[ExI] Them little emo kids (was Re: "thoughts to live by" regarding youth subculture)

[Tom Nowell]

John Grigg wrote "But I do admit that being a citizen of the 1st world pressure cooker is *vastly* better than living in a Latin American, Asian or African ghetto where basic medicine, healthy and plentiful food, civil liberties, adequate shelter and education are only a dream.  But many living legally in our "wondrous" 1st world still don't have all their basic living needs met."

John, are you Ross Perot or George HW Bush in disguise? You appear to have turned into your own grandfather. Next you'll be telling the kids to finish their dinner, there's starving Africans who'd love to have something to eat. Regardless of how good your situation may be, it never seems that good when you're young and that one way of life is all you've ever known. 
 You see the possibility of getting a great education - they see crushing college debts, pressure from parents and teachers to choose particular paths, the possibility that further study may do nothing for your career. You see the wonders of democracy - they see politicians who don't listen to them and no reason to vote or get involved. You see an infinite array of career choices - they see being forced to make a choice and suffer the soul-crushing possibility of being in the wrong career because of a bad decision made when they were young. It's frequently only when you're older that you realise all the things you could have done.
 Another annoying thing for the young is being told you could do well at something, but no matter how hard you try there's always someone in school who looks like they'll do better than you, go to a better college and get a better career. The only exception to this is the top student in school, who's pushing themselves superhumanly hard out of fear of failure and parental pressure.

On another point, when it comes to kids being in a subculture tied up with miserable trappings - there's a saying, "Misery loves company". If you're prone to depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and the rest, then a subculture which celebrates such things as a part of everyday life is a perfect place for you to find kindred spirits and friends. After all, what more can a moody teenager ask for than someone who understands your pain?

Finally - it is a must amongst my ex-goth friends to sneer at the emo kids. I think it's a generational thing (we're all in our late 20s or early 30s) so it's become a common mindset. I'm inferring from Dagon's email that he's within a few years of age 35, so he probably has a similar attitude among his friends.

Tom