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Goth used to be a subclassification of punk. In
the early to mid 80s, it emerged as a subculture in its own right, complete
with its own graphic art, literature, music, and fashion. There is so much diversity within
the gothic world that its members
strongly resist attempts at definition and labeling. Yet there are
stereotypes that linger...
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What is
Goth?
Goth unashamedly celebrates the dark recesses of the
human psyche. Put the back of your hand on your forehead, and you're
there: dark sensuality, sweeping sadness, morbid fascination,
forbidden love, the beauty of enduring pain, you get the picture.
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Why Goth?
Many people lead unhappy, unachieved
lives. And that's sad. Goth makes depression and angst a
lifestyle choice, and that's art. ;-)
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Goth as counter-culture
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| 1967: |
The hippie counter-culture saw that the world sucked and
promised to change it with love.
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| 1977: |
Punk culture saw that the world still sucked and raised a middle finger in defiance.
| 1981: |
Goths understood all along the importance of a good smoke.
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Goth as fun
You simply can't maintain a room full of dispairing people dressed in black
for very long without someone starting a chain of laughter. Once you realise
you've gone over the top, there's nothing left to do but laugh. It's a self-deflating
culture that delights in self-parody and in ridiculing itself. To put it plainly:
it's fun.
This creates room for the growing number of non-mopey people
in the scene. A wide variety of social misfits find in it a place to be themselves and to
enjoy the company of other unique individuals. But what about those original
stereotypes? |
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