goth The word "Goth" covers a lot of ground and almost two millennia: from the marauding Germanic tribes of the second century, to pointy European cathedrals and haunting American literature, all the way to the "dark" fashion and music that still gets confused with devil worship. The Gothic architecturethat evolved in Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries--vaulted ceilings, gargoyles, pointed arches--did actually get its name from the Germanic tribes. Italian Renaissance writers apparently thought those cathedrals were ugly and chose to blame them on the barbarians who had done battle with the Roman Empire about a thousand years earlier. But what better setting than a Gothic-style medieval castle for the dark, scary Gothic literature that developed much later, with the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and "Dracula"? Ghoulish encounters with vampires and other living dead gave the characters of Gothic literature a bad case of anti-social behavior--a stigma (or sign of prestige) that endures in modern Goth culture: moody, punk-inspired music, first presented by Siouxsie & The Banshees and Bauhaus, and the black-and-white death tones of Goth fashion. One of the latest blows to the Goth reputation followed the Columbine High School shootings in 1999; the killers were reported to have worn dark trench coats and listened to angsty rocker Marilyn Manson. Wrongly perceived as Goth, they were explained away as worshippers of evil--and members of the Goth community weren't pleased.

Comments

[Twiggy.]

ohh, I've been called "goth" plenty of times just because I wear black and I am an avid fan of Marilyn Manson, the Murderdolls and Moi dix Mois. Let's just say this, people have the right to wear and listen to anything they want, so it's just not apropriate to use these typs of lables and or stereotypes. Quite frankly, the whole thing needs to die. People are people, everybodys different. Let them live their lives the way they chose to. Go figure.

And this may not have so much to do with this subject, but I can't stress this enough. Stop blaming Marilyn Manson for the trageties such as the Columbine shootings!! He's done nothing wrong to deserve being a scapegoat to socioty. The poor man just wants to make music, and is hated by half of America because of it. It makes no sence.

-TwiggyThunderstorm

[IRGOTH]

i personally think being gothic isnt a problem because people have full rights to dress up howeever they want, except gothic-wannabe's their fucking bchs.

[tori]

be nice im an emo/punk/goth/misfit/bitch

[ZeSkyIzBlack]

Hahahaha people call me goth xP I don't consiter myself goth o.o;

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[Gigi]

I get called "goth" a lot. I can kinda see where they'd get that, but I don't appreciate people trying to label me

[chrismrckrchick]

okay, it totally sucks that peoople feel the need to call us goth emo scene or punk or and of that crap!! Um okay, they think we are goth..... whats the f-ing point???? just cuz we r different duzent mean that we are freaks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we can be freaking weird if we want to!!! You define weird, not the way some one acts!!! weird is a state of mind. And you no wat?? anyone who thinks we are satanists are freakin pricks and preps! how duz it feel to be labeled??? so go drive off in u prius and leave us the hell alone cuz we didnt do anything to u.

[Sweeney Todd]

haha
labels suck

[angie]

soem goths are freaks!! no offence jus tlike emos and soem punks i mean were all people.

[ANDRIA]

bleh emos are a cheap imitation uf punk and goth god i hate them ...and.. MARILYN MANSON ROCKS!! HELL YEAH "doll dagga buzz buzz zigety zag" cool song

[ANDRIA]

im a goth and it sucks when people call us emo's just cause we wear black, we do not worship devil.it kinda annoys us when we walk through the streets and people start talking behind our backs saying that we are satanists, it is not only about the music, we like reading, poetry although they usualy are about dark arts, we do not associate our selfs with sad people.[emo's].

[DeadGirl]

Goth is a lifestyle. It's not just music. It's a love of the dark side of life, seeing beauty in the strangest of places.

[lidia]

it's really silly to see the arguments about goth. Goth is a subculture based around bands like Siouxie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, The Cure, Alien Sex Fiend, all that good stuff. there are no hard and fast rules for being goth, and the goth scene is all about creativity. it's not a bad thing if you get called goth, and no one cares if you ARE goth or not. stop bitching and be real.

[Maura]

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were not goth and they didn't worship the devil. They hated Marilyn Manson (they listened to KMFDM and other industrial music) and weren't members of The Trenchcoat Mafia (they were only friends with one person in the group). They did wear trench coats but that doesn't make them goth. The trench coats were mainly used to conceal their weapons.

[kitty]

you guys to be honest i think its stupid that we're labled by the way we dress......so FUCKING what if we're rockers??
anyways....it sucks.....

[Nia]

Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold were in this clique-type-thing called The Trenchcoat Mafia.

Gothic?

[Medusa]

Labels are good for categorizing things [for yourself]. I'd rather call someone Goth instead of 'the girl with pale white skin and a long black dress and black eyes.'
But labels are often used in a negative way, that is its downside unfortunately.

[Gray]

I hate whne people label me as GOth, emo scene or any of that crap. I am insane in a fun way ussualy. I think tatoo's are beautiful forms of art. i do like rock n roll and music some would describe as emo or screamo or whatever. I DO NOT paint my nails black or wear dark ( or any) makeup.i was severly depressed bu these arn't reasons to call someone goth. Has the world gotten to a point where people cant just be people anymore, they have to be in some sort of group??

[Arika]

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold [Columbine shooters] didn't even listen to Manson. They listened to KMFDM.

[jill]

i don't exactly call myself goth i am but im a lil more than that im kinda headbanger,goth,punk,graver,as well as well as many other forms of goth into 1 person so its kinda hard when people r like tryin 2 put me in a certin catergory cause im into differnt things like i love thrash metal,death metal,hard rock,classic rock,scream-o and i love body peircings and tattoos and im crazy so its kinda insulting when people just put a label on u but some people like labels they find them eaiser too identify people im not gonna lie i have done it before but im tryin my damndest not too anymore.btw santism is not worshipping the devil there r many forms of satanism but mainly they believe that they r their own gods like ur ur own god not jesus its not what u c on tv or read in books and if ur gonna label urself first of don't pose it just makes things worse i can't stand posers and second do ur research learn bout stuff u like btw Edgar.A.Poe rocks(I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity) as well as Anne Rice.And KELLY if u were to meet some of my friends and me ud probaly run for ur life don't take that the wrong way but its true.

GOTHS:

• Don't always wear black


• Don't worship satan


• Are NOT evil


• Don't want to kill people


• Do not hate Everyone


• Are not always depressed


• Can be happy too


• Are usally nice people


• Are normal just like you

[Nia]

Blah.

[Ashley]

I'm sick of people who say labels are for soup cans. People that say labels are for soup cans or labels are bad are in a label of themselves, So please just kindly be quiet. Goth is a lifestyle that evolved from the post-punk movement. Though I prefer the classical Victorian Goth, And no you do not need to be depressed, though granted most of us can be cynical but that is very different than being depressed. ]

Oh and another thing, most of the music you think is goth is not. So learn what is REAL goth music before you go labeling anything with "dark" lyrics gothic.