Gothic, many people ask me what is Gothic. Well the answer I give
now is: it depends on where you live and how old you are. You see
society today has totally warped the image of Gothic. It's not their
fault really, they're just imitating each other. In a way it's our
fault, us older Goths that is, because we don't care enough about them
to explain that they're doing it wrong. Now I'm probably going to get
a lot flack for that statement but when all I meet anymore are these lame
little baby Goths. (I call them that because 95% of them Can't shave
yet!!!)I have to say something. One of the biggest things that bother me about Baby Gothers is
the spikes and studs and purple dye oh my! Being a Goth isn’t about
looking as individual(or freaked out to put it nicely) as you can. I know a large part of the reason these
kids are doing it is to get attention. I mean look at society today,
parents don't pay attention to their kids anymore. And most kids have
single parents who don't have time to pay attention to their kids. But
dressing up like the tin man on crack isn’t the answer. The only thing
that is still going strong in the new generation of Goths is that even
they still wear all black. But I don't think they wear it for the same
reason. I still wear all black and I still have to explain why to most
people. I used to tell people that I wore all black because it was a
reflection of my soul. At the time I thought it was. In some religions
black is the color for revenge. That’s what I tell people now. I think
that the kids today wear it because we did. The all black is a reflection
of the part of your soul that is still filled with sorrow over everything
that's wrong with the world and with us. The things that we have no control
over. You see traditionally being a Goth has a lot to do with looking
around the world and seeing a place you really don't like. Theres this
great big emptiness where your soul is supposed to be. And for some of
us we lived that way for years. But it does get better and kinda go away.
Some day you’ll have a job, and a life, and kids. Do you want your
kids to be Goths? Do you want your kids looking like you. OF COURSE YOU
DO!! YOUR YOUNG. But as you get older that will change.I don’t want my kids to have
anything in common with my childhood. I say that for one reason, if my kids are
that upset and unhappy with the world then I’m not doing my job. Life's a bitch, wear a helmet.
I mean there's soo much wrong and so little we can do about it.
I think that kids today and maybe for longer than I realize grow up
and are disappointed with the world. We are tired of being let down
by everyone and everything. Whenever we try to change things either
no one listens to us or they are so jaded they just don't care
anymore. So we become Goths. But not everyone is doing it for the right
reasons. The term Goth is used so loosely today it could describe
anyone whoever experienced teen angst. What would be classified as
punk rockers in the 80's consider themselves Goths now. And they
weren’t born until like early middle 80's so they don't know the
difference. I mean Goths used to all be anti-social now they have
Gothic night clubs. What it all boils down to is this if your going
to be a Goth do it because you find out you were born that way. I was
in a store the other day and saw a book called the Gothic Handbook or
something lame like that. I looked through it ands came to this. I
didn’t see one traditional Goth in there. This scares me; are there really
that few of us left? I don't think that's what it Is.I think that because
there are so many genres fitting into Gothic now that they just seriously
outnumber us. I mean these people in this book were scary. They
looked more like people who got run over by a Mack truck.(Or fell face first into a tackle box)
My generation did piercing but only to a certain degree. But I think since we did do piercing
to a certain degree, they have to take it to the next level. If they don't
then they risk imitating the others and being a copycat. Some people become
Goths because they meet Goths and like what they see. It's sleek, some
are sexy, and you scare most of society. Cool bonus right?. Wrong. Someday
your going to have to grow up and get a real job; and do you think anyone
will hire you dressed like that? (Or with a steel stud in you nose) So what happens when you have to change and
can't dress like a Goth anymore. At that point without the dress a
lot of them will forget. I guess what it all boils down to is this; being
a Goth is almost like having a sixth sense. Either that or just more
awareness, because what turned me was the knowing and feeling everything
that was not right with the world. It brought about a certain sadness.
To me and many people that is what being Gothic is all about. The sadness
that's always there that and you can't do anything about it. Goth is
about having a good heart in a bad world. A world where everything
seems so trivial.