Ellen Barry (July 31 — Aug 7, 1997) 'Still Goth after all these years,' The Boston Phoenix.

 

OVERVIEW

 

'Where has being normal ever gotten you?' That question, posed in a number of different ways, has been drawing kinds into the Goth scene for nearly 20 years – longer than. panic, longer than flower power,. longer than hip-hop and disco and flam and heavy metal and rave. Goth has survived the centrifuge of American popular culture. Goth has it's roots in the Punk subculture of the 70s. Goth speaks to middle-class teens who are "world-weary. Goth attraction is to the morbid and grotesque. Consider the following quotes from the article:

 

"Initiation tends to follow a predictable pattern: a slightly shy, slightly intellectual kid stumbles onto the first world she has encountered where nonconformity is celebrated."

 

"Goths put a huge premium on separateness – many are acidly judgmental about who really qualifies -- and they'd rather turn away a few sympathetic outsiders than admit someone who will disturb the equilibrium"

 

Among the ideological splits that have arisen within goth in recent years are disagreements on such issues as the coolness of the Internet, the appeal of vampires, and -- notably -- the centrality of pain, as typified by the debate between "mopeygoths" and "perkygoths." These days, the modern goth has a well-developed sense of irony about the prototypical suffering goth: dancing alone with a rose, considering his mortality. In Boston, at least, overt suffering is out of fashion. Sara Arnold, who at 17 is. one .of the youngest full-fledged members of the community, says "more than anything, it's lighthearted." Rachel Pollock, who is known professionally as DJ Lady Bathory and will soon be appearing at Ceremony and Hell, doesn't have one good thing to say about the pain crowd.

 

Pain seems to go hand-in-hand with what constitutes goth. If you want to make a very broad generalization, your average punk is very angry inside, whereas your average goth is very sad.

 

The article gives a section on decoding the Goth subculture. There is a Caffin's code, which is a variation of Robert Hayden's Geek Code for communicating on the Internet.

 

 

OUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

 

1.           Can a Christian be Goth?

 

2.           Will associating with the Goth subculture lead to Satanic worship?

 

3.           Does affiliating with death and life's other dark side lead to a deeper depression and isolation for teens?

 

4.           What do I do if my teen decides to become Goth?

 

5.           How do know if my teen has moved from the gentle side of this subculture to the more violent side?

 

IMPLICATIONS

 

Some teens drop into Goth culture during dark times in their lives and drop out later on. It can be an important resource for venting the darker times of life.

 

Blessing – Because many teens are struggling with personal Identity and learning to relate to the larger mainline culture, this subculture provides a vehicle to vent frustrations with life and the world around us, which may seem very overwhelming and depressing to them.

 

Curse - Because this subculture exposes teens to the darker side of life and connects them into a more personal account with death, I am concerned that teens prone to depression and suicide may-be drawn deeper into their negative feelings. They may also isolate themselves from family and friends buy hiding in this subculture.

 

 

Tonya Jones cCYS