Quote:
Originally Posted by AsylumVoid
I get very protective as well, which is why I try and be polite to strangers etc A lot of things have done us harm and we're trying to make up for it constantly, I just think there is a larger cobweb of things that contributes little things to where we are today on "societies acceptance scale" and I like to try and work out little society cobwebs.
Yes, Tainted Love has a terrible, terrible video, point blank and should never be shown to any body ever again, that was when he started to become a joke to be honest with you. Even as someone who liked some of his albums, I have facepalmed at a lot of the stuff he has done in recent years. However, now he seems to be so tame and lost all shock value and is now just a dude in make up and nobody really cares about him any more because he isn't profitable unless he's being shocking. Which MIGHT actually be good for us, who knows? Especially after Dita, who is really popular now etc
Most of the qualms I have with Manson is with him as a musician, really. His new stuff is terrible and I have no trouble saying that he's lost it.
In the UK around 2000-2005, I think one of the biggest things was that alt. fashion EXPLODED into mainstream fashion, everyone was going alt., Manson, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Korn etc is the easiest alt. Music to get hold of, that's where kids started back in 2000-2005. I know, I was one of them. So you got a huge influx of kids who think being alternative is "cool" and everything. Kids were dressing first and listening to the music second. I think that fashion screwed it up truly for us during those years. Manson got popular because he's so easy to get into. Basically, us kids in the UK around 2000-2005, we ruined shit HARD! in our country. I'm paying for it now. LOL! I don't know if it was the same in other countries...but I know that in the UK that was a big thing. I wish I could go back at this age and really take a good look at it and work it all out. It rushed by so fast and I was so young. Funnily enough, one of the only Goths left out of that noughties explosion. Well, out of those who I knew when it happened. Now in the UK trad is having a pretty big come back, especially now....for some reason...all the cybers disappeared overnight lol!
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We seem to be a few years behind you. I don't see as many cybers as I used to see in the clubs, but they are still there in numbers enough to sometimes take over our back room (we find the tourists end up in there as well, so that's nice for those of us who would lilke to be left in peace in the front room). When I tutor the fifth graders, they ask a lot of personal questions and often trot out a love for Slipknot or Evanescence as a "common interest". I hate to disappoint them, but as gently as possible I try to correct that misconception. They can all use YouTube, and I love recommending actual goth bands to those who really want to know.
I feel pretty ambivalent about how the outside world sees the subculture. Obviously, I do try to dispel myths and represent us as well as I can, because I'm proud of this culture. There's a part of me that wants to show people how lovely it really is. There's a part of me that stubbornly continues to think that if people could only see us as we are, they would be nicer to us and glad that we are here. But there is also, on the opposite side, a feeling that exposure equals vulnerability. We've lasted so many decades because, generally, people don't bother to learn about us. Even when they think they are assimilating the subculture through fashion trends, visual cues, and other commercial exploitation - and I almost forgot the evangelism/church services focused on attracting goths - they never really infiltrate our ranks. The only people who do are those who want it badly enough to pursue it - and in the process learn about it - even though it's difficult. Yes, anyone with a computer and a brain can eventually learn all about the subculture, but it takes time, commitment, and participation. So, being misunderstood can also be a sheild and an effective filter.
The best balance I've been able to strike is to address specific misconceptions as they come into my personal conversations with mundanes, and then take it no further.