People, it's easy.
Neither the ones that like Hot Topic nor the ones that hate it are right.
The universe is not dualistic. Besides a "yes" and a "no", it came with an interesting other number of choices such as "maybe" and "mu" (for more reference about the meaning of "mu" contact your local Zen master
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Hot Topic is NOT gothic! That's quite right. It rhymes for a reason.
But that doesn't mean real goths aren't allowed to shop there.
I get most of my clothes from the Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren section in department stores. But Foley's and Dillard's aren't goth either.
If I weren't allowed to buy at Hot Topic because it's not really gothic, I wouldn't be allowed to buy at Foley's for instance.
You followin' me so far?
As for me, I don't hate the store itself. I just hate the people that buy entirely out of Hot Topic and have the indecency of thinking THAT makes them gothic.
The only reason I don't buy there is because of my own superficial reason of not wanting to be confused as one of those kids. But, why wonder around the whole freakin' city to buy a studded belt instead of going to your local Hot Topic?
I just like to avoid Hot Topic, but I still have to go sometimes. An example of this is that a friend of mine saw the Voltaire's books I have wanted to buy in Hot Topic. Why buy them online and wait for one or two weeks when I can just go buy it right now?