Okay, so I've noticed that people are/have been blaming goths for a lot of shit they're not doing and stereotyping them VERY unfairly. As a goth, I felt I needed to address this. This will be a more serious MyTake than the ones I normally post. Here we go.
Columbine
Alright, so this is probably one you were expecting, although it is almost twenty years old as of 2018. Let's put any, *ahem*, preference I may have for Marilyn Manson aside for now and just focus on how fucking unfair him being blamed for the Columbine shooting. Oh, it was two kids who shot up a school, and rumor got out that they liked Marilyn Manson's music, so then he was blamed for the shooting. If you want to hear him talk about it, watch the documentary Bowling for Columbine. Note: marilynmansonssextoy has never actually watched Bowling for Columbine for fear that she would be too turned on to absorb the information.
Lemme just rant for a second. So, of course we're not going to blame society, which is actually responsible. We're not even going to blame the kids who actually motherfucking shot up the school! But we need someone to blame, so, uhhh... ooh, that goth rockstar! He wears face paint and swears in his music, so he must be a bad guy, and of course we're not going to take anything he says seriously!
Hmm, doesn't that last sentence sound familiar? Oh, yeah! That's how goth kids are often treated!
He wears face paint and swears in his music, so he must be a bad guy, and of course we're not going to take anything he says seriously!
Satanism
A lot of people have the idea in their heads that all goths are Satanists, and/or all Satanists are goths. People assume that both of these groups wear black and seem "creepy" or "not right in the head", so they became connected. Let me just say it once, loud and clear: All goths are not Satanists, and all Satanists are not goths! In fact, not all Satanists even literally "worship" Satan, since LaVeyan Satanism is more about worshipping the God and Devil in yourself. But that's a rant for another time. Moving on.
Drugs, self harm, drugs, vandalism, etc.
I believe the Gothtypes wiki puts this one best:
There is no subculture that owns self harm or drugs, and Goths are typically peaceful in nature, they don't like destructive acts, especially on graveyards. People of all types have the ability to feel sad, and hurt themselves. Just because someone is a Goth, does NOT mean that they self harm or are depressed. Drugs are also not specified to any subculture, and Goths will be less than amused to be accused of using them. The older ones may have a drink and cigarette here and there, but hard drugs are absolutely not affiliated with this subculture in any way. The Goths adore graveyards and classical, fine expression, so why they would vandalize anything would be a complete mystery. Just because Goths wear dark clothes, dark makeup and have piercings, tattoos, and interesting or different tastes in music, doesn't mean they're bad people, drug fiends, depressed, or destructive hooligans in any shape or form. It also doesn't mean that someone HAS to be depressed in order to be a Goth. There are very many who are happy with their life and their style. In fact, many Goths are confident with themselves because they love the way they look and the music they listen to.
I do struggle with depression, but I have since I was literally in preschool. It has absolutely nothing to do with my love for the goth subculture.
Summing everything up
So why exactly did I use this MyTake to say this instead of writing some cute fanfiction, which would have been way more fun for me? Well, it's because I want people to understand that goths are normal people, and you should treat us just like you would treat anyone else. Now, it is okay to ask someone in the goth subculture about their music/clothes/etc., but just make sure you do it politely. Who knows, you may even decide to join the subculture if you end up liking it. If you have any questions about goth, Columbine, my experiences, or anything else related, please put them in your opinion. Bye!
xx
~ Mrs Manson
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