Sterotyping....
 

Why must so many on this forum judge certain " Subcultures"? I don't think it is a vey mature or nice thing to do. It is so annoying when people put people in groups just for how they look. It is like saying that because people dress a certain way they are all the same like clones.
I think that the only time it is ok to complain about certain members of subcultures is when they are sterotyping themselves, and are obviously following the subculture exactly.
But even then I wouldn't critisize them. I would just feel sorry for them because they proberbly don't know themselves, and therefore fee they need a label.

Every sub-culture stereotypes itself. A stereotype is a premature judgment.
If you dress gothic, you're going to be judged, and you better like it.
Just as well, we judge the generalization of every other sub-culture.
"It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances." -Oscar Wilde.

Your appearance will usually reflect something about you, after all.
Someone looking at me in the street would go 'oh, it's a goth.' Upon further inspection they'd notice the slight amounts of Egyptian-style eyeliner, the winklepicker boots with skulls, the New Romantic black shirt and go 'Ohhhh... it's an eighties-style Trad Goth', or would if passers-by knew anything about these things. And they'd be quite right.
Also, I've found that girls with too many hair extensions and fake cyber-dreds are not the best of allies in 9/10 cases. So I have learned this, also, about appearances.

I wouldnt care if there was no such thing called goth....i just like what i like and my mental state is its mental state.

I don't love being judged, I just don't care because I'm just being myself.

If I get sterotyped, then I do. I dress the way I do, therefore I expect to get sterotyped and get put in a sub culture or what not.

Be who you are and be proud of it. If anyone has a problem with that, fuck 'em. If you tried to please everyone on earth who has a complaint about you, you'd tear yourself into a thousand pieces.

Exactly. If people can't like you for who you are, then screw 'em. Be yourself and let that be enough.

Emo is the new Goth - Except for Goth is still around. We are stereotypical by nature. By making this thread you have indirectly stereotyped a majority of the forum. Every premature, automatic judgement you make regarding person or thing is stereotypical, for no other reason than it's what you expect.

Hmmm.. I can kind of see your point there, but although I have perhaps techically sterotyped I didn't do it in a nasty way. I suppose everyone subconsiously sterotypes. But I just hate it when people do it in an unfair or bitchy manner.

For man seeketh in sterotype comfort, use, and protection.

I hate it when people who post on message boards get sterotyped as people who have bad grammar, punctuation, and spelling....oops, I meant "stereotype". Sorry, no offense guys, I just had to do it, hehe! ;)

Well,I am so sterotyped that I tell you a story that I am so sterotyped that I tell you a story that I am so sterotyped that I tell you a story that ....
I think this word won't be forgotten again.

^ well said

Couple quick questions for you, love:

1.) If you're so completely against stereotypes and labelling subcultures, what compelled you to join a forum that had a stereotypically labelled subculture right there in the name? I'm not saying you don't belong here, I think you have a unique and interesting perspective, but it's interesting that you chose to bring this issue up here.

2.) Stereotypes, to the common individual and the sociologist alike, are useful. They can offer at-a-glance insights that allow people to get through the day. You may not like it, but it's true. The only time stereotypes are a problem, to my way of thinking, is when they are a person's be-all and end-all. What makes you think that the individuals on this forum, being open-minded human beings themselves, allow everyday stereotypes to get in their way of interacting with different people from different subcultures? And isn't saying that the members of this forum stereotype people in fact stereotyping them?

3.)Who said that the members of this forum care if you think they're "mature" or "nice"? Who, exactly, decided that those words carry any particular merit? Personally, I'd prefer to be "spontaneous" or "articulate" or even "pierced". I can think of several dozen adjectives I care more about than "mature" or "nice".

I didn't read the rest of the replies in this thread, so if this is redundant, I apologize.

I used to hate labels, but to an extent it helps. Think about "Alternative" music. At one time, everyone had their own section, so when you were in a mood for a type of music, could go to that section. Now it is hard to find anything, because it is all jammed together in one mass.

I don't like gossip and judgments. That is what is really the downfall. If everyone could see that people are people with different interests everything would be fine. It starts getting bad when everyone starts reading in behaviors that are not shared.

Gothics are not Satan worshipers. Punk are not drunks. That is an assumption someone made, maybe because they talked to one person. Maybe some situations happen more in certain groups, sure. Goths are dark and and to the darkness. Might be appealing to a Satanist. Punk like to get together and relax while b*tching about politics and what not. Maybe some drunks are drawn to it, because they won't be booted out.

Even with all of this, no one is the same. People are all different even in groups. Sometimes the only commonalities are musical tastes and fashion sense. It doesn't matter. Not everyone has to get along perfectly. That is a big part of tolerance and acceptance. Tolerance and acceptance are both big parts of all cultures. People say it a lot, but I wonder if they understand what it means.

I don't know. The whole thing is crap though. It is like saying that all Goths were molested when they were young, because I have one friend that was and they are a Goth. It just doesn't work that way.

There are some in the gothic culture that wish other cultures would not identify themselves with gothicdom at all. For instance, most Goths I know wish the Emo's would stop insisting they are a subculture of the Gothic culture. It's not even close to being true, but get's picked up by the media and reported in misinformation pieces like this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770