Russia Looking To Ban Goth And Emo Music And Websites
from the overreact-much? dept
The history of modern culture is littered with examples of older generations freaking out and having moral panics concerning the culture of younger generations. In the US, while much of the focus these days is on video games and social networks, in the past it's included certain types of music and comic books as being threats to children. Over in Russia, it appears that their latest moral panic is around goth and emo music. However, it's become so "bad" that laws may be passed to ban both types of music as well as regulate websites about the music (found via Digg). It includes all the typical "but think of the children" type quotes. The politician who introduced the legislation calls the music a "dangerous teen trend," a "social danger" and "a threat to national stability."If this sound ridiculous, don't laugh too hard, because politicians around the world have made similar claims about any variety of other pop culture trends they just didn't understand. But, at some point, you would think some of these politicians would look at history and get a sense of how ridiculous they're going to look a few years from now for blaming a particular pop culture phenomenon they don't understand for "a threat to national stability."
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Filed Under: emo, goth, moral panics, music, russia
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Oh, really?
Truly, politicians are the same around the world: idiotic and disingenuous.
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(couldn't resist)
Music as a threat to national stability? I have no idea how to even fathom that. Has there been any society brought down by music? Not that I know of...maybe Atlantis, but that is hearsay.
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Re: Society brought down
So rather than ban emo or goth, perhaps Russia should ban enjoying it.
Oh, but wait. Isn't that the point of emo and goth?
So emo and goth is for the Islamic countries, then.
What was the music situation in the Roman Empire?
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Re: Society brought down by music
Let me write the music for a nation, and I care not who writes its laws.
He meant that culture has more of an impact on the people than the laws under which they live.
While I agree that the Russian politicians are foolish for attempting to ban goth and emo music (mostly because they will merely drive it underground instead of being out in the open), I do think they have a point in saying that it could become a threat. Ever listen to the lyrics? Many times this music does promote gratuitious death and sex, and regardless of how politcally incorrect it is to say, those two things will destroy a civilization if left unchecked.
"From barbarism to civilization requires a century; from civilization to barbarism needs but a day."
I think that was G.K. Chesterton, but don't quote me on that one.
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Re: Re: Society brought down by music
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Re:
But,there's been LOTS of societies brought down by ignorance, though.
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If you believe the Bible, there was Jericho.
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lol, I actually AM told how to dress by the government
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Thanks for providing such a thoughtful and insightful comment.
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hiphop
I wish for the day when trailer trash and project kids don't spend their welfare checks on silver chains and sound systems in their 1989 Honda Accord with spinner rims.
Just close your eyes an imagine our country without Eminem, 50-Cent, Nelly, Lil Wayne and Kanye. Imagine no Solja Boy to pimp the Spidermans while cranking da Superman....Dat Oh!!
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Re: hiphop
By not understanding hip hop and its culture you make tons of assumptions that just sound flat stupid.
ps I'd be kindof pissed if i didn't have Em, weezy and Kanye to listen to, and I know a lot of other not so ghetto/poor people who do too.
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Re: Re: hiphop
New SUV $30,000
22-inch set of rimz $3,000
Watching your dumb ass crawl over a little bump in the road when you're driving what we used to call a "4x4" years ago: fucking priceless
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Re: hiphop
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Seriously I've heard everything from Corinne Bailey Rae to Stereophonics be described as "emo". I just want a solid, well recognised definition.
Even if it's Russian.
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Yep! No doubt about that.
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Response to: Overcast on Jul 26th, 2008 @ 5:38am
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Legislating... taste... does not compute...!
For Anonymous Coward, you don't need a government defining what any genre of music is. However, peoplemainly guyslabel anything as "emo" because they don't want anything to do with their emotions and want to strut around macho-style - kind of makes me ashamed to call myself a guy at times.
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Re: Legislating... taste... does not compute...!
Dont fret gramps ... it will go away all on its own.
You may not witness this but rest assured, it will happen.
Oh, and btw - get off my lawn !
