Come to the Dark Side: Part 1

Now, I’ve always been something of an ‘odd-one-out’ in terms of friends. I have many of course, but during the traumatic eight years of secondary/high school and college combined, made considerably less so towards the end by a combination of the school finally giving a toss and me hitting a student in the face (Yes, violence DOES work kids, but choose your moments), I developed a distain for ‘mainstream’ culture and developed interests (including your mother) such as the supernatural, history, folklore and fantasy and different music that, given the circumstances, would otherwise have made me into a ‘goth kid’. Numerous factors prevented the transformation however, and only this year did I adopt a more ‘gothic’ look in terms of fashion. So having said this I’m sure there’s many out there who doubt whether or not I’m worthy to be making a post like this, but if so then please do say. Besides, I feel my experiences are relevant to anyone who’s had difficulty with their identity like I have.

Ok, to start off, I’d first like to address the most important issue in regards to the goth subcultures as a whole. ‘What is goth?’. Well, goth is a number of things, but the most obvious and relevant meaning in this particular context is that of a fashion and music movement which originated in the 1980s, which much deprived from the very similar ‘punk’ subgenre (which, despite popular opinion, is NOT dead, just hungover). Thus, piercings, boots, jackets, jewellery and music will be very similar (One of my friends once remarked that goths are when punks and hippies have babies). Now, this is only the physical aspect of the subculture, what REALLY counts is the spiritual element that distinguishes goths (for example, some may be afraid of needles/unable to afford certain items of clothing etc, which is perfectly acceptable and doesn’t make you any less goth). The mindset of a goth is:

• Open-mindedness
• Appreciation for art and literature
• A fascination with darkness/the supernatural/death etc
• Disregard for mainstream culture (unless it’s something that’s actually good)

Just remember, not all goths are moody or suicidal. That’s a common misconception, as well as many other aspects of the gothic subculture that many people simply do not, or choose not, to understand. Another important thing to remember is that you should not become moody or depressive just for the sake of becoming a goth, and to always remain polite when talking to what you mat regard as an outsider. Seriously, the gothic subculture receives enough underserved bad press without anyone adding to it.

Anyways, I hope this has been a good starter. I intend to cover other aspects of this amazing subculture in due course, but if there’s anything you’d like me to cover in particular then by all means leave a comment, send me a message, sky-write a request, and I’ll be happy to respond.

Regards, the Beard