Is it possible to 'become' Goth? Or is just natural?

[GilAskan]

DR490N

i cant stop being goth. im sad to say that the vast majority of the kids in here arent really goth, and have no idea of what makes a person goth, however. intelligence is one of the key factors, and a passion for literature and dark things. these are aspects of my psyche i feel will never change.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.  

[DreamerSpirit]

I think that gothicness results from a mix of nature and nurture.

Alongside that, everyone interpets gothyness in a different way.

Some see it as a way of expressing thier individuality, others embrace it as a set of ideals.

I for one believe that my transition into the gothic subculture had a lot to do with my upbringing as well as my nature.
Ever since I was a toddler my parents encouraged learning as well as cultural pursuits. I was always curious by nature, and as I grew up, constantly being involved with the arts, reading anything I could get a hold of, and eagerly absorbing knowledge like a sponge, I developed my own set of ideals in terms of life and its nature, and as I grew older I found that these ideals closely paralled those of romanticism.
To me, gothicness is a mindset which encompasses many of the ideals of the romanticism movement of the 19th century, as well as a deep passion for knowledge as well as the arts, and a subtle sense of darkness.
Were I not so curious, and were I not raised in the manner which I was, I doubt that I would have been drawn to the gothic scene.

Also, my mother thinks that, on a subconcious level, I was drawn to many of the things which I'm into... gothicness, conceptual art, veganism, etc., as a form of passive rebellion against the current culture of America... but quite frankly, my mother rocks. She supports me in all of this, since she sees it as being constructive as well as pretty positive, and much better than rebelling in other ways such as through drugs, violence, and whatnot. I'm not really sure if this is true in terms of gothyness, but it's still somthing to chomp on.


However, thats merely my view. Since everyone precieves gothicness in a different manner, each individual was drawn to the gothic subculture for a different reason. 3nodding  

[Sisemen]

I am Goth
I did not become Goth
The term Goth became a way to describe people like me
I can't change the fact that I'm Goth
I wouldn't want to
It's not a subculture or a fad It's just that you need a word to call me by
You can dress like me, you can try to act like me but you haven't had the experiances that I've had and you can't be me
I am Goth  

[DR490N]

i don't even really dress goth. i used to have a shirt that had alot of tears in it and stuff so they were all safety pinned. it looked cool, but it was falling apart so much i ditched it in favor of a shirt from alchemy that had a pentacle composed of scythes. i do dress in black, and i do rather like much of gothic fashion, but its hard to come by in this city. i've been looking for a nice, form fitting early classical period inspired shirt, but have yet to find one to my liking. the majority of so called 'gothic fashion' i find to be rather ugly or not to my liking, especially the victorian era stuff...i love victorian architecture, but i can't stand the clothing they wore. it really looks quite ugly for hte most part.  

[Paine218]

im not sure......i've always acted the way i do......i always liked dressing dark and i used to keep to myself(but i don't do that n e more.......eventually i'd start cutting myself if i was a true loner like that)......  

[2on]

It's an individual thing imo...
I've never tried to label myself, and I would be the first person to admit that whilst I do have many interests within what is designated as subculture zone, I also have interests outside of it.

People are individuals, and there will always be things some of us like, and some of us don't. In my experience though, people from this 'subculture' tend to have an appreciation for things that are overlooked by others.

So yes, you can both become goth and be born one. It's just about having an open mind, and as people mature and grow up that surely happens does it not 3nodding

jeez.. i hope that all made sense... i'm pretty tired. Sorry if it's just a bunch of random thoughts biggrin  

[Ether-Eating Eskimo]

You're not really "goth" unless you listen to Goth Rock and goth music. Still, the mindset that generally comes around with the taste in music (and the accompanying fashion) would most likely be from birth. I remember thinking and dressing similarly as a child.

I'm not saying here that all people who like goth rock are goth, nor that you have to be goth to have the mindset. But the music is the #1 guideline really.

But yes, even as a child I was very much the way I am now.

As someone earlier said, it comes with an appreciation of things overlooked by many other people, and the ability to think for yourself. Have you ever noticed how goth seems to have more mentally-unstable members and whatnot than some other subcultures? confused

Psych disorders like Schizophrenia, and neurological disorders like Autism or Asperger's (which I have) often cause you to think differently than others, and even to notice different things. This is not to say that having problems makes you any more goth, or being goth means you have problems... please don't twist what I'm saying.

As for the depression that many goths seem to have. For one thing, we're not generally accepted as much as other groups. As cliche as that sounds (and as much as I hate those who whine about it), it really is true. There are other things accompanying the mindset (as well as the drugs that seem to be popular in all alternative subcultures) that also affect this.  

