Gothic: Of or pertaining to a literary style of fiction prevalent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries which emphasized the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate: a gothic novel. [This is the relevant definition in the dictionary. Think of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allen Poe.]
But what does gothic mean in regards to the group of people? Here's where it gets confusing. There are things that many Goths like that are not gothic (Industrial or Classical music). There are things that are gothic that many Goths dislike (vampires, interest in death). There are things that some people think are gothic that are not gothic (bands like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails), and there are things that do not call themselves gothic even if they are considered gothic by most people (bands like Sisters of Mercy and Dead Can Dance). However, there's no Grand Gothic Judge to decree what is truly Goth and what is not, although there are plenty of people who claim to be it. It's an ambiguous label with many people using it that don't understand what it means. The people who do understand it often have many different definitions.
this is taken from http://www.darkwaver.com/subculture/
now, after watching a concert lats night, which i must say was an alright one *comments on that will be done at a later date* i couldnt help but notice people between the age of 14-50 walking around in "Goth-like" outfits or styles. Reading the description above, it clearly says that sometimes there are misconceptions and misinterpretations of what goth really is.
The sad thing is, that i see individuals who succumb to societal expecttaions, or in this case a misntepretation of what society perceives Goth to be, firstly, the cocnert i went to certainly doenst warrant goth-like appearnces, Hell, even the bands that played didnt dress that way.... so one cannot blame the music and the musicians.
it is clear that its the people, a friend pointed out to me this old man who looked like he was a 105 walking around with the black t-shirt jeans look and piercings and accessories that would look better on a dog and the both of us (friend and i) couldnt help but wonder why people do this. It is one thing to be a part of a culture, i am all for that but one thing that we have to understand is if to have one culture intertwined with another that particular person or gropus of people thinks its all the same thing. Like GOTH culture and MODERN ROCK dont mix, like the description above said. somethings that are thought to be goth are not, and somethings thought NOT to be goth ARE Goth.
The same goes for hip hop, a culture that was started by the African-Americans, the history and culture of Hip-Hop stemmed from way back in the 70's where theAfrican-Americans were in need for their voices to be heard and where they needed an identity some can argue... Hip-Hop doenst only mean RAP, its funk, motown blues, james, from James Brown all the way to 50 Cent. Nowadays, people often come to the cocnlusion that if hey wre to wear hip hop fashion, they are no win the hip hop culture...
sad...
be proud of your own culture... we dont have to immerse ourselves into other cultures when WE do not even appreciate OUR OWN cultures. that will only lead to false-hoods and not being true to ourselves.
Appreciate the other cultures, but you dont have to live it...... get what i mean?
the history of Hip-Hop can be read at http://www.daveyd.com/raptitle.html
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