Anti-Emo Riots Break Out Across Mexico

[Underdog]

Riot police have taken to the streets of several cities in Mexico to ... defend emo kids?

A series of attacks on dyed-hair, eye-makeup-wearing emo kids began in early March when several hundred people went on an emo-beating rampage in Querétaro, a town of 1.5 million about 160 miles north of Mexico City.

The next week, shaggy-haired emo teenagers were harassed again by punks and rockabillys in the capital, prompting police protection and a segment on the TV news. Most recently, a Mexican newspaper reported that metal heads and gangsters have warned Tijuana's emo kids to stay away from the town's fair next month.

But the so-called emos are organizing, too. Last week, they demonstrated against the violence, pictured above, and Wednesday some met with police in Mexico City.

"They're organizing to defend their right to be emo," wrote Daniel Hernandez of LA Weekly on his personal blog, which has provided stellar coverage of the whole affair.

Music-based subcultures have permeated Mexico's major cities for decades, fueled by constant migration from rural cities. But only in the past year have emos begun to make their presence felt in the streets. In response, many of the established so-called tribus urbanas like punks and metalheads are responding with violence. The emo-punk battles are reminiscent of earlier subculture fights among various factions, like the Hell's Angels fighting hippies at the Altamont Music Festival or the Mods taking on the Rockers.

But while videos of Mexican teenagers with pompadours advancing on equally baby-faced emo rockers seem like scenes from a south-of-the-border version of John Waters' Crybaby, there are ugly undercurrents to the story.

First, by some accounts, the emo subculture is identified with homosexuality in Mexico. As Mexico City youth worker Victor Mendoza told Time.com: "At the core of this is the homophobic issue. The other arguments are just window dressing for that."

Gustavo Arellano, the author of Ask a Mexican and an editor at OC Weekly, said that the sexual ambiguities cultivated by emo fashion helped set the group up for targeting by more macho groups.

"What do you do when you are confronted with a question mark about sexuality in Mexico?" Arellano said. "You beat it up."

Forum posts show similar sentiments. One person wrote on a government youth-website forum, "detesto a los emosexuales," which translates as "I hate emosexuals." Emosexual is an obvious play on homosexual, especially in Spanish, where the H is silent.

Many of the attacks have been planned, or at least fomented, on violently anti-emo websites like Movimiento Anti Emosexual, which features videos of physical violence sprinkled liberally with anti-gay sentiment. Last.fm's Anti Emo Death Squad group has almost 4,000 members.

But Arellano said he thought the riots could have a positive impact here in the US.

"It's a great clusterf*ck for the American mind's idea of Mexico," Arellano said. "This teaches the rest of the world that Mexico is not just a bunch of cactuses and sombreros."


wired.com

Someone needs to inform these folks that there's life beyond high school...

[bernardos70]

The video is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Watch at around 1:40 to see who the peacemakers are.

[Caseman]

Emo is such a weird fad. I'm glad I grew up in the 90's and not the 00's. Good grunge for my soul.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Caseman

Emo is such a weird fad. I'm glad I grew up in the 90's and not the 00's. Good grunge for my soul.

Then you might be too young to remember the New Wave crowd - they were waaaay more silly than these Emo kids (hell, pretty much any music-based fashion from the 80s looked ridiculous!)

[bernardos70]

lol, had to come back here and watch the Hare-Krishnas calm down the crowd. This should be posted under interesting videos.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by bernardos70

lol, had to come back here and watch the Hare-Krishnas calm down the crowd. This should be posted under interesting videos.

I loved that part - all those emo & punk kids were just standing there gawking at how much sillier the Hare-Krishnas looked than any of them... It kinda took the wind out of their sails...

[Just211]

seems like a really gay version of "warriors"

[Windmill360]

Emo is running through mexico like hump on granny.

I walked into the mall in Juarez, Mexico and there's nothin but emo kids.

[mcsluggo]

"Warriors" was a really gay version of "Warriors"

[alexamenos]

i think Emo is corny and his schtick gets really old after a while -- one joke after the next has the exact same structure, some very generic statement followed immediately by a surprise perhaps ironic conclusion, to wit:

I used to have a big gay following,
but I ducked down an alley and lost him.

or

I learned about women the hard way.
Through books.

but I'm surprised anyone would riot over such a thing.

[twistaeffect2004]

What are people stealing their makeup?

Buck up ya emo bastaaaaaads.

[Usually Lurkin]

For days I thought this thread was about anti-elmo robots breaking out across mexico. Even still, I wasn't disappointed. Thanks.

[WraithXx]

Originally Posted by bernardos70

lol, had to come back here and watch the Hare-Krishnas calm down the crowd. This should be posted under interesting videos.

lmao, it's so hilarious to watch that part

[Rick41]

Its so weird to see dark skinned emo's... Hell, i didn't even know Mexico had emo kids!

[mqywaaah]

Emosexuals.. LMAO

[mqywaaah]

Same video as the one in the blog, only this has subtitles. LOL Watch it!
Anti-Emo Mexico Riot

[mqywaaah]

Originally Posted by Caseman

Emo is such a weird fad. I'm glad I grew up in the 90's and not the 00's. Good grunge for my soul.

*Slaps Caseman a high five*

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Rick41

Its so weird to see dark skinned emo's... Hell, i didn't even know Mexico had emo kids!

Education trumps ignorance - you learn something new every day...