First and foremost the term Gothic is not a social category. It also not a stereotype for bipolar adolescents who follow a preposterous trend of listening to Marilyn Manson, shopping at Hot Topic, painting your nails black, smothering your face in white powder, and giving off a rebellious demeanor. It also has nothing to do with Satanism, Vampirism, or the occult.
The term Gothic from a historical/factual standpoint is a characterization of architectures in the 12th and 16th century. It is also an expression of Art (such as a piece of literature or a painting portraying a dark setting/ambiance) and a language used by the Eastern Goths—4th century A.D. Predominately, this language is known from the Bible rendition of Bishop Ulfilas.
A Goth is a member of a Germanic barbaric tribe that conquered a large portion of the Roman Empire from the 3rd to the 5th centuries A.D. The Goths were divided into two groups: the Ostrogoths (eastern Goths) and the Visigoths (Western Goths). According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary another definition for a Goth is an uncouth, uncivilized person; a barbarian.
Now, based on that definition wouldn’t it make far more sense to call the vast majority of hicks Goths than it would people who garb themselves up in an excess of black garments? Honestly, that definition hits it right on spot when it comes to the nature and persona of your average trailer-park-white-trash-redneck asshole.
Now, I’m fully aware that some people have their own beliefs on what Gothic is and that’s fine. I am just simply saying they are wrong. But it’s understandable since the media is renowned for causing such misapprehensions. Ever since the columbine shootings, an ugly stigma has been attached to the term Gothic. Unfortunately, the media has successfully mesmerized the ignorant into believing that mentally ill children clad in nifty dark-colored trench coats pose to be a threat to society and should be avoided at all costs. They place the Gothic label upon them without having any prior knowledge of its origin and background.
A PERSON WHO HAS AN EXCESS OF FACIAL/BODY PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS: While a type of tattoo—depending upon the style—could be considered Gothic, that doesn’t mean the person is Gothic.
VAMPIRES: Many may perceive Vampires as the epitome of everything that is Gothic. Hollywood is renowned for portraying vampires as flamboyant creatures with skin of pallor, sharp teeth, over-exaggerated accents who are either aristocrats or live dark, melancholy lifestyles. Now, a vampire movie can certainly have a Gothic atmosphere in terms of cinematography and set design, but any movie can have a Gothic atmosphere, it doesn’t have to be a vampire flick.
Gothic has nothing to do with creatures who prowl the night in search of living blood. If you are prowling the night with a cape draped over your shoulders, fancying yourself a bloodsucking hound, thinking that that makes you Gothic, you need to off yourself.
MANSONITES: I have a difficult time understanding why society proclaims that this silly group of mutinous, adolescent dolts is Gothic. Just because someone listens to his music should not automatically put them in a category. If there isn’t a medieval flying buttress protruding from their large intestine or a Gothic painting stapled to them, there is nothing Gothic about them. They are just… different…. Wooooo… as if every other person isn’t different in someway, shape or form.
HOT PROFIT—ahem…TOPIC: It amazes me how so many people categorize this franchise (a franchise owned by The Gap mind you) as a Gothic store. What the hell is so Gothic about it?
A WAY OF THINKING: The mind is a complex figure. It’s asinine to determine that a person's way of thinking is of a Gothic mindset. There is no one way a person thinks.
The COLOR BLACK: It’s a color (or a shade for those of you who want to get technical), enough said.