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Re: Legislating... taste... does not compute...!
but
it doesnt matter what YOU would like to see,
"What i would like to see is people smarten up and not listen to that crap in the first place"
you're an idiot.
your personal opinion, is that that music is crap.
BUT
thats your PERSONAL opinion
i repeat
PERSONAL!
dude.
and you can't say that everything from the 80's and 90's was better.
because once again, that is your personal opinion.
and music doesn't have to be defended intelligently.
it's there for people to enjoy, not to discuss or defend intelligently. i mean, if you're a musician, then yes, discuss your work, and know what you're talking about
but for people who simply listen to it, you shouldn't have to DEFEND INTELLIGENTLY what your taste in music is.
it's ridiculous.
and another thing.
yes, 80's & 90's music meant something,
but that doesnt mean that today, music like this doesnt mean anything, or have any meaning put into it.
just because it's different, doesnt mean you have to diss it and act like you're music is so much better.
because, in your eyes
EMO/GOTH etc= SHIT (:
but in other peoples eyes, people who like what it sounds like
EMO/GOTH etc = NOT SHIT (:
you just cant say that something is crap, because you dont like it.
it doesnt work that way.
and as for guys labeling things as emo to hide anything to do with emotions,
thats a load of bollocks.
im pretty sure you havnt asked every guy this, so you cant generalise like that. it's like saying anyone that listens to goth music or emo music
must slit their wrists and have suicidal thoughts.
its stupid.
thats all :)
have a nice day.
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Thats a funny joke and everything, but good god people, it's just music! Who gives a tail if you like emo or goth? I like the new Metallica stuff, so I must be put to death or something. Or made to listen to emo shit for the rest of my life, oh the humanity..........
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I listen to Hawthorne Heights
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Re: I listen to Hawthorne Heights
And you know generalizing a genre as, some call it a "suicidal cult" because some people self harm themselves and they happen to listen to the music doesn't mean everyone is; don't judge the majority because some minority do it.
People can be depressed, everyone! not just teenagers who like to wear black.
So you don't like the music, I hate 50 cent and a lot of music in that genre! Hell maybe I can say that R&B and all that show gangs, shootings disrespecting of women etc that genre could be dangerous to our kids!
People should grow up.
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EMO MUSIC IS HARMFUL TO SOCIETY
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Re: EMO MUSIC IS HARMFUL TO SOCIETY
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Re: Re: EMO MUSIC IS HARMFUL TO SOCIETY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HQIcdGg63I
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Re: EMO MUSIC IS HARMFUL TO SOCIETY
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wow
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The amusing part...
What's more, I'm over 50, and I like some of the Emo-influenced Alternative music.
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Re
Eventually there are cases where fear "for the children" is quite justified. Lead paint is one.. fall of Rome.
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Re: Re
Even if it doesn't, is it a causal relationship or just a correlation? That is, do kids kill themselves because they listen to emo, or are kids who are already suicidal just attracted to that genre?
My opinion is the latter. Banning the music might help hide an obvious symptom but does nothing to hide the underlying problem. Yes, it might be more morbid than other genres, but that means exactly nothing.
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russia bans goth and emo music
It was recalled. Such will not be the case in Russia. Russia will, most likely, crumble from the pounding waves of mother "modern" time whilst its' leaders cling to the rotted lifeboat of sanctity, piety, and self-righteousness.
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Different strokes for different folks
So what is Russian goth and emo? The stereotypical? or fans who enjoy it as a art not their book of life.
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kids today...
...yeah, ban the Beatles its all their fault, yah?
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black tears of death
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But even that is inaccurate, since what he is actually referring to is the demographic fact that Russia has a falling REPRODUCTIVE RATE.
Spurred on by vodka, corrupt business practices and dark eye makeup, the Rooskies are basically depopulating their own country by not impregnating their females frequently enough, which, given the numbers of fabulous-looking women in Russia, is depressing enough to make one listen to emo music. Or goth music.
I'm not clear on the distinguishing factors in the social taxonomy there...I think one kind wears gloves and the other doesn't or something.
