Is gothicness and esque ways just a mindset?

[dante_reincarnation15]

ha chicken speak funny words  

[sublime_necromancer]

I do personally believe that Goth (yes, it IS spelt with a capital G! Ya suppose that's the whole idea behind th NIN song "Capital G"? Anyways...

For me, it's, at the end of the day, when I put away all the equipment (bondage pants, ringed collar and bracers)...I'm still Goth.

I'm repeating some of this from a previous thread...my sincere apologies admins! Anyweays...I've been Goth since a very young age, as pointed out by my sister Karen (my one and only family role model!) I've always been into vampire t.v. shows and movies, I've been attracted to mosaleums, crypts, grave yards, and all other manner of spookiness locations (though I partially disagree that those places are solely just spooky), I've chosen mostly to drape myself in mythical spooky garb come Samhain (hallowe'en to the rest of you, I guess), I've always been intrigued by ghosts and werewolves (could have SWORN that there were werewolf tracks outside my first home...whilst on a unplanned goul and beast tour of my home with a friend...he swore that he saw things floating around in my basement...I entertained the idea, but didn't see anything), and mostly, I've been very secluded into doing things by myself (drawing, reading, "travelling" some would call daydreaming)...I grew up listening to Soixse and the Banshes, The Cure, The Cult, David Bowie (I'm very old-school). Though mostly, my thing was many things vampire related The Lost Boys movie, the Vampire Chronicles movies, The Littlest Vampire t.v show (it only lasted for one season back in the early 90's *sigh*; plus being very attracted to arts and literature (I was one of the VERY few that actually liked studying Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Tempest in highschool...plus my older sister Nancy would ALWAYS be reciting it around the house...I thought it was kinda corny though). So yeah, in conclusion, for me, its a lifestyle...more mentally then esthically though. Oh and my thing with having mostly black clothing...how typical.


 

[Keevan Draco]

alas, though I tend to agree that the Goth movement was founded in the roots of music, I have to ask myself (as an intellectual goth) what were the inspirations of the musicans to create the music that many call goth?

for that answer, I only need look back to history for the answers....

Medieval timeperiods gave us inspiration for the romantigoth aspects..
The Edwardian timeperiod gave us inspiration through jules verne, and other writers who sparked our imaginations of Steampunk...
The Victorian era is pretty much self explanitory, and covers a huge chunk of the mannerisms and dark tendencies of modern Goths...
film noir of the 50's and 60's gave rise to rockabilly goth....
The 80's....self explanatory...
writers like William Gibson in the 90's inspired a generation of musicians and artists that gave rise to the cybergoth ideal....
and history is still unfolding every single day, who knows what the next generation of goths may come up with to re-invent themselves....

only time will tell...

That's the true secret of Goth's continued existance....the ability to re-invent, reinterperet, and assimilate the darker side of humanity (through music, art, and other media) and make it our very spooky own....  

[broken_joker]

I know a lot of it has already been said before, but I do think Goth is a mindset. Not in a specific way like if you don't agree with this then your not Goth, but it's more like common ideals and interests like art, debate, literature etc. that tie Goths to each other rather than any other sub-culture.

Yes clothing and music are an important part of the culture, but I wouldn't say it was essential to listen to certain bands or wear a certain clothing brand because it's that fixation that is killing off the original Goth culture and replacing it with armies of wannabes and Mansonites.

As for the research: A recent study by Sussex University suggests that goths are likely to grow up to be doctors, lawyers or architects, and that goths are usually intelligent, refined and sensitive, and keen on poetry and books I would agree for the most part, but I feel that the culture is being ruined by uncouth, unfocused pre-teens. However, the older Goths I know do things like run their own business's, are nurses, professional musicians/west-end performers, police translators, animal psychologists or nano-engineers. I myself am due to start a course that when I finish I will hopefully qualify as a childhood psychologist.

I put my hands up and admit I used to be one of those little wannbes with no refinement or obvious interest in literature that now embarrass me so much.  

