freak

"Freak!" is not really what you want to hear when you're trying to blend into a crowd. But for someone interested in being unique, it can be a compliment. Starting in the early 1800s, freak shows were a popular form of entertainment that literally involved putting weirdness on display. People who had extreme medical conditions - obesity, dwarfism, hairiness - could work in freak shows while people paid money to gawk at them. In the 1970s, the dance musich it "Le Freak" helped launch the disco craze, but also poked fun at the over-the-top devotion of nightclubbers. Being called a "music freak" or a "computer freak" has a certain charm because the idea is that while you may be abnormally passionate about one special thing, you're probably very good at it. Like "Jesus freak," however, it also might contain a subtle putdown about being so fervent about something.

"Oh my god, what a freak!"
"Hmm...let's see...I'm a freak...that's very interesting. But umm...I'm not the one prancing around in my high heels and miniskirt, now am I? As far as I'm concerned, the only freak here is you."

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bitch

A bitch is a female dog (anyone can tell you that) or a female human who, like a dog, will whimper, growl, and occasionally bite back. When someone calls a woman a bitch, the message is that she is straying from the quiet, obedient "feminine" ideal. She is uppity - and needs to be controlled. First used to describe lady dogs in 1000 A.D., "bitch" was applied to humans about 400 years later. The term has endured the test of time and is still a big favourite for putting a woman in her place. The modern twist is applying it to men. A male bitch is seen as "womanish": weak, whiny and submissive (and more than likely gay). Like some other really sharp putdowns, "bitch" has been picked apar lately in an effort to remove its sting. In the early '90s, for instance, riot grrl bands like Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear scrawled the word on their skin, screamed it out in song and openly embraced other "bitchy" behaviours, like shouting at their ans. They gave "bitch" its own ironic twist in an attempt to "reclaim" it. Aroud the same time, with male hiphop artists like N.W.A. callingwomen bitches and hos in their rhymes, female hip-hop artists worked their own magic to diffuse the bitch bomb - most notably Queen Latifah, who demanded to know: "Who you callin' a bitch?" Lil' Kim turned the word on its head once again and proclaimed HERSELF the "Queen Bitch."

BITCH. - Beautiful Intelligent Talented Clever Hot

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Emo

Emo may refer to:

A genre of rock music
A slang term used to describe a wide range of fashion styles and attitudes somewhat affiliated with emo music

The music:
Emo is a genre of rock music. Since its inception, emo has come to describe several independent variations of music, linked loosely but with common ancestry. As such, use of the term has been the subject of much debate. At first, the term 'emo' was used to describe a subgenre of hardcore punk which originated in the Washington, DC music scene of the mid-1980s. In later years, the term 'emocore', short for 'emotional hardcore', was also used to describe the DC scene and some of the regional scenes that spawned from it. The term emo was derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and strongly emotional during perormances. The most recognizable names of the period included Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater,Gray Matter, Fire Party, and, slightly later, Moss Icon. The first wave of emo began to fade after the breakups of most of the involved bands in the early 1990s. Starting in the mid-1990s, the term 'emo' began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influenes of Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate and Teas Is The Reason put forth a more indie rock style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic in nature than its predecessor. The so-called 'indie emo' scene survived until the late 1990s, as many of the bands either disbanded or shifted to mainstream styles. As th remaining indie emo bands entered the maintream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the name 'emo' within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, th term 'emo' was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today's emo is even more vast, leaving the term 'emo' as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music. There were three main waves of emo music, the first involving bands like: Embrace, Rites Of Spring, Moss Icon, Nation Of Ulysses, Dag Nasty, Soulside, Shudder To Think, Fire Party, Marginal Man and Gray Matter. The second wave involved bands like: Sunny Day Real Estate, Boy's Life, Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Braid, Elliott, Bright Eyes, Cursive and The Get-Up Kids. The third wave of emo (current) involves bands like: Dashboard Confessional, AFI, Alexisonfire, Brand New, Bright Eyes, Coheed And Cambria, Death Cab For Cutie, Fall Out Boy, From First To Last, Funeral For A Friend, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco, Senses Fail, Something Corporate, The Starting Line, Story Of The Year, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, The Used and Underoath.

My opinion is that the majority of these third-wave bands are influenced by emo, but they are not completely emo in themselves. I refuse to get into arguments with anyone over this, so don't even think about it.