Hope the Rooskie politicos spell it out in their bill.
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Death rate
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Good move!
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Re: Good move!
So, actually, it is censorship. And you're a liar for saying otherwise.
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He was pretty emo, too.
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insane move
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vodaka covered nonsense
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Re: vodaka covered nonsense
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Emo and Goth
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If we can't take control of ourselves, then we're bound to be wiped out by Earth, one way or another.
This "new-age" contemporary "pop" music feeds these redundant and empty emotional bags that we call teenagers in the "developed world". If parents can't outweigh the music, and kids can't even think for themselves anymore, fuck it.
Some people still believe the world is flat. Maybe it is.
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How a bout getting pissed off that this is yet another exercise by some power to oppress free speech?
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Something Needs to be Done!
Our freedom to do anything will be the downfall of our society!!!
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Re: Something Needs to be Done!
Just look at the damage done by Elvis, the Beatles and others .... those gyrating hips ,,, those irresponsible lyrics ...
Certainly, the world would be a much better place had they not become so popular. They should've been outlawed back then, before all the horrible damage that took place to our most precious society.
Ha ha ha ha you morons ...........
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Re: Something Needs to be Done!
...oh, but let's sort out that music made by those boys in eyeliner, that's gotta be our #1 priority! Won't somebody please think of the children?
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The age of personal freedoms is coming to an end, as this mindset of banning and outlawing to protect us dear citizens shall only spread.
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How about we ban death and politics?
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Outrageous
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Re: Outrageous
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Check facts
Check your facts, find the the original source of information (your link is currently 3-degrees removed from first source) and then comment. You might be surprised how different reality is.
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We're going to make it illegal for you to be happy, so you don't kill yourself...
Point I'm trying to make is, they're taking this the wrong way. They should be putting more effort into youth welfare rather than aimless crap like this. But then again, this is Russia we're talking about. From what I've heard welfare of any sort isn't quite their thing =P.
Oh, and as for the banning of goth... The age of lame-ass poser goths that shoot at their class mates happened like, 9 years ago. Goth shouldn't even be a part of this - It's not nearly popular enough anymore. And this is real goth, I mean.
I'm not a fan of emo. I think it's complete horseshit. But if Russia honestly wants to have a real go at this new-fangled Democracy thing, they really need to rethink laws that directly oppress their own citizens for no real good reason.
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I'd say never in america buuut....
My guess? Uber christian.
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Emo Sucks
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Fuck emo
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emo
it will pass on to the next big thing to blame
1st Tv
then video games and now a style nothing is safe anymore
plus if you band thing it only going to make kids do it more
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Finally!
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grow up ..
like why dont you just ban "gangsters" too, they hurt other people.
baning it is only gonna make people wanna be an "emo" more.
"emo" music = amazing.
i personally dont dress all that "goth or emo" but love seeing people that do. thier styles amazing, they stand out for being themselves,
Black eyeliner- whats the problem with it?
black clothes - is defentliy just a stero type. i see more "emos" wearing like BRIGHT colours than black. but dose that even really matter?
emo music - wow. lyrics are amazing, if it really bothers you that much, dont listen to it!
its time for Russia to take care of worse situations,
"emos" are just a type of people. and a way to express them selves. just like gangsters, jocks, cheerleaders, etc.
once they get older they'll grow out of it. its only a phase alot of people go through, i did. only lasted about a year.
so if russia thinks baning its gonna stop it, its not probly only gonna make more.
and for haters, get a life.:) really bothers you that much, dont look at them, dont listen to thier music. dont spend your time writeing about them . just grow up.
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Re: grow up ..
i totally agree with the music thing.
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seriously.
but if you really dont like it, dont listen to emo music, the lyrics in it are amazing! if you take the time to understand it
goths and emo's are just standing out for how they believe, you have no right to ban them for it, would you want to be banned for being preppy and happy?
no i didnt think so.
