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*Cringe* um....

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I knowthat I'm about to get flamed and that this will sound kind of stupid but I have been looking and can't find anything on what being goth exactly is. it seems pretty coool. but im not sure yet. please dont just say something like "yeah its very cool." or "YES ITS COOL YOU DUMB 5#17!!!" im just trying to find out what the basics are at this point. if someone could please tell me i mean I have a strong feeling(meaning "Um,Yeah, This is all I know that I'm gonna get killed if I say something like i like black alot and that enough.")  that it doesn't just mean liiking black alot.

Alright break it up...we don't want to have any tears.

*starts handing out Goth membership cards* Now your all goth, go out and play!

Ew!  Swoop, you typed...  *shudder*  Good Charlotte.  That's icky gross.

And was that orchid comment to me or Puck?

Stargate,

  Perhaps you are what we once called a "Rocker."  Goths do not have soul ownership of the colour black (Canadians spell color with a "u").  A few examples of "rocker black" might include Metalica, Guns n' Roses, and AD/DC.  All big into the black, not so much with the goth.  You'll find a great many Rocker T-shirts are printed on black, and went nicely with the black jeans that were so popular among the rockers of the late 80s.  As a result, some might confuse this black dominant wardrobe for being "gothic" when it is simply black.  If you actually checked out the history link I posted, you ought to be able to find a list of early gothic music.  The most commonly noted bands being Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, The Cure, and The Sisters of Mercy (yes, there are other bands, but these are the ones I've found mentioned most frequently when referring to the origins of Goth music).  All tend to have a melancholic sound, coupled with a darker than average apparel, inspiring magazine writers to attach the name Gothic (though sometimes called "Death Rock/Punk").

  Modern goth tends to be a bit more confusing.  For example, many goths like to claim Trent Reznor's NIN as their own, but as my friend remarked at the recent concert, "It's amazing the variety of people who were at the show.  I keep forgetting that NIN has a large 'rocker' following as well."  Further confusing this issue are groups like Good Charlotte, whose band members seem to dress like gothic punks, whilst their music contains little (if any) trace of a gothic sound.  So again, I urge you to investigate the culture to see if it's you.  If you find the website I provided to be too tedious (that might be a clue right there), you might want to do a couple of simple google searches on gothic art, poetry, and fashion.  After having a look through that, you might have a better idea as to whether or not this Gothic thing is you, or if you just like black clothes.

I think thats the beauty of goth, we are all so different but so alike. More people should be like goths, it would solve a lot of the worlds problems... ok, now I'm just being naive and wishful.

That's very true.  It's strange how we are all so alike but describe who we are and the lifestyle we embrace so differently.

Yeah, but trying to explain a culture like goth is always going to be a huge task. Unlike prep or what ever, you can't really pin one word, phrase or sentance to it. It's one of those very, very, very individual things. Different people are usualy going to come up with different ways to explain it, but it'll usualy all boil down to solidarity and the beauty of life.

I got a standing ovation?  Holy freaking crap!  *blushes til my head explodes*

Seriously, though...  I wish there were more words to explain it.  Language can be so lacking...

Goth has blurred lines, it has definitions that can't always be put into words and pre-requisites that can be waived.  It's about seeing beauty in everything in life, even death (although some will lead you to believe we are all about death).  It's about seeing the value in dark things, not just happy things.  It's about community, about openness, about understanding.  Goth is about loving life for everything it has to offer.  Goth is artistic, intelligent and, dare I say, sophisticated.  Goth is about seeing the world for what it really is and not wanting to be someone who always tries to put a positive spin on the world but learning to love all the negative.  Goth is about discovering who you are and knowing there are other people out there who are like you, who think and feel and live the same way.  People with the same passion for darkness that you do, who see beauty the way you do.  It's about finding a friend whose idea of a good night out isn't going to play pool but going to walk through a graveyard in the middle of the night after spending the last few hours dancing like crazy at an awesome goth club.  Goth is us.

Goth is an obsession with a beauty that can only be described as dark. A beauty that others by-pass because they don't feel that it belongs. The kind of beauty that makes you wonder if magic is involved.

As for music, I've only met ever met a couple of goths that only listen to one kind of music. Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead listening to Brittney Spears unless her music started *meaning* something.

hard classic rock mostly but pretty much anything i mean you could sit me down in a room and play polka and it wouldn't affect me is there something wrong with me? lol....well anything but too much of the same soft rock and pop stuff like brittiny spears and backstreet boys nstink and stuff like that i cant stand.

It's a subculture, just like, oh, I don't know,  being a preppie (except goths have WAY better fashion sense).  Y'know those weird kids at school who hang out in the smoke pit, don't listen to Christina and don't shop at Old Navy?  That's goth.

What makes it seem more like an organized club is the fact that goth tastes have been pretty consistent over the years. Goths are wearing and listening to pretty much the same sorts of things as we did in the 80s; gothydom seems to have more staying power than other trends. Which is why I like it: it's not fickle, although it's not stagnant either.

Stargate, what kind of music/style are you into?

By looking at how modern goth started, you will better understand what today's goth is.  Short answers to your questions as follows...

Is Goth a religion - no, though some are religiously goth

Do we pay dues - not in a financial way.  Some will be immediately accepting of you, others will expect you to "pay your dues"

Is there a motto - "I'm so goth my black is blacker than your black, it's called black black"  (no, there is no official motto)

Participation - this one is the subject of debate at times.  I would say that going to the clubs and such is not mandatory (though quite fun).  Some people are solitary goths, and so "joining in" just isn't there thing.

The Uniform... uhm... Being goth typically starts with association by dress, but I know some people who are far more goth on the inside than other "tru goths" are on the outside.  For Example, My friend Dana used to wear tan pants and hawaiian shirts, and he is most definitely a goth (on the inside).

There are plenty of places all over this forum that discuss what goth is.  Look around for a while and see what you can find.  I think Atratus even wrote up an FAQ somewhere.

ok um thanx but im not looking for the history of goths im looking for what it is today. im trying to define my question let me think................................. ok. what exactly does being gothic include i mean is it a religion?  Like well think of it this way to be a tiger cub you have to be like i think six(possibly seven im not sure) and or in first grade. u have to wear the uniform remember th promis, motto,pay dues (depending on what pack you're in) and participate in what everyone else is doing. did that make my question more clear or more fuzzy?

Don't worry so much about getting flamed...  n00b!  Just kidding.  We're all pretty good people here and are more than willing to answer any questions that you have.

What exactly do you want to know?  Asking us to give you a blanket answer to "what is goth" is going to get you a lot of posts telling you a lot of different things, all of them true.  Feel free to snoop around the other boards and read past posts, get a feel for who we are and what we're about and ask as many questions as you'd like.

Hope to hear more from you, toodles!

PS:  In response to your other post about Pink Floyd, a) no one is going to flame you here, that's not what we're about and b), I like Pink Floyd, too!  ^_^

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