Sunday, March 30, 2008

Kids Killing Kids

My roommate showed me this story last night. At first we thought it was a mock news story, like The Onion, because it seemed so crazy, but its sadly not.

Apparently, violence has broken out across Mexico against "emo" kids. This subset of youth culture has been experiencing increasing harassment and violence, often tormented by other Mexican youths, often those associated with "punk" and "metal" music.

The underlying problem seems to be homophobia. Many people in Mexico still feel very uncomfortable with homosexuality, and due to the "feminine" hair and make-up worn by many Mexican "emo" kids, the group is become associated with homosexuality.
"Detesto a los emosexuales," (I hate emosexuals) was posted on a youth website. Because emosexual is wordplay on homosexual (especially in Spanish because of the silent 'h'), the underlying problem has become more and more clear.

This is especially heart-wrenching, I feel, because it is kids hating other kids. The youth should be united, has to be united in order to change the world. Under Mexico's corrupt government, it is especially important that the youth be organized, that they care for each other. To let something as unimportant as sexual orientation, or supposed sexual orientation, to prevent a revolution, a safer world, a fairer government is...

"Why are all the kids killing each other?" - Kevin Coval


2 comments:

Ryan said...

And I thought America was bad with homophobia. I had heard something about this on another site. Attacking people just because of a subculture they belong to or the music they listen to is more or less fascism.

Amelia said...

Mexico is not the best place to live, apparently, if you are an "emo" kid, or a woman (you need to help me gather some information about la Cuidad de Juares en Mexico, where hundreds of women were, and still are being, murdered...sad...).

Hate is so destructive.
I never use that word in regard to other people. Ugh.