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For as long as I remember teenagers in high school tend to identify themselves within a certain clique. Recently, a "new" clique has emerged, the emo's (short for emotional). There name says it all; these are the teenagers who are not afraid to wear their emotions on their sleeve. As an English teacher, I have noticed that students that fall into this group enjoy expressing themselves through various forms.

They tend to dress in a way that draws attention to themselves. Some wear gothic style clothing and cover themselves with peircings. I jokingly told a friend that it looks like someone has taken a bedazzler to their faces and went crazy. The point is an emo person wants people to look at them and maybe empathize or even sympathize with them. Their style of clothing does not make them bad or even crazy people at all, in fact, some are quite mature and looking for ways to deal with horrible events that have occurred in their lives. Each generation had outcasts in the fifties their were the greasers, in the sixties, the hippies, in the nineties, the stoners, and now we have the emo's. The self proclaimed social outcasts.

In order to be considered emo a student usually has a pessimistic heir about them. In school everything is "gay" or everything is "pointless." At least thats what most will say, because their own problems take precedence over everything. If you think a typical teenager is egocentric, wait until you meet an emo during a social crisis. Emo's really don't seem to be loners, in fact, because of their desire to express their emotions they are usually stay in groups. Most seem incapable of having thoughts that concern anything else, but their own personal problems. I am not saying this to attack emo's, because the sad fact is that events in their life have obviously affected their outlook on life. When a teenager lives with pain everyday it is difficult for someone so young to look beyond that. So by finding others with similar problems, sharing grief through music, clothing, conversation, and other mediums is just their way to deal with their problems.

In the classroom, I find that if I can motivate one of these students, they tend to be quite expressive and generally good writers. They are in touch with their emotions and usually like the attention they get whenever they get a chance to express the pain they struggle through. Emo students are generally respectful, at least in comparison with other students, however they can be set off easily if certain buttons are pushed.

Being an emo goes beyond the clothing, the piercings, and the music. Being an emo means to be a part of a group that does not hesitate to share their pain with each other. Few groups in high school accept that type of behavior. Can you imagine a a group of jocks or any other clique sitting around talking about their personal problems? Well with all the problems around today caused by broken homes, or other circumstances it is only natural that these troubled youth seek sanctuary, a place they feel comfortable expressing their feelings.

Learn more about this author, Drew Price.
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