I see these people running around with dyed black hair , and wearing nothing but black, and some are wearing goul make up, and I wonder is this a kind of religion or are they just trying to scare each other ? If it is a religion what is the religion all about ? Is Marilyn Manson the leader of this group or is it Rob Zombie ?
Originally posted by buckkyBela Lagosi's dead....undead, undead, undead
I see these people running around with dyed black hair , and wearing nothing but black, and some are wearing goul make up, and I wonder is this a kind of religion or are they just trying to scare each other ? If it is a religion what is the religion all about ? Is Marilyn Manson the leader of this group or is it Rob Zombie ?
Bauhaus
Originally posted by buckkyYes, Goth is a religion, it's a lot like Quakerism.
I see these people running around with dyed black hair , and wearing nothing but black, and some are wearing goul make up, and I wonder is this a kind of religion or are they just trying to scare each other ? If it is a religion what is the religion all about ? Is Marilyn Manson the leader of this group or is it Rob Zombie ?
Originally posted by buckkyMost goths will tell you that it is not a religion. To the contrary, many goths are atheist. I would suggest you check out some gothic message boards and like web sites. I have surfed such places a time or two and leanred a lot about this sub culture. My opinion is that it is rather an expression, a lifestyle if you will. These are people very in touch with their "darker" emotions. On the whole though, I would say they are just normal people like you and I who like to express their deep and dark emotions outward via their clothes and demeanor.
I see these people running around with dyed black hair , and wearing nothing but black, and some are wearing goul make up, and I wonder is this a kind of religion or are they just trying to scare each other ? If it is a religion what is the religion all about ? Is Marilyn Manson the leader of this group or is it Rob Zombie ?
I can empathize with this somewhat, in the sense that when I was young(er) I was rather "punk" in appearance. When it was time to go to work or some such thing though, the spikes came off, the hair was combed down and the tie was put on. Such is the case with many goths I believe. On the converse, there are also the "hardcore" individuals in both of these sub cultures, "expressing" themselves in this manner all the time. With such hardcore people the outward appearance may represent something more deeply seeded. By that I mean that these people may live the expression of their deep emotions all of the time because it is a consuming aspect of their lives, being the great shaper of their view of life.
I have found such people to be very much in the minority however. Most of them are just your average joe with a wife and kids and a 9 to 5 job. This is just a way they like to express them selves. I know that when I used to have all the piercings, spikes, chains, etc. I did a lot of it for the shock value. It was my way of saying, "Here I am. I am a unique person. I hope I have gotten you out of your comfort zone enough to see that I am different and that there is nothing you can do about that. I am different and I like it like that. If that offends your fine sensibilities, I don't care. If you can't accept me, that's your problem."
I had a good laugh at life a while back. You see, since I got married and started having kids I pretty much retired my punk apparel. I still sport a wallet chain and a couple of nuances that while well accepted are also not too far away from a "punk" statement. you might say I am really watered down. Well, the other day I ran into a girl I went to high school with. In those days, she was goth. Very goth. I noticed that she was a lot like me, still a hint of goth here and there, but very watered down so that if you didn't know her back then you wouldn't think anything of it. I talked to her about this. We commented on how each of us looked so different these days and we had a good laugh at ourselves and at life. 🙂
Originally posted by OmnislashThere's one thing you left out of your story. When you two were in high school, did you ever give her the Gothic bone?
I had a good laugh at life a while back. You see, since I got married and started having kids I pretty much retired my punk apparel. I still sport a wallet chain and a couple of nuances that while well accepted are also not too far away from a "punk" statement. you might say I am really watered down. Well, the other day I ran into a girl I went to high ...[text shortened]... w each of us looked so different these days and we had a good laugh at ourselves and at life. 🙂
I was a goth from the ages of about 13 to 18, but I am no longer. The reason? I suppose it's about fitting in, or the lack of it. I wasn't a happy child for reasons I shall not go into here. But when people/life/questions were unfulfilling, I retreated into a world where darkness, solitary and introspection were the dominant factors. From this I developed high emotional content, but little physical or social practice. The stylising that comes with goth (makeup, wearing black, listening to Sisters of Mercy) is a way of self branding, saying to everyone else "You rejected me, here are the colours of my tribe, there are others like me and we are special". I found solace in being different, it was almost as if standing out from the crowd in appearance gave me the attention I never managed to attain as a normal member of society. I found a great deal of beauty in the darker things in life, the things most people are scared or repulsed by. In that way I found my own world which others did not understand and that increased my uniqueness. I guess I felt lost in my teenage years and being a goth was my way of finding answers and learning who I was instead of who everyone else thought I was. I look back at it and realise it was somewhat naive, but at the time it made sense to me.
Is being a goth part of a religion? No, it is a social group and just like religion or indeed Atheism, you will find a plethera of types of goth within the category. I am not a goth anymore, I am too happy these days, I have a partner I love very much, a large circle of friends, I have answered most of the questions I used to ponder and I no longer need to dress in black and paint my nails to feel like me. I have learnt who I am and I am comfortable with it. I am also an atheist, though I know several goths who would claim to be Christians. I still love the darker side of life, there are as many pleasures as there are pains in it and I believe knowing something about it makes you better able to understand the world and people in general.
Originally posted by ShonkytonkYou don't by any chance live in Melbourne?
I found that alot of "goths" these days are quite fake. They do it because it is considered trendy to be different. Most of them come from good homes and good up-bringings. Or it could be that the only goths i have interacted with are these types? Anyway i usualy get annoyed at them and their glum "everything is shit" disposition because there are kid ...[text shortened]... problems (homeless etc.) out there and most of these "goths" take what they have for granted.