I deleted a previous post to write about this 'Goth' thing (for those interested) that I often refer to...I just thought it to be more interesting a subject; especially since I get asked a lot about what it means to be Goth.
And unfortunately, there is no easy answer. It is so complex an answer, I have to break into 'parts', as it were.
It means different things to different people who consider themselves goth. So here we go...I'll do my best...
Common and undeniable characteristics of goths are:
Goth is not evil, nor is it a religion: It is both a philosophy and an idealism of which personal beliefs are not discriminated. There are many Christian goths, there are many agnostic goths and many other types of goths. People who worship the devil are not universally accepted into this subculture. They represent the smallest percentage (roughly 3 percent).
No prejudices exist: People are accepted for who they are, no matter their color, beliefs, or sexual preference (the latter of which is subject to the personal beliefs of the Christian goth).
Creativity and self-expression: are two of the common elements that link all goths. The central idea that characterizes Goth is an almost compulsive drive towards creativity and self-expression that seeks to reach out and ensnare its audience using society's covert but deeply rooted fascination with all things dark and even scary. This act can be either subtle and seducing or scary, but it must play on what society secretly knows but can not acknowledge to itself about its duality. The mediums of self-expression and creation can be anything from a mode of dress to novels (i.e. Edagar Allen Poe) or music. Imagination and originality have always been key elements in Goth.
Not all goths are depressed: nor do they all wear black, listen to the same music, or employ the same modes of self-expression. This tends to make Goth-spotting a little tricky and creates part of the tangled confusion over what it is to begin with, but this diversity also is one of the defining factors.
Why the fascination with darkness? One of Goth's defining characteristics is the need to take the underlying darkness that is in all of us and bring it into the light in such a way as we can recognize it as what it is: an integral part of all of us, for better or for worse.
Goths do not hate society: They just do not embrace it at face value. Goths tend to be anti-social, but yet like to be seen. The shallowness and discriminatory attitudes common-place in todays society is what they do not seek. That's why they have their own subculture in which to harbor themselves.
Violence is out of the question. Those who have incorporated gothic elements into their personality and have acted violently are not Goth.
But I'm not goth...am I? The gothic mindset is usually naturally omni-present within the individual. People naturally tend to migrate or are attracted toward certain things. Goths tend to naturally migrate towards the dark...but not necessarily for bad reasons.
Many non-goths have incorporated gothic elements into their lifestyle once exposed to said idealism.
END OF PART ONE
