
I can think of multiple issues that have arisen again and again in the subculture that have to deal with acceptance. One of which that comes immediately to mind is the issue of Goths of Color. Why this is an issue, I'm not sure. I've never met a Goth who has said that if you are not white you cannot be a Goth, but I chalk that up to me not being friends with racists, not to everyone in the subculture being inherently open to all races and colors. After all someone, and apparently multiple someones, had to start the controversy. There has to be racism in the subculture somewhere.
The image that I chose for this article is the image that actually sparked this whole debate. From the Goth Confessions tumblr, this lovely bit of slut shaming goes to show that the subculture cannot escape its own human instinct to express preference over other people's clothing and say that one style is better than another. The evolution of the subculture has sparked a fair amount of controversy, including what is now deemed Goth clothing, but I'm fairly sure that miniskirts have always existed in the subculture. However, since the Romantigoth clothing style reigned supreme for a time and was then overtaken by Death Rock (miniskirts galore!) this has caused a lot of issues. Of course, maybe I was overreacting by calling this picture slut shaming. If you interpret it as just a preference of clothing style, then you have to admit that people have their preferences which they will inevitably express at some point. That doesn't make us particularly open-minded, does it?
Beyond the clothing debates, there is the in-scene fighting. Oh yes, you know the type. CyberGoths aren't real Goths, Batcavers have their heads tucked up where the sun don't shine, anyone who likes Nine Inch Nails has to be a poser. Even the argument about whether the subculture is more founded in clothes or music can have Goths tearing at each other with black-painted talons. If your interpretation is different than someone else's, the argument can heat up pretty quickly. "But they're wrong!" is the chant for these people, and I've seen it ruin multiple acquaintances.
Beyond the clothing debates, there is the in-scene fighting. Oh yes, you know the type. CyberGoths aren't real Goths, Batcavers have their heads tucked up where the sun don't shine, anyone who likes Nine Inch Nails has to be a poser. Even the argument about whether the subculture is more founded in clothes or music can have Goths tearing at each other with black-painted talons. If your interpretation is different than someone else's, the argument can heat up pretty quickly. "But they're wrong!" is the chant for these people, and I've seen it ruin multiple acquaintances.
Even outside our own culture, it's not hard to find Goths trashing other subcultures or groups. Emos and Juggalos seem to be prime targets, and anyone who decides that tanning is a pretty fun thing to do. ("But skin cancer!" they cry, puffing on their clove cigarettes.) If they aren't us, they're "normals" or "mundanes." After all, we were enlightened in the darkness. We've been known to roll our eyes and say that Punk is dead or that scene kids really need to get a hair cut and stop with the bad poetry (as we were told by the Punks way back when, I imagine.)
Of course, the ever debated sexuality of the subculture comes to mind at this point. Some people are quick to look at pictures of Peter Murphy in bondage gear and then proclaim that all Goths are BDSM lifestylers or fetishists. Just as quickly, some Goths will respond that "No! We're not like those people!" If you've ever heard this argument, the disdain and sometimes disgust of the Goth in Question will be completely obvious. Moving beyond how you chose to have sex with someone, there's sometimes a fuss about who you chose to have sex with. Incidents of homophobia are not unheard of, even if they're just an emotional response to someone claiming that all Goths are at least Bisexual.
I'll be the first to admit my close-mindedness. I think that people who think that Goth is about the clothes you wear are wrong. I think that tutus are unflattering and that pastel Goth is just too weird for me. I think that if you think you're not a Goth 24/7 you're doing something seriously wrong (Goth should not take work, it should be what you are.) I think that corset details on clothing are unflattering 90% of the time and that arm/leg warmers are almost always tacky. I judge people in my head for saying that their favorite bands are one of the Big Bands until they can name some of their less popular songs (I'm not one of those people that quizzes people, but I do silently watch and wait.) I also judge people for liking Emilie Autumn, which I've mentioned before. I am a Goth with certain prejudices.
I don't mean to demonize the subculture that I love and call home. I mean to humanize it. For every person who does say a racist remark or who participates in in-scene squabbles, there are probably five who just want to enjoy their chosen lifestyle in peace. My point is, in a nut shell, that Goths are people too. They come with prejudices and preferences, they don't become paragons of open mindedness and acceptance just because they have Siouxsie on their iPods. The same goes for people who tout "Goths are not depressed", or "Goths are not violent." We're a varied subculture, and some of the people involved are bound to fulfill stereotypes that the subculture has been trying to shrug off (or dawn, as the open minded portion of this post indicates.) What do you think?
I don't mean to demonize the subculture that I love and call home. I mean to humanize it. For every person who does say a racist remark or who participates in in-scene squabbles, there are probably five who just want to enjoy their chosen lifestyle in peace. My point is, in a nut shell, that Goths are people too. They come with prejudices and preferences, they don't become paragons of open mindedness and acceptance just because they have Siouxsie on their iPods. The same goes for people who tout "Goths are not depressed", or "Goths are not violent." We're a varied subculture, and some of the people involved are bound to fulfill stereotypes that the subculture has been trying to shrug off (or dawn, as the open minded portion of this post indicates.) What do you think?