I was appaled to see Jerry Falwell complain about goth culture on his website. Appaled, but not surprised. The following is an article on Goth Culture I wrote for a grade 11 free topic English essay. I got 90% ;-)


THE MISUNDERSTOOD FREAKS:

So when was the last time you've heard of security breaking up a Hanson concert? How often is there an article in the paper expressing The Concerned Women of America's disgust and fear for the Backstreet Boys? Has MTV ever censored a Britney Speares music video?

The answer to all these is obviously never. The bands that get this kind of negative publicity are those that are strongly opinionated and think differently. Bands like Marilyn Manson and Rammstein who question the church, government, and society in general. Bands that use "lewd" actions, off-the-wall special effects or props, and poetic lyrics to express themselves. Goth bands. They get deemed Devil Worshippers, Nazis, Imbeciles and basically bad people. In fact, calling them Nazis is ironic because the goth image is opposite to that of the "master class". Black hair instead of blonde, dark contacts and eye makeup as opposed to blue eyes, and worshipping imperfection instead of annihilating it. But still, anyone who dares fall out of the norm gets an explicit lyrics sticker smacked on their cds and parents are warned about keeping their children away from these horrible individuals. Mind you, their music videos are playing around the clock and tours are being planned. Why? Because of black lipstick wearing, tattooed, pierced, depressed, morbid, pasty-faced freaks like myself (and yes those terms are taken as compliments).

"Okay," you think. "Then you're one of those self-mutilating, Satanic, drug-crazed, dropouts." Hardly. Goth culture is very often misunderstood and misinterpreted by the religious powers because it speaks out against the churches' abuse of power over the centuries and hypocritical nature. "So how come you all look like extras from 'Interview With The Vampire'?" I'm asked on a regular basis. In my opinion, vampires have always been misunderstood creatures. They were originally created as fairy-tale monsters to frighten children into keeping the "good morals" of the time (beware of the charming man who will lead you into temptation, don't go out after dark). In our time, the vampire had become a symbol of romance and sexual power. Blood lust and other practices, including BDSM, are common in goth culture. These were once considered (and still are in some cases) blasphemous. Again, it's a knock against the old-world beliefs of the church.

It is because of the need to be different, that goths wear dark clothing and make-up. It's to stand out in the crowd. The one thing I have always liked about goth is that there is no distinct or definite style. No one has to follow a guideline on what you can and can't wear. Goths don't make fashion statements, we ARE fashion statements.

There seems to be a fascination with artists who are or were ahead of their time. People like Henri Fuseli, Hiranymous Bosch, Edvard Munch and Salvador Dali. Their art was considered bizarre and worthless when they first painted them, but are now worth millions. Their works are unique in style and conflicted with what "proper art" was. A modern-day example is H.R. Giger, whose artwork started a type of tattoo called "biomechanical". In his words, it reveals "that we are all robots under the skin". He has created weird and outlandish pieces involving subjects that are only just being touched upon now, and most of his paintings were done in the 60's and 70's. A lot of goths do tend to find professions in the arts because they find it easier to express themselves. Art is sacred to them. Even Marilyn Manson's antics on stage are purely theatrical, but nonetheless he gets his point across loud and clear.

Aspects of goth culture have always been present and probably always will be, at least until their is no further use for it. We are the left wing of society, encouraging people to think for themselves. Just remember, we're not the bogeymen in the shadows, trying to teach the children to be disrespectful and apathetic. We're the ones who society has swept under the rug. It's no wonder we fear the light after being forced to live in darkness for so long. And if I sound a tad on the melodramatic side, it's only the goth poet in me, yearning to be disassociated from the Adidas wearing, ninety-nine pound, "politically correct", superficial clones that are society.

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