Cutting and Emo: Unrelated

A feature article by an Alumbo member, Jan 15, 2008         

Cutting is a form of self-injury, often seen as a symptom of borderline personality disorder or bipolar disorder. People of all ages, male and female, engage in the act, and it is in no way related to whether or not they listen to emo music. In fact, the scene itself does not condone or encourage this behavior, and most people would suggest, upon discovering one of their friends was self harming, that they seek help for it.

Why do people harm themselves? There are many reasons. People who have these mental problems often use it to relieve stress, help eliminate the feelings of overwhelming emotions, or even to punish themselves. People in all subcultural scenes, and all over the world, engage in this behavior, though it is more common to see women doing it than men.

People who cut tend to be secretive about it and hide what they are doing from people. This is in stark contrast to the popular myth that people in the emo scene cut themselves for attention, or to show off and earn "emo points." Many will cut on parts of the body that aren't visible, or people who cut their arms often hide the cuts with long sleeves, jewelry, or makeup.

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The emo scene has been given a bad name as a result of people mistakenly linking it to self injury. While there are fans of the music who do this, due to their brain chemistry, people who listen to pop music, country music, or even rap music do this as well. It has nothing to do with personal choices in life, and everything to do with chemical imbalances associated with depressive mental illnesses.

Nonetheless, the media has continued to perpetuate the negative stereotype of "emo cutters" and report extremely "shocking" -- but false -- reports that scare parents and people who don't know anything about the music or the scene.

This is unfortunate, because someone who is bipolar or borderline and suffering from associated depression may actually be helped by finding other people who like similar music, dress the same, or feel like outcasts. These people would most likely not be engaging in the behavior, and could even be a support system for the person who was in trouble.

Here's hoping that people will get a better understanding of what self injury is really about -- and stop blaming music, or anything, really -- while encouraging anyone they know who is injuring themselves to get some help.

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