Title: The Modern Goth Subculture: Who Are These Youths
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Content: Members of the Gothic community define themselves as free thinkers. While outsiders looking in often see the Goth way of life as dark and rather morbid, "Goth unashamedly celebrates the dark recesses of the human psyche," according to A Goth Primer Web site, which includes "dark sensuality, sweeping sadness, morbid fascination, forbidden love, the beauty of enduring pain …"
"Many people lead unhappy, unachieved lives … Goth makes depression and angst a lifestyle choice, and that's art," A Goth Primer continues. Stereotypes: Are Violence, Paganism and Death a Part of the Goth Subculture? The characteristic "Goth" is reclusive and melancholy, yet smart, and many come from educated backgrounds. Goths do wear mostly dark clothing and share a general dissatisfaction with society and/or a desire to be different. Music, art and literature are also part of the Goth subculture. Music can include a number of dark, tragic and mysterious sounds, including bands like Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Fields of the Nephilim, and the Sisters of Mercy (however, some also mention a large '80s music following among the Goth community). In a new study, 53 percent of youths in the Goth subculture reported self-harming behaviors, compared to 7-14 percent in the general youth population. Violence, however, is not a part of the traditional Goth scene, with most members describing themselves as pacifistic, open-minded and accepting of everyone.