I was reading an article on Publico.es yesterday about the socio-cultural situation of EMO’s, punks and other subcultures in Mexico City. Seems it’s not very good to dress in black and dye your hair green there, because chances are you’ll get beaten up, just like that. Also, if you are gay, you may be also beaten up, or worse.
These groups have all united and held a demonstration in Mexico DF, criticising the government, the police, and the general population about this discriminatory attitude.
They never made it to their destination; a club in the city where these people are free to meet and listen to alternative music. There were confrontations between their popular opposers and the police, which was supposed to hold a protection chord between them and the angry mob. However, the police was obviously pro-angry mob and didn’t avoid the street battle that ensued.

One can argue about the general socio-cultural situation in Mexico, and in other Latin American countries, not to mention other nations not in South America where free expression is a serious issue. In Spain, legislation has been passed recently which allows gay and lesbians to live in quite a safe country: the proof is there, if you take a walk through the streets of Madrid, or any other city in the country. I suppose that in Europe, in general, these are not extraordinarily hot issues. Discrimination exists, but I guess that the likelihood of someone being beaten up and left to die on the streets of – say, Paris – because he/she is an EMO, or a goth, is not significant. I mean, everybody will stare at something that seems to be out of the norm, but there is a big distance to insulting and assaulting…

And here comes the cliché: people should dress how they feel, and be whomever they choose to be. And, obviously, they should be prepared to handle the consequences of such a responsible choice, be it a stare or a laugh, or even an insult. I mean, women going by a construction site shouldn’t wear skirts, because then they will be harassed?! Believe me; it takes less than a skirt to be harassed by construction workers…
However, when an angry mob chases you with the intent of skinning you out of you jeans and violet hair, then something is very, very wrong. That’s messing with your free will and your civil freedom. You won’t see the same angry mob lynching someone who has no taste in clothing (I’m thinking Posh Spice now…).

Subcultures such as EMOs, punks, hippies, rockabillies, etc..., emerge as a reaction to the status quo of a specific society, usually supported by music and other forms of art. These subcultures end up becoming the backbone of the social upbringing of teenagers, something which is sometimes good, and sometimes bad. I mean, when you add political and religious factors that incite to violence and hatred, and you expose teenagers to it, I can imagine what kind of adults they will become. But, these subcultures also end up being the motor of evolution for societies, and these “impressionable” teenagers also have the power to separate what is good and what is bad for them and their society, either by themselves, or with the help of the proper guidance – parents and, if necessary, the Police (ugh!).