Mainstream television news is rarely as goofy and bizarre as when it is trying to scare old people with stories about the dangers of youthful fads. Take this video, for example, from WDAZ TV in Grand Forks, North Dakota on the dangers of emo.
It alternately reminds me of an SNL skit and a 60’s “education” film about the dangers of smoking. I remember watching those films when I was in high school in the late 80’s. All the kids were wearing bell bottoms and saying things like “far out” and “groovy.” It was hilarious trying to get that to relate to us.
Here are my top 3 funny things about this story:
3. They keep referring to emo as short for emotional, which is fine, but I love the way they do it. “Emo or ‘EMOTIONAL.’” You can almost hear them using the little quote fingers as they talk.
2. The sheriff’s description of black hair falling over one eye so they can only see the world with one eye nearly made me fall off my chair laughing.
1. The “quiz” they showed to see how emo you are was one of those MySpace quizzes that gets passed around to everyone. Perhaps next they can show the dangers of determining how sexual you are via the zodiac signs or learning how to stalk by asking us questions about our top 8.
My guess is that it is pretty tough to find a decent story in the middle of winter in North Dakota besides, “Well, it’s still cold outside.”
Awwww…the sherriff’s deputy was adorable. This story gets filed under “cute.” Is that wrong?
[I like to think of myself as emo. Well, emo without the cutting, the black hair, the eye-liner, the cool uncool friends, the youth, and...well...the crying.
OKAY, OKAY...I cry. I cry, dammit! I said it.]