Thursday, May 26, 2005
Goth or Gothic. What comes to your mind when you see these words?
Death? Evil? Satan? Dark clothing? Marilyn Manson? Depression?
The goth subculture began in the early 1980s as part of the punk subculture. When punk began to die out, the goth subculture broke off from it and became its own subculture.
The goth subculture is one of the most misunderstood subcultures today. This is mainly because of the media's potrayal and people's misconceptions about what the goth subculture is.
StereotypesMany people think that goths are people who are depressed. This is false. Another stereotype is that goths are all obessed with death and are suicidal. This is definitely
NOT true. Of course, there are goths who are like this. Look at it this way - there are many suicidal people among people who are not part of the goth subculture. Does that mean you are suicidal? No. Next, another stereotype about goths is that they are all Satanists. This is, to me, the biggest and most stupid stereotype about the goth subculture. There are many goths who are Christians, Buddhists, Catholics etc. Of course, there are some goths who are Satanists but that does not mean that all of them are. The subculture is being exploited in many ways by the media and other people. In plays and movie, people who act as goths are usually acting as a depressed and lonely character, an outcast of society. Again, this contributes to the common thinking that all goths are like this.
People who are judging goths based on what they heard about them or the way they dress and present themselves are, in my opinion, narrow-minded. This is what I call judging a book by its cover.
The MusicWhen we talk about gothic music, the general public thinks of Marilyn Manson. First off, Marilyn Manson is
NOT goth. Also, many people think they're listening or talking about gothic music when its actually death metal or shock rock. Gothic music tends to be more operatic and dark. Examples of goth bands are Nightwish and Sisters of Mercy. Of course, not all goths listen to gothic music. Some listen to hip hop, reggae, r&b and even bubblegum pop. It is all based on personal preference.
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Putting on dark lipstick, thick eyeliners and wearing black clothing does not make you a goth. Being goth is also a mindset and state of mind. To me, a goth is somebody who feels what he or she feels to the maximum, be it happiness, sadness or anger. When one looks at a painting, movie, picture or even a blank wall, one would feel something. A goth is one who would feel that feeling to the fullest.
Goth is neither a fashion nor a fad. There are many people who claim themselves to be goths just because they think it is "cool" or "in". Real goths do not really go around telling everybody he or she is goth.
It took me awhile to understand a bit about goth subculture and I believe I will learn alot more about it as time goes by. I started off thinking I was punk, when I was actually a stupid fucker in some striped shirt acting cool and listening to Simple Plan crap(ROFLMAO). As time went by, I learnt about the punk subculture, its music and its roots. Listening to bands like Sex Pistols, The Casualities and The Ramones make me feel that Simple Plan is shitty(spare me, simple plan fans). Then, I went on to learn about goth and its music and history. I dare not say that I'm a goth but I'm glad that I've learnt alot about it's culture.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for reading :)
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p.s - i think there are typo errors or mistakes here and there but i'm too lazy to check, so pardon me.
roxed your panties @
6:30 PM