[zz1000zz]

_PsychoPathic-Tend3ncies_

You're not really "goth" unless you listen to Goth Rock and goth music.

It is probably best not to say, "You're not really 'goth' unless..." You will probably be wrong.  

[GilAskan]

zz1000zz

_PsychoPathic-Tend3ncies_

You're not really "goth" unless you listen to Goth Rock and goth music.

It is probably best not to say, "You're not really 'goth' unless..." You will probably be wrong.

The "Goth = Fan of Goth-rock" definition has been around longer than any other, and is one fairly widely supported both within the community and by many of it's contributors.  

[zz1000zz]

GilAskan

zz1000zz

_PsychoPathic-Tend3ncies_

You're not really "goth" unless you listen to Goth Rock and goth music.

It is probably best not to say, "You're not really 'goth' unless..." You will probably be wrong.

The "Goth = Fan of Goth-rock" definition has been around longer than any other, and is one fairly widely supported both within the community and by many of it's contributors.

And it is a horrible definition. It removes all other aspects of the gothic community, be it non-musical artistic tastes, hobbies or even fashion styles.

Oh, and yeah. It would also remove the whole, being open minded part of "goth."

Bad definition.  

[Tusyo]

Becoming Goth is basically a development from life. It's pretty easy to notice that all Gothic people didn't come from perfect homes. Some came from abusive families, or had very stressful lives even as a child. Because of this they've seen the darker side of life and continue to see the darker side of all things which makes you goth. It doesn't mean everyone who's had a shitty life will be goth, but all goths have come from some hardship in their lives.  

[emo_hippie_chick]

weeeeell, i think it's just how you are and if you discover you are just different from the fake-tanned and bleach-blonde worshiping crowd then see what else is out there and see what fits you.

i am not really goth. i'm a lot of things i guess. my bff told me once that i was her goth-core, emo-rific pixie. yeah, personally i think she had a little too much sugar, but w/e.

i know i'm an open-minded person and a lot of my goth friends are too. we're not prejudice nor discriminatory. i only ever have a problem with a person when they act like they know everything and think they're better than everyone.  

[-Resurrected Writer-]

zz1000zz

GilAskan

zz1000zz

_PsychoPathic-Tend3ncies_

You're not really "goth" unless you listen to Goth Rock and goth music.

It is probably best not to say, "You're not really 'goth' unless..." You will probably be wrong.

The "Goth = Fan of Goth-rock" definition has been around longer than any other, and is one fairly widely supported both within the community and by many of it's contributors.

And it is a horrible definition. It removes all other aspects of the gothic community, be it non-musical artistic tastes, hobbies or even fashion styles.

Oh, and yeah. It would also remove the whole, being open minded part of "goth."

Bad definition.

It is a very simple and inclusive definition, however, and it applies to other music-driven scenes. Wouldn't you consider a punk to be a fan of punk rock, or a metalhead to be a fan of metal? As goth is a subculture founded by music, the application can be easily used here.

If we moved into artistic tastes, and other aspects you mentioned, it would actually be less inclusive. Not all goths appreciate the same hobbies, have the same ideas, or express the same personality.

To that end, I can honestly say that the "being open minded part" is not universal, either. Otherwise, you wouldn't have just called the music definition horrible, and Discipline wouldn't have been firm on the music definition. Is goth usually more open-minded than other subcultures? It can be, but to paraphrase someone whose name I can't remember, "Having an open mind will just lead to people trying to fill it." Thus, we get so many definitions, and the term is so ambiguous.  

[Henneth Annun]

GilAskan

DR490N

i cant stop being goth. im sad to say that the vast majority of the kids in here arent really goth, and have no idea of what makes a person goth, however. intelligence is one of the key factors, and a passion for literature and dark things. these are aspects of my psyche i feel will never change.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

This guild is open to everyone...hopefully others will influence them in a positive way...then they can stop thinking they're something not. (No offense meant.)  

[GilAskan]

XWraith_LordX

GilAskan

DR490N

i cant stop being goth. im sad to say that the vast majority of the kids in here arent really goth, and have no idea of what makes a person goth, however. intelligence is one of the key factors, and a passion for literature and dark things. these are aspects of my psyche i feel will never change.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

This guild is open to everyone...hopefully others will influence them in a positive way...then they can stop thinking they're something not. (No offense meant.)

No offense taken, assuming that your "No offense" was towards me.

Honestly, I wish we could get more non-goths into the guild. Having nothing but goths who agree with each other? What would we do? Sit around saying "Yeah" to whatever topic someone started?