One hundred and fifty years ago, Western society faced the beginnings of the modern era: With industrialization came brutal, dehumanized working conditions. Modern science swept away the mystical and the magical with atoms and molecules. Already underway was the Victorian period, whose social norms were based on repression and self-denial.

Unsurprisingly, the gothic movement in literature was everything that 19th century culture was not: It saw the horror in a rigid caste system (Charlotte Bronte's Wuthering Heights), of an arrogant science (Mary Shelly's Frankenstein), and in the suppression of sensuality (Bram Stoker's Dracula). The movement was the collective nightmare of a society driven insane with its own power.

In the half century that followed, sweeping changes were made in the protection of worker rights and safety, in regulating industry, increasing social mobilty, and fostering sexual openess. The darkness that underlay polite society began to fade.

In the late 20th century, the industrial value system returned in the guise of neo-liberalism, or free trade. Longer work weeks, decreased job security, and the retraction of benefits were justified by the global economy. Genetically engineered foods filled the supermarket without consumer knowledge or consent. Victorian attitudes toward the poor were dusted off and presented as innovations. The religious right prospered.

And the goths are back.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Goths as a group are not a politically-aware people. They sense. They feel. For-profit HMOs, prenuptual agreements, overworked absentee parents, factory farming, less information on a greater number of channels - have the power to change what is normal, and therefore normal people. For the empathic, the change in the feel of normal people is horrifying, alienating, and overwhelming. The need to withdraw is intense. In a dehumanized society, goths are the canary in the coal mine.