by Wendy Brumback

Created on: March 26, 2010   Last Updated: March 28, 2010

Let’s face it, there are stereotypes to everything, and being Goth is no exception.  I’ve seen the looks and heard the whispers as I walk by in my black clothing covered in zippers and chains.  I have to smile at it really; they don’t have a clue as to who I actually am.

Of course the first assumption is that I am a Satan worshiper, that I practice dark magic.  And it couldn’t be further from the truth.  I actually have a strong Christian background and continuing faith.  Does that mean that all Goths are Christian? No, but the truth is that Goths practice all forms of religions.

And then there is the idea that we are all into the paranormal, magic, and fantasy. Again, some are and some aren’t.  Some love the ideas of vampires and other monsters; others refuse to watch a horror film.  Some are into things like crop circles and ghosts, while others are hard core scientists that will only believe in what they can see and what can be proven.  I’m a happy little mix.  I don’t believe that monsters exist, but I think ghosts might and I am interested in what science can offer us.

Of course the biggest stereotype is that the Goth is depressed and always does drugs.  Depression and an artificial high have nothing to do with it.  It is true that some have chosen this lifestyle, but many have not.  Depression is a mental illness that affects people of all different cultures and sub-cultures.  It is not limited to only one type of person.  To say that is to tell a person suffering from depression that they are not themselves, the same holds true for a Goth who is in no way depressed.  And when it comes to drugs, I would have to say that the Breakfast Club is the best example.  They all sat around “smoking” no matter who they were – jock, brain, basket-case, princess, and criminal.   

To be Goth is to understand life through death, to understand good through evil, and light through darkness. It is to gain an understanding of the whole picture, not to limit oneself to simply a happy feeling.  It is allowing oneself to feel pain, grief, sadness, anger and despair so that he or she can find a greater happiness, so that one can feel extreme love, joy, peace, and hope.  It is about understanding how both good and bad go hand in hand and that without one, there would not be the other.

Stereotypes of the Goth culture are created because of limited understanding of what a Goth is looking for.  It is only in understanding what drives a person do you find out what the person, no matter what they wear, is truly like. That holds true for all people, including a Goth.

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