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2006-10-11 03:58:20
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...What is Goth Anyways?


Goth is a subculture.

Subculture - Sociology. a. the cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in a society. 
b. a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society. 

Three Main Pre-Requisites For Being a Goth
1. Intellectual, interested in learning, you don't have to be a genius.
2. Appreciation of darkness/morbid things
3. Artistic Ability/Creativity

If you are stupid, you are not Goth. You're just an idiot with bad makeup. Goth is not a phase. Goth is a state of being. One does not 'become' Goth, one finds out they are.

There are tons of people who fit the above three prerequisites, but don't call themselves goths. Partially because they don't want to be associated with the same label as 13-year-old manson-toting children.

The punk movement ended in the eighties basically. The movement splintered off into different subcultures we see today. Emo is a splinter of the punk movement, and so is Goth. It started out with the music, but now it's more than that.

Goth is not an identity. It's merely a word to describe certain aspects of an individual. One remains an individual inside of a subculture. The individuals define the subculture, it is not the subculture that defines the individual.

It's a club of sorts. People can identify with others with similiar interests. There is no dress code, though many of us like to wear black. In the past, people chose to call themselves Goth because they wanted to find people with similiar interests (dark or morbid philosophy/art/poetry). Now we are scorned by the idiots joining the ranks.



Goth Wannabes

"On the flip-side of this respect for other people's space, there tends to be a calm but deep disrespect, loathing almost, towards people who just want to be trendy. This explains the tensions between 'Goth wannabes' and 'real Goths'. The 'real Goth' believes in 'Goth' as a genuine lifestyle; the wannabe just considers it cool to dress in an attempt to intimidate. They have no respect for the messages the bands are trying to convey about individuality; they just want to be part of a 'weird, scary group'. The wannabes express their individuality by belonging to a group, while Goths belong to a group by expressing their individuality. For a Goth, first comes the state of mind and then the dress code; for a wannabe it's the dress code first. Wannabes have a dubious mindset and a desire to remain part of the mainstream because they fear the reaction of 'society' if they were to deviate from it long-term. Goths on the other hand generally don't give a toss about what society thinks or does - as long as they are left alone."

Excerpt from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A473924


Let's Play a Game, Goth or Not?


Goth:
http://ex-substantial.deviantart.com/
Goth (did a manipulation of him..a friend..)
<img:http://elftown.eu/stuff/sophomoric>
(he's wearing an inverted pentagram ^_^)

His art:
<img:stuff/C%3ADocuments%20and%20SettingsAdministratorMy%20DocumentsMy%20Picturesradiumbyexsubstantial.jpg>

Not:
OMG, my parents just stopped giving me allowance, so I'm going to slit my wrists.
<img300*0:http://pics2.vampirefreaks.com/F/Fa/Fak/FakedxHeartBeats/9009790.jpg> (I actually don't know who the fuck this is, but just using a vampire freaks picture, because I'm sure that site is infested by idiots who think they're vampires. Vampires are cool. But you are not a vampire. You're a puny pathetic human like the rest of us.)

Goth:
Me: "Once I wore a inverted pentagram and a cross together to see what would happen. I demanded that Zeus strike me down. But nothing happened to my dissapointment."
<img300*0:http://elftown.eu/img/photo/24395_1132356162.jpg>
http://angstypoet.deviantart.com/
<img300*0:http://elftown.eu/img/drawing/24395_1160348522.jpg>

wait...wtf?
<img300*0:http://elftown.eu/img/photo/24395_1139788776.jpg>
still a goth...

<img300*0:http://elftown.eu/img/photo/24395_1153878434.jpg>
..still a goth..

Are you getting the idea now?? Clothing is secondary.

Key Point: There are a few genuine goths left.

Conclusion:

Don't get the wrong idea of what Goth is from the wannabes. Subcultures aren't that terrible, it just depends on how one treats them. Like I said before: 'a type of club'. A club for people who fit the bill, and I won't deny being an elitist.



Links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A473924
strong atheism
Gothic Bandwagons!
http://blueblack.deviantart.com (the most awesome gothic artist I've ever seen, her work is worshipable) So the next time someone insults gothdom, look at her page..and bow.


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2006-10-07 [Dil*]: Hmm, you don't seem that morbid.

2006-10-07 [ceridwen]: Heh, heh... I used to be quite morbid. Now I'm not so public with it, due to some big events over the past two years.

2006-10-07 [Dil*]: yeah, I usually keep it to myself.

2006-10-08 [NOOOPE]: Dude... I might be. I guess that can be sweet.

My old bud and I used to go "gothing". We would dress up in gothy hot topic clothes and walk around the mall for the hell of it. It started to become depressing after a while because so many people were sneering at us...

2006-10-08 [Dil*]: lol! I do the same thing. Once in a while, it's because the looks we get are so damned funny. It's priceless.

2006-10-08 [M_Sinner]: I used to wonder about whether or not I was goth. It didn't really take up much of my thought, but I wondered exactly what defined one. I suppose that by these definitions, I could be/am one, but does it really matter? When it comes down to it, I'm a smart person, I appreciate morbid things, and I'm creative... (well, I would debate the intelligence at times, but that's what people tell me.)

As far as keeping the morbid thoughts to myself, I've certainly taken to keeping that kind of thing to my friends. I've found that the professional world doesn't look to highly on that kind of thing... especially if you're trying to become a psychologist. ^_^

2006-10-08 [Dil*]: My brother is trying to become a psychologist. He's freakishly good at examining people.

2006-10-08 [M_Sinner]: I've got no experience on that front, yet. ^_^ I haven't even been able to take any of the classes yet. Next semester, though... next semester...

2006-10-08 [Dil*]: He took it in highschool, broke the record for highest score on the exam. The exam is this freaky 100 multiple choice thing, and nobody had *ever* gotten an A on the psychology exam in highschool. He did. Barely.

2006-10-10 [Dil*]: are the images breaking for you guys too?

2006-10-10 [ceridwen]: Yeah...

2006-10-10 [Dil*]: damn.

2006-10-10 [ceridwen]: Only the dA images, though.

2006-10-11 [M_Sinner]: Actually, I can see everything just fine.

2006-10-11 [Dil*]: that's cause' I changed it.

2006-10-11 [M_Sinner]: ...

That would explain it.

...I'll just shut up now.

2006-10-12 [Dil*]: linking to deviantart doesn't work out too well.

2006-10-12 [sophomoric]: Deviantart doesn't like feeding bandwith, so they have disabled the ability to link to their photos. That's why it's typically wisest to set up with a photobucket or a pictub account. Mhmm.

2006-10-12 [Dil*]: Whatev, I got two examples :)

Keeping old school goth alive. I'm not even a part of any scene, though I may want to check it out. curiousity. killed the Carrie.

2006-10-12 [ceridwen]: You know... It's funny when I realized your name is Carrie... and then thinking about goth wannabes and misconceptions... I thought about the movie Carrie and the physco prom night. xP It fits.

2006-10-12 [Dil*]: Everyone was kinda weirded out and under the surface: in short I think they were a bit afraid. I'm describing when Carrie 2 came out. It suited the situation of my utter loserness. Looking back at it, their superstitious fear is almost comical.

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