Don't Use The "G" Word

Was dragged into a discussion about "What is Goth?" at breakfast this morning with some students on summer work. I just said I didn't want to discuss it over breakfast & would send them a simple email. That aside, I found this analysis on the net which intrigued me...

What is Goth?


Over time, Goth has become increasingly difficult to define. You can no longer say that Goth is black, purple and red velvet reading poetry in a bar. Today almost anything can be considered Goth. Let me prove it.

Goth is black.
Well, not quite. Almost any colour can be considered Goth. Think about it for a while. Red, purple, blue, silver, gold, burgundy, all of these, if coupled with black are indisputably Goth. Think about a Period Goth all dressed in black and forest green. It's still very Goth. Not a single Goth could deny the Gothness of Tim Burton's black and white stripes. Nor could they deny Gothness to the Ministry's bass player, even though he wears a brown cowboy hat and an Australian outback. Waves and waves of glitter and rag doll Goths have proven that pink and baby blue definitely had their place in Goth. Orange more than has it's place in every Goth’s heart, be it only because it's the colour of the pumpkin. The only colour I can't peg down in Goth is yellow. But then again, someone else probably can.
So Goth has nothing to do with colour.

Goth is depressed.
Well any Goth that will tell you this today has very huge chances of being labelled a poser. There is no specific attitude that goes with Goth. A good number of Goths lean towards being critics and cynics, but another good percentage goes to the ever happy, perky and friendly. Some of the funniest people I've known were Goth, as well as some of the most easy going.
So Goth is definitely not an emotional state.

Goth is a subculture.
Well, I don't want to take too long on this one. Just go see Rant 3 if you wanna know why Goth is not a subculture.
So Goth has nothing to do with underground.

Goth is a type of music.
Well, although there is a certain sort of music that get's labelled Goth, you can usually classify that music in another category. It's labelled Goth because it will appeal to the Goth crowd. Take this away, and most Goth bands can be re-classified under industrial, hard-rock, black-metal, EBM, darkwave, new-wave or what not. And then don't forget that a good number of Goths listen to all of these and many others like techno, trance, hardcore, synthpop, drum & bass, metal, ambiance, classical, celtic, newage, fusion, soft rock, tribal, etc.
So Goth has nothing to do with music.

Goth is an artistic movement.
Well, yes and no. Gothic could be considered an artistic movement almost a millennium ago. But today, Goth can certainly not. Half the Goths I know have no artistic bend whatsoever, even if a lot of them pretend to. Goth is not a new poetic renaissance as quite a few Goths just hate poetry altogether.
So Goth has nothing to do with art.

Goth is a philosophy.
If Goth really was a philosophy, then being a Goth would mean being someone who adhere to the Goth philosophy. How come then, not a single Goth I know has the same, no scratch that, has an even resemblant life philosophy? And how come, I haven't met a single person who could explain what the Goth philosophy is without going against what the last person said? That's without mentioning the numerous Goth that couldn't even start to answer, for a lack of knowledge of what the hell philosophy actually means.
So Goth has nothing to do with philosophy.

Sooo, if you look carefully, Goth has nothing to do with anything it pretends to. So what does Goth have to do with? Well, the only possible answer to this is that Goth has to do with everything. The only way to explain that Goth is so hard to define is by accepting that Goth is everything. Any colour is Goth and any emotion is Goth. Goth is both underground and mainstream, it's any type of music, any type of art or the absence of art. Goth is any philosophy or no philosophy at all. Goth is everything.


So what's it all about then???