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Since this is urban dictionary, I'll give the more modern definition:
Of or relating to a subculture which developed in the late 70's as an offshoot of punk, characterized by unconventional hairstyles and clothing. Originates from a musical style which is still alive to a certain extent, gothic rock artists include Bauhaus, She Wants Revenge (more recent), and Sisters of Mercy. The term gothic comes from a 19th century literary style, which is the basis of horror fiction. As a general term, gothic means dark.
Stereotypes surround the gothic subculture, like any other subculture, including an association with Satanism (coming from a false connection between atheism and Satanism), a belief that goths (or gothics, to distinguish them from the Germanic tribe) dress unconventionally to attract attention from mainstream culture, and an association with depression and evil. Dark themes are what characterize gothic music and literature (also film and television), and these fictional themes are often misapplied to people. However, some of the negative stereotypes surrounding gothic culture are a result of (excuse my bias here) assholes who pretend to be vampires, cut Marilyn Manson into their backs with knives before going to a concert, and other attention-seeking shock artists who give the impression that gothic culture is about celebrating all things gruesome and barbaric. (Not that I have anything against a little violence in entertainment)
This is very cliche on urbandictionary, but here are some things that are not gothic"
Marilyn Manson
Self-harm or suicide (although depression is a common trait in youth regardless of subcultural orientation, and the lead singer of the early gothic music group Joy Division committed suicide)
Pretending to be a vampire.....outside of Halloween, that's just ridiculous
Gothic music: see above
Gothic movies: almost anything related to Dracula, Frankenstein, vampires
Gothic clothing: this varies from subspecies (excuse my terminology) to subspecies of goth, including cybergoth, romantic goth (old school), heavy metal goth, "mallgoth" (an insult applied to goths who embrace gothic fashion and culture for reasons perceived to be superficial, however, some of this is just elitism), etc
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There is something horribly wrong with the way people view "goths". "Goths" are not always doom and gloom. They are not always listening to screaming, miserable music. And, oh, did you know, some "Goths" even wear different colors other than black? Ever heard of Bauhaus or Siouxsie and the Banshees? They're considered "goth" bands.
The culture is so much different from what people make it out to be. Being "goth" is a way of expressing yourself to your liking. Just as some might wear letterman jackets and other clothes. They're normal people with different views. You can't lump them into some little group because a bunch of teenyboppers decided they were going to slit their wrists and write horrible poetry. That's just the same as saying all "preps" worship their boyfriends and say 'like' all of the time. It's stupid and it's full of prejudice. Granted, prejudice is what seems to make the world go around lately.. Doesn't mean you have to give in to that trend of throwing out vile and disgusting words at something you don't understand.
"The Gothic scene and the mundane world have always been at odds. This rift is largely due to a miniscule breakdown in communication resulting simply from the misapplication of certain words."
-Voltaire's 'What is Goth?'
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Pertaining not to devil-worship, but to a way of thinking before the "Age of Reason" that stressed emotion (as opposed to rationality), preoccupation with mortality (and immortality), and sensuality.
The writings of Edgar Allan Poe, the films of Ken Russell.
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mistaken for a bunch of troubled metal head teenagers who are obsessed with death and suicide. this is totally wrong and is just some stupid steriotype given to them by dumbasses such as townies. goths are normally just normal people who like to dress in their own kind of style, rather than the mundane crap we see everyday. goths are quite confident and are never afraid to laugh at themselves. goths normally have a open mind to alot of things instead of being closed mind twats who wont try anything else but what every1 else is doing
1) more unique than most... but not totally individual as thats impossible
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Goth is essentially every other music scene (indie, rave, etc.), just a bit spookier and dramatic. The actual goths (ie, not the high school kids) are usually college students or average people with dayjobs. Many work in the tech field as it affords them flexibility with their appearance. They typically have macabre or devious senses of humor (yes, they do laugh - a lot.) and are subject to the same fallacies, issues, and qualities that other humans are. Most are not cutters.
Just like other scenes, the goth scene is extremely misrepresented by the youth who either misappropriate the genre or simply don't quite "get it." They often put a public and very misleading face on the scene and many goths (such as myself) rush to defend the scene, as flawed as it might be, for it is something that happens to bring much joy to many people. The illusion of uniqueness is just that. But then again, deep down, we're all different in some way, but there's still no harm in doing what you can to set yourself apart if you find value in that.
Still, much of the older goth scenesters do not completely dismiss the younger generations. They might deride them, but hope they will expand their horizons. Conversely, you will find older goths who enjoy the more commercial acts, for no other reason than simple personal taste.
One final thing: Most goths don't just listen to music associated with that genre. Most will branch out. Some listen to Punk or Techno, some even listen to Jazz or Motown. The final idea of being a goth is to simply be yourself, even if you're not wearing black.
We still reserve the right to make fun of emo kids because we know we look silly. They haven't figured it out yet.
I don't have an gothic example. I'm not that creative.
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Gloomy, dark, dreary. 12th century era gothic architecture included pointed buildings and large stained glass windows. The novel Dracula is an example of gothic literature. The Castlevania series are gothic videogames.
Gothic literature, architecture, and occasionally games are cool. Poser "goths" who try to follow trends by buying crap from hot topic are not. Not to be confused with "emo", which is a step even further down than this..which sometimes is hard to believe.
me: You call yourself "goth"? Okay then, who wrote the original gothic novel Dracula?
poser goth: uhh I dunno. come on man you're holdin me up. i gotta meet my friends at 7 at the mall. we're all going to hot topic
me: *slaps poser goth*
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First of all because the term gothic has so many defnitions it has to be defined in many ways. The word Gothic was first published in 1611 in a reference to the language of the Goths. This meaning was extended in several ways to mean "Germanic" or "Barabarous" or a term for being medievil. It is also a term for an architectual style in Northern Europe between the 12th and 15th centuries which is dominated by pointed arches and emphasises hieght. Gothic is also used to describe art from the 12th to 15th C. Beginning In 1765, literature and stories that revolve around grotesque, mysterious and desolate themes were called Gothic stories because they were written in styles and about themes that were medievil and not classical.
The term 'goth' is meant for someone who appreciates gothic literature, art, style etc, not someone who wears black and is in deppression.
"They're reading The Castle of Ontranto, they must be gothic"
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