most of these bands differed from the typical "punk" and "hardcore" music in that it generally focused lyrically on more personal issues,as opposed to the standard fare of "punk/hardcore" which seemed to be limited to two general topics: Politics (in one form or another) and/or Drinking / Not Drinking (for straight-edge [sXe] bands). The "emo" bands looked a bit more dark than most "punk" bands (often wearing dark eyeliner or black clothes as opposed to the more "raw" look of spikes and chains and dirt associated with "punk") and they also appeared less threatening than most "hardcore" bands (who generally looked like football players or skinheads: with shaved heads, boots or atheletic shoes, "wifebeater" shirts or sportswear). However, musically there was little difference between hardcore and emocore, aside from a slightly less "angry" and more "angsty" vocal style. Many "hardcore" bands sounded exactly the same as the emo bands, often even using similar riffs and breakdowns, so there was really very little reason for "hardcores" to "Hate" the "emo" scene based on any musical differences.
Other than the rare complaint about the lyrical content of certain emo bands being written only from a "broken hearted boy" male perspective, the overwhelming majority of "anti-emo" derision has come from "Tough Guy" heterosexual white males. The derision against "emo" seemed to come purely from a machismo-based worldview: as in, "I am "hardcore" and I am a tough guy, "Emo" is not "tough", so there must be a separation between Us* and Them* " These "tough Guys" seem to hold the idea that "emotional" equates to "weak". I suppose it would be more "cool" to turn all humans into cold, unfeeling, cruelty machines.

*The "Anti-Emo" movement on the web and beyond:
Here are some examples of the attitudes usually on display in "Anti-Emo" websites:

I found the following intro to a site selling "anti-emo" apparel:
"Do You HATE Emo? Do you despise what is fast becoming known as the Emo Race?
Do you DESPISE long haired guys who wear girl pants because they think it looks COOL?"[sic]

Note the author's capitalization of the words hate "Hate" and "Despise", indicating that he or she feels very vehement about them.
The reference to "hating emos" is very common on "anti-emo" sites, promoting the idea that it is acceptable to "hate" whole groups of people,
which in itself is frightening. What's worse in this case, even though "Emo" is not an ethnicity, is that the author here is promoting the idea that it is not only OK to categorize people into "Racial" groupings, but that it is also OK to"Hate" a "Race".

From an online quiz:
"Is unhappiness happiness in your life? Do you wear a lot of black and cry late at night? If so, you might be an emo fag. Find out with this simple test. ."[sic]

Again, we see the Nazi-esque concept that being in touch with your own emotions makes you "weak" or a "fag".

From UrbanDictionary.com:
"2. emo fag : A person that listens to emo. The dress in tight jeans, scarves, have messy hair (it's supposed to be like that) and they wear girl's skinny-fit tshirts. May or may not have box glasses. Has a lip piercing off-centre. Normally very skinny. They are in touch with their feminine side (read: vagina) and cry when people die in soap operas. Apparently, it makes them more 'vulnerable' and 'emotional.'
Shut the hell up, you emo fag.
You listen to emo, fag.
Listening to emo has turned you into a bitch.
Make me a sandwich and get me a beer, emo fag.

How can anyone ignore the homophobic and sexist overtones of this?
It is very clear that anyone espousing "anti-emo" negativity is doing so because of the belief that "femininity" equals "weak", and therefore denotes a "lower" or "lesser" person whose rights do not deserve respect.

The common idea in the "anti-emo movement" is that "emo" is almost synonymous with "queer", with the term "Emo Fag" being the most commonly used derogatory terminology. The main focus of negativity by most "anti-emo-ites" is the clothing style associated with this sub-culture, which is considered to be too "feminine" for "real men" to wear (tight low-cut jeans, longer styled hair, eyeliner, bracelets, etc). There is often talk on message board and sites where "anti-emo-ites" gather about "beating up emo fags in the mosh pit", "kicking emo ass", etc. mainly espoused by primarily white skinhead-types and tougher-than-thou macho "jocks".

This eerily resembles gay-bashing, only the word "emo" has been placed before the word "fag".
It seems in these times of political-correctness, certain groups don't want to be penalized (having their websites removed, harrassment charges, etc) as being "hate groups", so they try to use a musical subculture as a qualifier for their homophobic hate, as in :"We don't Hate fags, we Hate Emo, and that's a music genre, not a sexual orientation, so we're off the hook." The fact still remains that the most common attack on "emo" fans is the use of the word "fag" usually accompanied by either other verbal, and often physical assaults.

If you see bands, groups or individuals promoting "Anti-Emo" ideas, take the time to examine the source: is the person/group part of the "tough guy" culture?
Do they state any reason to be "Anti-Emo" without the use of the words "fag/faggot", "weak" or "girly"?

Even if you cannot stand the sound of emo music, or rock music at all, this "anti-Emo" idea must be recognized for what it is: Hate.