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omg
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sorry, whos life is it again?
plus, surely the government cant stop you. If you dont want to live anymore, thats a personal decision and noone should be able to take that decision away from you!
www.electrichorizen.com for anyone who is against this. if your one of the people who think its a good idea, dont bother looking or you will just be waisting your time.
and i must say on a totally unrelated topic: "Save me a cookie" - THE FORUMS GIVING ME COOKIES!! WOOOOOO
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This is insane...
And goth is dark, but not always. Goth is about expression and the ability to see beauty in darkness and an appreciation for gothic literature. I've been goth my whole life, and most of the stereotypes about gothic subculture are really dumb. Not all goths worship the devil.
Not all goths bite peoples' necks.
And way more.
But my point is that whether it be emo, goth, indie, punk, whatever, older generations generally will not have a full understanding of the subculture.
I do agree that kids take the music and fashion too far and do some pretty bad things. But there are some kids (like me) who don't do that and aren't depressed, suicidal, etc. My favorite emo band is Sunny Day Real Estate and my favorite screamo is Danse Macabre and The Kodan Armada. And I love gothic music. My favorite goth bands are Screams for Tina, Cinema Strange, The Cruxshadows, Christian Death, etc. And I'm not "bad".
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Re: Society brought down by music
Even worse.
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Goth is Bad
Goth and emo whatever that is has proven to be dangerous...just ask the parents at Columbine...
Goth is weird and dangerous...I hope Russia bans it...creepy kids...
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Russia bans emo RE:
How ever, the lifestyles of the cultures may be harmful to teens, therefore, may need to be cut down a bit. Keeping a regular check on your teen age child's life and watching for the signs of a deep depression are a few thing you can do to prevent a teen suicide. If your child is cutting their wrists, they may need professional help. If they are doing it because they think it is cool, talk with them and show them it is not cool.
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omfg
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Stereotypes
Hmmm….There are so many things I have to say about this that I don’t even know where to start.
First – It is just morally wrong… There is such a thing as freedom of speech, most countries have adopted this concept…If not they should really look at adopting it too.
If the world is ever to be a peaceful place, (go ahead and laugh if you want, I’ve been laughed at before, I can handle it, I just prefer to keep an optimistic outlook) humanity, that is everyone, needs to learn a little tolerance. For those of you who’ve never heard the word or are so out of practice you’ve forgotten what it means tolerance is respect and the ability to let live in regards to every person, group or ideology that is out there, whether or not one likes or agrees with it.
Secondly – The stereotype of emo has gotten way out of hand. Not all emos are depressed or suicidal or self-harming. Actually the only people I know who do/did cut themselves weren’t considered emo and the only people I know who are/were depressed (by which I mean medically diagnosed with it. Everyone feels depressed every now and then, that is unfortunately, part of being human) weren’t considered emo and all of then as a matter of fact hate emo music.
So to summarize that for those lacking the time or attention span to read my last paragraph, or if it was simple to confusing:
You don’t have to be emo to be depressed/suicidal/self-harming and not all emos are depressed/suicidal/self-harming.
I guess people either don’t know or have forgotten that the term emo comes from the word emotional. Emos are simple people who openly express their emotion whether it be joy, sadness, happiness or angst. No where in the ‘title’ does it say or even imply that emos only show there negative feelings. In fact some of the emo people that I know are the happiest people I know.
Thirdly – The music genre emo seems to be widely misinterpreted as well. Not all emo music (actually the majority of it doesn’t) contain lyrics about suicide or sex or drug use. Also these themes are not contained only to emo music, do not some rock songs contain lyrics along these lines? And country? And rap?
And neither is emo music confined to these themes. Most emo songs are actually about making your way through hard times and encourage you to keep on going as opposed to giving up and killing yourself. Take for example the line in ‘The Phrase That Pays’ by The Academy Is… which is often considered an emo band, that goes “Hold your head high heavy heart,” encouraging you to continue to have faith and hope despite bad situations, along with the chorus to ‘The Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance that repeats “We’ll carry on,” so many times that you find yourself humming the words to yourself for the rest of the day.
