Dear Editor,
Maybe as a freshman here at ETSU, I’ve yet to discover that this publication is allowed to print articles on frivolous topics such as a wrongly named hairstyle (“Emo hair: trendy new style or national epidemic” printed in the Sept. 8 East Tennessean).
I realize that the piece was in the Viewpoint section and that the readers are expected to take any one of those writings with a grain of salt; however, this doesn’t save the article from being offensive and most of all ridiculous.
I was surprised at how contradicting both the ideas and the author were. The hair labeled “emo” and the sub faction to which the owners of such hair think they belong (that being hardcore) don’t coincide.
Ask any individual who listens to hardcore metal music whether they like to be associated with the whiney undertones accompaning emo songs and most would be highly offended.
In addition, the goal might have been to simply warn the masses of some kind of horrendous trend but in actuality the encouragement of grave negativity took place instead.
Let us all judge others whose hair is a bit different from our own. I think that would promote good collegiate unity don’t you?
Last and most importantly, if it wasn’t enough to write an under researched, seemingly pointless article, your reporter had to call out a fellow member of the ET staff.
Sure, the reporter states that he is a “nice guy so I won’t be mean about it” (it being their hair) but if you notice, they are still associating this person with a hairstyle deemed dire enough to prepare everyone for an impending takeover.
So, this person is nice but they are only adding to all the “bad-bad, horrible-bad,” and (my personal favorite), “ugly-bad hair” out there.
That doesn’t sound very professional now does it?
Meredith Dosher

Author