Here is a strange question

[PersephoneX]

I'm a punk...So that makes me a slug or something...Maybe i can be a slug with wings? eeewww!

[Tumor]

Originally Posted by Draconysius

Wow. You guys just said everything I was going to. Oh, besides that, you should probably stop going by stereotypes and be yourself to become a full-fledged Goth. As for the history of Goth, did you know that it goes back to the dark ages with the Goth tribes in Germany? Anyway, you should read on it. We didn't just steal their name for no reason.

Ah, yes, I remember when we took Rome...

[Mick Ignis]

First, off Jillian, stop making such good posts. Your making us look bad :b

I never paid much attention to the gothic tribe thing. I pay more attention to the era of old black and white horror movies and silent films, and of course the paranormal and supernatural.

[Graveyard.Crow]

My mom said I remind her or an actress from a silent film
That was honestly the nicest thing she has ever said to me
Other things weren't so nice...

[PersephoneX]

Alot of mothers say alot of not-so-nice things...Feck 'em all!

[Graveyard.Crow]

Well I can't exactly do that
Me getting food and a place to live kind of depends on that woman

[PersephoneX]

Ha ha...i did too, and then one day i lost it, packed and left...i was lucky. Alot of people arent.

[Jayden]

You guys have pretty much said it all. <3

[Delkaetre]

So.... Mister Crow...
"We all say that a true goth knows the history or knows what the subculture is about. Yet in everyday life people get judged by their appearance, and no one wants to find out what they actually know about the subculture. So anyone can just put of the attire and fool half the people easily."

To be fair, if they can be fooled then their opinion on goth doesn't matter. People who judge on appearance are the people we do our best to ignore, since they haven't a clue what they're on about. A real goth is always different from a babybat. To a real goth, the music, the history, the clothing are all second nature. Babybats generally look like they fell off the rack at Hot Topic or (insert generic alternative clothing store here), and won't know most, or even any, of what a full-fledged goth's talking about. Your age won't matter if you're truly into goth. It's whether you've got a basic grasp of the subculture and you look comfortable in your own skin that matter.
And if your mother has issue with you becoming a goth, direct her to this video from the BBC's Culture Show, which paints us in a positive and accurate light, and do remind her that a very high percentage of goths go on to higher education and very good jobs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZXSMLoG0fw

(just as a by-the-by... I know the girl with the red dreds about a minute into the video. She's a lovely woman from around Leeds. These are all real people in the video, all real representations of our subculture.)

[Draconysius]

^ Delkaetre, I've seen that video before and I really enjoy. As for what you said about most goths going on to be highly educated and successful, I've never thought about that, but it makes sense to me now. Whenever I to convince my mom to let me be who I am, I should probably show her that video.

Now, as for the appearance issue, the difference between a baby bat and a genuine goth can usually be found in their attire. As it has been said, people that dress in accordance to current goth trends (bondage pants, slogan t-shirts, etc.) are most likely new to the subculture. Someone that can express a connection to a certain genre of music, film, etc. within the subculture, while still remaining unique to their own personal flair, is someone who knows exactly what they're in for.
Okay, I tried explaining it as best I could.