They can also encourage you to keep loving despite how hard it can be at times, (“If love is a labour I’ll slave ‘till the end,” Swing Life Away by Rise Against) and to find and be yourself, (“I tried to be someone else/ but nothing seemed to change/ I know now/ This is who I really am inside” The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars)
Fourthly (and hopefully finally as you all are probably getting sick of me =P) – Let’s say that all the stereotypes about emos and emo music is true. All emos are depressed and suicidal and spend there free times slitting their wrists or dreaming of, to quote loosely a rather shocking line from a letter issued by a educational district, dying in a warm bath of their own blood, (who else went eww! when they heard that?) how is banning emo music going to help?
All it is going to do is drive it underground. At least if all this really was true it would be easy to spot and therefore try and help the individuals that really need help. But if those who feel like this are forced to dress like and listen to the same music as everyone else it would be harder to figure out who needs help, and, since they are pulling the “it’s for the kids” card that should be their main concern.
Banning this would also cause those who felt that way like they no longer had any way to express themselves and would only make them more likely to commit suicide.
DONE! Pheww! So I’ve basically said every thing I can think of at the moment. In case you were wondering where I fit in regarding emos I’ll let you know so that I don’t get any pointless and unproductive messages along the lines of “You obviously are emo so go do the world a favour and get on with dying”
Yes, I do like and listen to emo music. As before mentioned it can be quite encouraging. No I myself am not an emo. I don’t really think I have a group unless you count nerdy losers as a social group in which case the majority of my friends and I would proudly claim to be part of it =P. I do however have some emo friends and I actually quite like the style but skinny jeans and poser do not look good on me so until I actually decide to go out there and be an emo I’ll stick to my normal jeans and haircut.
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Oops we made it worse
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blah
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you sad bast*rds !!
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i agree
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=(
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=)
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Good
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Alright as Sam said above me: Lables are for soup cans not for people. People need labels yes, it make life a little easyer to meet people but if you going to go as far as to tattoo a gaint label on everything such as music and then ban it because its not of your liking then you need to go back to school and re-learn individuality.
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WTF
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WTF
if you agree say so!!!
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EmO
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Other Cliques
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Oh come on
Secondly, emo posing threat to children? Do they even KNOW what EMO is all about? They probably THINK they know but all they know are some stereotypes. The truth with emo is just people who want to express their emotions because the FCKIN WORLD has problem with people expressing themselves. People go through tough times and are not being understood. Instead of wiping them out, shouldn't the government try to LISTEN to them and HELP? Jesus, seriously, it pisses me off how these stupid people are in control of the country. All they do is using their power to BAN, ELIMINATE, DISCARD.
It's like there are children crying - instead of getting to know why the children cried and how to make the children feel better - they just ignore the children THINKING the children is just being annoying. Seriously, people need to CARE more about WHY people do the things they do instead of always making assumptions and stereotypes.
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Hahaha
If u hate emo dont fucking listen to it. All of yall are steroptypical assholes. Oh and Emo stands 4 Emotive Hardcore and thru the yrs has bcome emotional. Yall really need to fucking find something better to do than trash music you dont like, I FUCKING LOVE EMO AND U CANT CHANGE MY GOD DAMN MIND! And the music isnt about sex and suicide blah blah blah. Rap is so much more friggin sick and disgusitng and perverted than emo and goth will ever be, Honestly I think we shudnt have different types of music it shud b one called MUSIC DUH! And we shud be able to dress how we want to. They tried to take away alchohol ppl wanted it more then they take away emo and goth every1 will want it more its as simple as that. And cutting is a deep pschological problem. And preps and all those other clique and shitty assholes do it to most of them die from drugs tho and wat does the music they listen to talk about? Drugs, Fucking, Beating,etc.. WAY WORSE THAN EMO.
Im done now. Piss offs.
Oh Have a wonderful day.
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Couldn't resist
-BUT IN SOVIET RUSSIA, THEY CUT YOU!
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