What happened to the goth crowd?
Is it just me…or does being goth no longer mean what it used to mean?
I've been pondering this since last night.
Beazil…definitely a true goth…had time to go out last night and headed up to what was once his favorite place to be- The Church.
He doesn't get to go very often now. Work schedules have made it difficult. However, in the recent times he's been able to go up to The Church…it's become obvious that the scene has really changed. And not for the better.
It seems every time he does show his face around there now…there is always some young punk who wants to bow up at Beazil for no reason, telling him he doesn't belong there and calling him a poser. I know it's happened to other people also.
Same thing last night as well. Some kid feeling a little too big for his britches decided to walk up to Beazil and attempted to mark The Church as his territory.
Beazil usually just rolls his eyes at these immature outburst…and it gets pointed out to these young hot-heads that Beazil has been going to The Church since it's doors opened, while they were still in elementary school.
Beazil…and several other individuals of the older generation of true Goths that I have the pleasure to know…have all voiced the same opinion. The Church is just not what it used to be…and it is no longer THE place to be. They'd rather be somewhere else most of the time.
And as a result, when they do make a show there, the number of old faces they used to look forward to seeing on Church nights has drastically dwindled.
The younger generation of "Goths" seem to think that being goth is mostly about a way of dress and a bad attitude. They've become a clique-ish bunch.
I myself am not a goth person. I have never claimed to be one. But having been in and around that crowd…and being married to a man who is goth….I have my own perspective on what being a goth is.
I have found that being "Goth" is about acceptance of each other and individual uniqueness.
Most of the OLDER generation of Goths I have known are very intelligent and articulate people who welcome conversations with others around them, regardless of their age or dress.
I have always felt welcomed when in their midst, even in my plain old t-shirt and jeans. They always accepted me for who I was on the inside, not on the out. That always seemed to be what mattered most to them- who you really were on the inside.
The Gothic community is made up of all manner of personalities and affluences- artists, writers, composers/musicians, engineers, teachers, business people, etc. They are both thoughtful and thought-provoking. There are several types of goth styles, such as Victorian. They are very in touch with their emotions and are strongly connected with the people around them. Rather than putting up barriers to the "outsiders"…they opened their arms and welcomed them, seeking to teach and to learn. The goth world is also about the music and a mentality that exudes charm, confidence and sexuality. I know the description goes way further and deeper than that, but rather than write a novel, I'll stop there...lol. All-in-all…I considered it to be a very enriching lifestyle.
It wasn't so very long ago that The Church opened.
And it wasn't unusual, not so many years ago, to see a "preppie" person sitting next to and having a deep discussion or sharing some laughs with a "goth" person. Everyone was getting along just fine. Who they were and how they were dressed didn't matter at all.
What happened to that?
It seems like nowadays, dressing in black and all that is about being fashionable and trendy…and not as much about self-expression and acceptance.
Being goth was never supposed to be a show of caveman-like bravado. It was not about shutting other people out of the circle.
It truly saddens me to see the older gens of Goths being verbally attacked and shunned by the younger crowd in a place that was once their own. In my opinion, the younger ones should be welcoming the older, learning from them what their chosen lifestyle truly means.
Is it just me….or do the younger generations of "goths" really have no clue as to what being goth is all about?
It seems like they're the ones who are the real "posers"…and they don't even realize it.
Is there a way to teach them what being goth is truly about? A way to bring the true meaning of the Gothic lifestyle back to life?
Or perhaps the older generation of goth, who truly understand what being such means, shoudl stop being put off by these kids in the clubs and come back and reclaim what is theirs?
I welcome any thoughts on this from my Goth friends. Maybe we'll have an interesting discussion started.
