As I stared at the computer, nothing came to mind, so I did the usual and set iTunes to shuffle. The first bands that came up were: The Get Up Kids, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday and Sunny Day Real Estate. Now, if you haven’t figured out what I’m going to talk about next, where the hell have you been? All of those bands are “Emo,” whatever that means. (In case you don’t know, it’s short for emotional.)
A good number of people accuse me of being Emo. Why? I don’t have a damn clue. I’m not that sappy, I don’t wear black frames and my hair isn’t dyed black. Yeah I write songs, attempt to play guitar (I rock the air guitar) and shop at thrift stores, but who cares right? Whenever I ask anyone why they call me “Emo,” the only reason they have is that I listen to Emo music. So, just because of the fact that I listen to awesome music (and no I don’t listen to only emo), I gain the reputation and label of being Emo. Good ol’ labels.
A ton of people complain about stereotypes and labels(myself included) that are put on groups of people. But sometimes they are true. For example, if you are a DDR kid (that’s short for Dance Dance Revolution, the video game where you “dance” on a mat), you are a waste of life. Maybe it sounds harsh, but seriously, what the hell are you thinking?! First off, record and watch yourself. If that isn’t enough incentive to stop wasting your life, well … then you are pretty much at the bottom of the shit list and you suck. Here’s another tip: If you are addicted to this incredibly stupid game, don’t show the whole world by embarrassing yourself crowding around the TVs in Appel.
Another label that is impossible to ignore at Cornell is the “Prep.” If you are a Prep, you have to know what’s coming your way. How could you not expect people to stereotype you? First, the collar — you know I had to mention it. If your collar is popped, don’t start bitching that you don’t know why people think you are preppy. Hell, I’m Emo (according to some people) and I like polo shirts, but if you have a closet full of pastel colored polos, including numerous shades of pink to match the khakis you can’t live without, don’t cry about being a prep.
Some people at this school take labels too far when they associate you with the school you are in. Not all aggies are farmers, not all hotelies are slackers and not all engineers are nerds. Wait, I take that last one back. All engineers are nerds, but some just take it to the max. If your backpack is larger than you are there is a problem. If it’s touching the ground while you lean forward racing to class to sit in the front row, then, yes, that too is bad news. Still these kids take all of their books to class and use the seventeen pockets in their backpack for their three pairs of eye glasses, four calculators and ten pencils, just in case something were to happen to the first nine.
What’s great is how some people try to cover all bases. For example, my friend Nicole (who rocks!) will wear Uggs one day and Cons (short for converse shoes) the next. Two completely different extremes, right? But hell, I have some Kenneth Cole boots in the closet next to my ten-dollar Wal-Mart sneakers. So there you have it. Don’t cry about being Emo, stop wasting your life doing DDR, no whining if you pop your collar and engineers: figure out an equation to balance the backpack dilemma.
Archived article by Adrian Prieto
Sun Staff Writer