Alt Subcultures: Negativity Towards The Scene

By Georgia Mayes

Imagine this: you’re sitting at lunch across from your friends, when suddenly people start talking about you guys. “Weirdos” you hear, along with “Oh my, look at her shoes,” they say while laughing together. This is how many people in the community feel everyday or have felt before. Not such a good feeling, right?

For some people, this might seem like a small moment, but many people have been strongly impacted by this. This article will be talking about how people mistake who alternative people truly are, the negativity the community faces, the aftermath of bullying, and more.

The alt community is a community that is strongly against discrimination and stirs away from the more “mainstream” society. Their values are centered in non-confirmity, inclusivity, resistance to oppressive systems, and many more. The majority have very strong political views that turn extremely to the left. Here at Jenks, we have a high number of people that are part of this scene. Whether they’re punk, goth, emo, grunge, or something else. But, at JHS along with all around the world, many, many, many people have gotten or still get ridiculed and bullied outside and even inside the community. 

A good amount of stereotypes come from films since alt people are usually portrayed as rude and disrespectful or just strange. “The actual alt community is the opposite, the majority of people are really kind and have respect for everyone,” said Flynn Ketner. In most films that include alternative people, there is always one character who points out how they act (even if it's other characters or the audience), or how they look/dress. 

 “Everybody deserves to look and dress however they like,” Ketner expressed. 

It’s very common for people who are “different” to get bullied or disrespected. Ketner said how neurodivergent people are ones who have been known to gravitate towards the community because of their morals and their lack of judgement towards others. Since neurodivergent people have always and most likely will always be misjudged and made fun of, this is not unlikely that the alt community has a percent of people of that neurodivergent table included in the scene. 

People do have criticism for the community itself even when being a part of it. “A lot of times it can be confusing or strange when someone is a “poser,” someone who doesn’t truly believe in the ideals that the community has rooted in,” said Ketner. If someone is being a poser you should just educate them. Regardless of dislike, love is the most important thing. 

"Dislike anyone, Love everyone,” quoted Ketner.

Alternative people can be criticized by anyone. Some people go through a lot of emotional turmoil, while others can move on pretty easily.

“I’ve had friends who have needed to move schools because of how bad bullying got,” said Ketner. She also said how it was extremely rough for her when she first started getting bullied. It even got to the point of being physically threatened. Over time, she learned to ignore it and that it slowly went away as she grew older. 

There is also exclusivity in parts of the community. “There’s fatphobia rooted in emo and scene culture, so there is bullying regarding that, and competitiveness on who looks cooler or knows more,” Said Flynn. That’s where possible exclusivity could lie at. 

Next is Vesper Alghrim. “Dressing alternative has become a lot more normalized and less stigmatized in the more recent years,” Alghrim stated. “I’ve personally seen both sides of it, as someone who’s style shifts from pretty mainstream to more alternative every few years.” She said that a lot of her alternative friends are viewed as either just plain weird or bad influences.

There’s a lot of distance between people who dress more mainstream and people who dress alternatively simply because of those predispositions and misunderstandings. All of that is keeping people from making valuable connections and friendships with people who have similar interests.

“There are so many alternative kids and basic kids who have the exact same opinions, favorite shows, favorite foods, favorite games, and struggles,” Alghrim stated. “Just because someone dresses differently doesn’t mean they should be treated less than.”

“It's something as simple as clothes!” Alghrim expressed. 

Additionally Mylee Hankins said that from the start of dressing alternative, the weird looks have come with it. “I’ve learned that people will always find a way to make you uncomfortable when you’re different from what people consider “normal.” She stated that there have been people that have made smart comments walking down the street when she was just minding her own business.

“The bullying was especially a problem at Jenks,” Hankins’ stated. “Some of the “popular girls” would think it was funny to flat tire my shoes while I was walking, snicker behind me, or make little comments just loud enough for me to hear all because I was dressed differently.” She said it wasn’t always direct bullying. Sometimes it was the staring, laughing, whispering, or people making assumptions about her before they even got to know who she was. 

“I think a lot of it comes from people being uncomfortable with things they aren’t used to seeing,” Hankins’ said. 

Finally, Gabby Fenimore. She said how a little while ago there were girls who were rude and judgmental towards her. That went on for around a year when she started to dress as herself more.

“There were still people who were mean and made me feel really bad. Because of that I started to fit in more again,” Fenimore stated. She said how especially when it was multiple people doing these things that it made her really sad. It still makes her not feel too happy but it doesn’t usually last for a long period of time. 

 “I realized that people shouldn’t listen to other’s opinions about them and they shouldn’t affect you to the point of changing who you are.” Fenimore expressed. 

As you can see, disrespect, misunderstandings, and especially bullying, are all present here at Jenks along with all around us. These are all issues that can severely hurt all kinds of people, not just people of the alternative community. So, next time you want to give your opinion. Think before you speak because those very words may hurt the person you’re talking to or about.