The slang term:

Emo is a somewhat ambiguous, controversial slang term most frequently used to describe a fashion or subculture which is usually defined to have its roots in punk fashion and subculture, as well as some attributes of gothic fashion and subculture. By almost all current definitions, emo clothing is characterized by tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe often brushed to one side of the face, dyed black, straightened hair, tight t-shirts which often bear the names of rockbands, studded belts, belt buckles, Converse All-Stars, skate shoes, or other black shoes - often old and beaten up - and thick, black rimmed glasses.

This is NOT my opinion of what emo is, but this is the 'stereotypical emo kid', so to speak. I believe very firmly that you don't need to look exactly the same as the person mentioned above to be considered 'emo'.

When referring to a person's personality and attitude, many people think that emo people are honest about their emotions, sensitive, shy, introverted, broken-hearted, glum, and often quiet.

Some definitions of emo hold that typical emo people are likely to inflict self-injury, most often by means of cutting, burning, or otherwise mutilating themselves (well that just has BULLSHIT written all over it, doesn't it?). Emos are also stereotyped (so, therefore, not my opinion again) to use depressing Internet screen names that sometimes contain straight-edge X's, often using ironic sloganry, a poetic sense or cliché. In the years since emo music's rise in popularity, both emo music and emo subculture have attracted sometimes severe criticism. The term 'emo' itself is sometimes used pejoratively, to suggest that the target is "overly emotional." Emo in general has been characterised as a fad which will be discarded and forgotten in the near future (OK, maybe it's a fad, but it's a frickin' AWESOME one while it lasts...I <3 it).

Don't come whining to me if you disagree, 'cause I couldn't care less. I am sick and tired of hearing people say things like "Oh that's so emo" or "She's such a poser". I've had it. People can dress and act however they want, and they can listen to whatever music they want. If you still refuse to see the truth and carry on with your incredibly ignorant point of view, fine, think what you want, but you can't change us. Thank you for your patience.

We are who we are. If you have a problem with emo people, but don't have the guts to say it to our faces, I suggest you shut your mouths right now. Just remember that every time you criticise us, it won't make any difference. We're too far gone, and we never gave a damn about what you thought anyway.

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feminist

You may have heard that feminists are man-hating lesbians who like to burn their bras in public, or bitter women who don't shave their armpits and despise sex. AND, if you listen to Pat Robertson, feminists are encouraged to kill their own children and overthrow the government. If you haven't guessed it already, all of the above - ranging from the silly to the outright ridiculous - are simply stereotypes. The actual definition of a feminist (according to the American Heritage Dictionary) is someone, male or female, who believes in social, political and economic equality between the sexes. Basically, feminists believe that women and men should be treated the same and given the same rights. Now that yu know the definition of "feminist", here's a little background info. Even though the term was developed in France (feminisme) in the mid-1800s, it didn't become popular until the 1960s. By the 1960s, the women's movement was well underway and women all over were campaigning for equal rights across the board - from eliminating job discrimination to gaining reproductive rights and political representation in the government. Previously, these women's groups had used the term "women's liberationist" to define themselves, but as it began to lose popularity they embraced the term "feminist." So hw did this word come to have such negative connotations? Like most things that are challenged, the previous, male-dominated power structure felt threatened. Change can be scary; and now women were demanding equal pay for equal work or the ability to make choices about their own bodies. Women were rightfully angry and did some very radical things (though no bras were burned, contrary to popular belief). It is much easier for people to put down feminism than admit that society must change its ways. Also, many people tended to (and still do) think that since the term "feminism" has "fem" in it, a feminist must be someone who wishes to raise women above men. But if you look to the actual definition of a feminist, it's simply about creating an even playing field for men and women. And you cannot forget the people or language used that encourages these negative connotations. The term feminazi (feminist + nazi) has been used to criticize feminists, purporting the stereotype that they have a Nazi-esque hatred for men as well as believing that women are superior to men. Therefore, a cycle of anti-feminist discourse is always playing.

Have you ever realised that a woman will often get paid less for doing exactly the same job as a man? We are strong, brave, independent women, and we deserve the same respect and rights that men have. So why don't we see it happening? This is what feminists believe, and this is what I believe. If you have a problem with that, don't complain to me.

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