Another fandom-related rant. Subject: "Emo"

[timepiececlock]

Like others I'm sure, I've been irritated this year with the prevalent overuse of the term "emo", especially when applied to each and every male character in the fandom multiverse who looks even remotely unhappy. Not every sad person is emo. Not every angry person is emo. Not every grieving or depressed person is emo. If we're going to throw stereotypes at fictional characters (who are, let's face it, really easy to "type"), at least let's pick the right one, shall we? In that vein, I give you another angry letter to the A:TLAB fandom. Well, "angry" is probably an overstatement-- I mean, it's not like I'm going to weep for a week about it and cry over my internet guitar like the real emo rockers do.


Dear Avatar fandom,

Zuko is not now, has never been, and never will be emo. Zuko is not the Emo Kid, he's an Angry Young Man. Respect the stereotype! If Zuko were to hole up in his tiny metal room on his ship after a long day of failing to capture the Avatar and brooding over his estranged relationship with his abusive deadbeat father, he would not listen to Dashboard Confessional or A Simple Plan or AFI or Bright Eyes, he would listen to System Of A Down. And maybe throw in some Disturbed and a few tracks by KoRn. That's what Angry Young Men do. ...When they're not screaming at the world from a mountaintop in the rain, kicking random objects, shouting at people who only try to help, sulking silently for hours (possibly days) on end, picking violent fights, plotting revenge, avoiding confrontations with loved ones, or running away from home. Zuko doesn't want to slit his wrists and then write bad poetry in his own lifeblood. Zuko wants to go somewhere that he can eat real Fire Nation food, beat up his overachieving sibling, have it out with Daddy Dearest, and rule his own country again.


Thanks,

A Mildly Irked Zuko Fan

Comments

[memlu.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you. I've been meaning to rant about the misuse of "emo" in fandom for ages now, but you've done it very well here.

HONESTLY.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

The idea of ZUKO listening to Bright Eyes or AFI makes me laugh.

he would listen to System Of A Down. And maybe throw in some Disturbed and a few tracks by KoRn.

Throw in some tracks by Skid Row and Sepultura and he's set.

[akavertigo.livejournal.com]

EMO=Eat More Oreos!

[loveroftheflame.livejournal.com]

I bow to your greater wisdom and vow to never call Zuko emo again.... He is "vexed"...

[helga-b.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I might have used angst and emo interchangeably a couple of times. In my defense, they're both words I don't use much and figure don't have much to do with me anyway, so I haven't really given it any thought at all.

[jakia.livejournal.com]

Mostly I'm inclined to agree with you, however, there are times when Zuko is an emokid. When he's crying in the rain at the end of Bitter Works, it was like Dashboard Confessional was planning in the background while Zuko wallowed in his angst and woe.

Also note: Mai is an emokid.

And she is so going to write bad poetry in Rebirth!verse. Lots and lots of really, bad poetry. :) :)

jak

[littleduchess.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Emo connotes that it's not that bad and it's mostly a phase that will blow over. When it comes to fandom (especially Zuko) it often is that bad. Also Angry Young Men out to change the world rock and have a very strong tradition in literature and film. ::nods::

[misao-kunoichi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been really irritated with the use of the word "emo" too. It gets really tiring to hear people say, "OMG, how emo" about a person if they so much as *look* sad. And I agree: Zuko is angry, not emo.

[flamingly-fey.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH.

You like both Avatar and Farscape; you're a damned good writer; you're female... run away to the Netherlands with me and get married?

[xlovelylightx.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'll ever be able to call Zuko "emo" ever again! Even for a joke! xD

[demizeku-otp.livejournal.com]

(Sorry for the random appearance and rambling; I found this searching for arguments against emo!Zuko and tend to be very rambly about annoying fandom issues. Delete this if it's too annoying.)

*APPLAUSE* Thank you thank you thank youuuuu. Angry=/=emo. I don't even think he was angsty or depressed. Close, but just about one step below. Mostly, he was just angry, conflicted, and overwhelmed.

They call my other favorite character emo, too, but this one especially gets under my skin, because I was just like pre-3x10 Zuko when I was his age; snapping at everyone, ridiculously oversensitive, abusive father, shunned by everyone, etc. I've been through it. It's not fun. It's nothing like sitting around and listening to angsty music while writing poetry.

That word "emo" just gets under my skin, too. Emo is a genre of music, not a blanket statement for anyone who doesn't act like they just ate an entire bag of sugar. The Avatarverse is a fictional Asian world probably about 200-300 years behind ours in technology and such. They don't even have radios, let alone emo music.