[-Resurrected Writer-]

broken_joker

I know a lot of it has already been said before, but I do think Goth is a mindset. Not in a specific way like if you don't agree with this then your not Goth, but it's more like common ideals and interests like art, debate, literature etc. that tie Goths to each other rather than any other sub-culture.

Yes clothing and music are an important part of the culture, but I wouldn't say it was essential to listen to certain bands or wear a certain clothing brand because it's that fixation that is killing off the original Goth culture and replacing it with armies of wannabes and Mansonites.

As for the research: A recent study by Sussex University suggests that goths are likely to grow up to be doctors, lawyers or architects, and that goths are usually intelligent, refined and sensitive, and keen on poetry and books I would agree for the most part, but I feel that the culture is being ruined by uncouth, unfocused pre-teens. However, the older Goths I know do things like run their own business's, are nurses, professional musicians/west-end performers, police translators, animal psychologists or nano-engineers. I myself am due to start a course that when I finish I will hopefully qualify as a childhood psychologist.

I put my hands up and admit I used to be one of those little wannbes with no refinement or obvious interest in literature that now embarrass me so much.

On the subject of clothing: what about the goths that DIY their clothing? Is there a brand on creativity?

On the subject of "wannabes and Mansonites": Most of the ones I've come across have no knowledge about the original goth scene (be it the Batcave of London or the Deathrock scene of Los Angeles), but all fervently believe in there being a mindset (and a few have made a mantra of the VampireFreaks.com "Goths are not..." list)

On the subject of goths being inherently cultured and intelligent: Not a bad thing, necessarily, but saying that you were an unrefined and thinly-read wannabe seems a little self-defeating, like saying that you would not be half the person you are today if you didn't stumble across the goth scene.

On the subject of the subculture being ruined by uncouth folks: Well, it's a subculture that arose from punk.  

[broken_joker]

-Resurrected Writer-

On the subject of goths being inherently cultured and intelligent: Not a bad thing, necessarily, but saying that you were an unrefined and thinly-read wannabe seems a little self-defeating, like saying that you would not be half the person you are today if you didn't stumble across the goth scene.

I can honestly say if I hadn't fallen so in love with the Goth, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

I've noticed that a lot of the people I used to count as friends or look up to are now either; on drugs, pregnant, single teen mothers, left school with few or no qualifications, alcoholics and (for most of them) their only life ambition is to get on big brother. I used to want to be exactly like them and did everything they did, just to try and get their approval.

I dread to think what I'd been like if I'd followed the same path.

Quote:

On the subject of clothing: what about the goths that DIY their clothing? Is there a brand on creativity?

No as I would say that as it is DIY'd or even hand made it is highly unlikely that it is identical to any other piece of clothing. By brand I refer more to the mass-produced likes of dark star, criminal damage and tripp.  

[-Resurrected Writer-]

broken_joker

-Resurrected Writer-

On the subject of goths being inherently cultured and intelligent: Not a bad thing, necessarily, but saying that you were an unrefined and thinly-read wannabe seems a little self-defeating, like saying that you would not be half the person you are today if you didn't stumble across the goth scene.

I can honestly say if I hadn't fallen so in love with the Goth, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

I've noticed that a lot of the people I used to count as friends or look up to are now either; on drugs, pregnant, single teen mothers, left school with few or no qualifications, alcoholics and (for most of them) their only life ambition is to get on big brother. I used to want to be exactly like them and did everything they did, just to try and get their approval.

I dread to think what I'd been like if I'd followed the same path.

Well, if there was a positive effect on your life, I really have nothing to say other than "Congratulations! smile "

broken_joker

Quote:

On the subject of clothing: what about the goths that DIY their clothing? Is there a brand on creativity?

No as I would say that as it is DIY'd or even hand made it is highly unlikely that it is identical to any other piece of clothing. By brand I refer more to the mass-produced likes of dark star, criminal damage and tripp.

True. I doubt there's anyone else out there with a "bat tits" shirt out there. Then again, now that the genie's out of the bottle...