Sailor79, I'm getting what you are saying re: the domino effect. I've seen that quite clearly in my experience. I also understand what you are saying about other cultural groups. Depression is also a major cause of what I am seeing. But even if the numbers of depressed teens have remained the same, and they probably have (I do need to check that), there is only one explanation for the vast increases of self injury and suicide. The only different factor is emo. Self injury has alway been with us (unfortunately), as has suicide. There are currently large increases in both. The only factor that is around now and was not before, is emo. It is the emo subculture that promotes those behaviors. Are kids falling into that and imitating the behaviors? you bet! Doe it have a "triggering effect" on depressed kids? It certainly appears to.
From reading your post, I'm really hoping that you are in no way offended by anything that has been posted here. Most of us belonged to various subcultures while growing up. I belonged to the scene that preceded yours. I'm really not concerned with the dress, the hair, or the music. Most of us did that to some degree or another. If it were only that, it would be just another fad, and most of us would just wait for it to fade (and be replaced by something else). The fashion of the fad is only useful in identifying those who may be into the scene. It's the messages of hopelessness, meaninglessness, self injury and suicide that concern me. It especially concerns me that there are many of those kids that are following through on the messages!
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