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People are so eager to point them out because they are so frustrating. They assume that their outfits and words make them special but they aren't. They make it harder for true depressive to be diagnosed. That's why I hate them at least.

*sigh*

First and formost, just because some is or "appears" emo doesn't make them depressed. Around here they don't even call them emo, they call them "scene kids" because they way they dress is the "punk-rock/ widestream screamo music" scene.

"Emo" obviously is the shortened word of "emotional" which became a way to describe a certain type of music because of it's emotional lyrics and meanings. Therefore someone who listens to this "emotional" music could be classified (in the musical/stererotypical teenage labeling world) as "emo".

You can't just randomly point someone out in the mall who wears tight pants, many bracelets and hair that swooshes to the side and assume they're depressed. Listening to "emo" music doesn't make you depressed. End of story.

As for these people making it hard to classify real depressed people, you're an idiot. Obviously if someone is depressed, there are symptoms. I wasn't aware that dressing a certain way and wearing your hair in a certain style was a symptom. Some of the most preppy, cheerleader girls and nerd-type bookworms/class valedictorian people are depressed. There's no way to tell based on clothes and hair.

And of course, there are the people that take it to extremes and an oh so proud of being "emo." Those people we can say are "desperate to make friends" or, "attention whores". Not depressed.

There's my arguement.

Of course listening to that genre of music doesn't make you depressed. I'm aware it means emotional, so then someone with depression would usually have symptoms which would limit their social lives. While not obvious at first glance as you get to know the person they'd become more obvious. They people either try to help them, ignore it or ditch them. My argument is that, supposing a scene kid was depressed, would people still call them emo? Why is it that emo became a slang term for depressed and scene kids. You don't actually have to be a scene kid in my area to be called emo. All it takes is one day of feeling down and suddenly you're emo. I'm not saying all emos are depressed or all depressed people are emo.



@ Mystrik
As for people with true depression making it harder to diagnose, I don't think so. As it was already said, there would be symptoms that 'm sure people would realize. The difference between a scene kid and someone truly depressed. But they seem to be bunched in the same category. Scene kids is a sub culture now like preps or jocks. They're still called emo because that's the slang for it. When someone has problems they're still classified as emo, even if they aren't scene kids.

Last time I checked, all human beings can feel emotions. And if a scene kid or emo kid was depressed, I would call them "depressed", since anyone can be depressed. If that's the case, aren't all human beings "emo"?Eh, I don't make the terminology now a days. Scene kids are always called emo but people with real problem might be called about it for a week, depending on their social status. I know it's quite a stupid use of the word. But that's how it used now.

I am depressed, but I'm certainly far from the connotation of "emo". Yes, sad as it is, the word "emo" is almost exclusively now attributed to kids/teens that dress in the present style, depressed or not. It is assumed that, by their dress, they are depressed. Thank you mass culture...

I don't listen to the widestream music because I can't stand it. It's becoming nothing but people whining into the microphones in time to some basic tune they may or may not have come up with. There's a reason nearly all the music in my collection has no lyrics (with the exception of Dragonforce, love em).

For the people who are genuinely depressed, I always feel sympathy. For the people who are just dressing the style and pretending to be depressed, there are times I'd like to unload on them. Depression is not fun, at all. Bipolar gives a little amusement, but only in that the "high period" is fun. Even then, not fun to be clinically depressed. What's worse is the common misconception that anyone who's feeling "down" or just sad has depression. No, they're just feeling a little depressed... depression is when it doesn't go away for a very long period of time.

For the depressed people who are moving toward the "emo scene", it certainly won't help them. Around my school, the majority of bullying has shifted from the usual nerd-bashing and such to picking on the "emo kids". It's just a bigger target, now that the depressed ones are grouped together and mocked.

Really, the "emo scene" really needs to move on. Let's get the next fad in here before we end up with a mass of mentally scarred children moving into the workplace. I don't know what the next "scene" is, and I really don't care, but "emo" has to stop.