Mexico, Russia, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, meet Italy. Anthony Smith of the Roman Forum found another tale of hatred towards emo. Here’s a taste of what Smith has to say:
A 14 year-old Roman ‘emo’ boy was hospitalised last week after he and a friend were pounced upon and severely beaten by a rival ‘truzzi’ group.
According to local daily Il Messaggero, 14-year old Giacomo had just left Piazza del Popolo, a popular spot for Roman youths to meet and hang out, and was heading to the Flaminio metro station when the ‘truzzi’ started to harass them.
Truzzi is apparently Italian slang for the American equivalent of a “bro.” From what I can gather from Italian news sources translated to English, the truzzi sound like something of a nuisance to all people, not just “emos.” And, unlike all the previous countries listed, it seems that the Italians see emo as a rite of youth rather than a cult. Here’s a rough translation from the Italian Reuters piece:
“Emo” – resulting from a subgenre of hardcore and punk music — has come to distinguish almost a philosophy of adolescent life
Pretty straightforward, and though it’s speckled with the stereotypes of yore, it doesn’t condescend. And the parents seem more worried about the truzzi youth who are responsible for hospitalizing a 14 year old (as they should). And with police having uncovered a blog that links the truzzi kids to a plan to fight the “emos,” it seems the Italians have their heads screwed on correctly. Smith even gets the fact that emo stands for emotional hardcore when he notes that emos listen to it, and his assertion of thus separates the genre from the fashionable trend that has come to define the name for people. Here’s hoping the whole mess gets cleared up quick…
