The Goth Handbook: How To Get In The Subculture

Stereotypes: The Media & Controversy

Of course for years, since the 80's, the media has always had a negative interpretation of the Goth Subculture, from people who viewed it as a Satanic Cult/Community, to hateful and violent crimes, people will always have a grudge against goths just beacuse their appearance is different, "strange',"scary","weird' etc.

So I decided to put a list of what Goths are NOT:

"But Goths are Satanists!"

"Are you doing drugs?!"

"Are you depressed/suicidal?"

"So, do you cut yourself?"

"You're too happy to be Goth."

"But you're so nice!"

"But you wear other colors besides black!"

"Are you in a cult?"

"You don't listen to metal/etc.!"

"Do you practice magick?"

"Do you think you're a vampire?"

And the list goes on. And even if they have mental issues, that has nothing to do with their style. And the only time a Goth is depressed with their style, is usually because of discrimination and people not being accepting of who you are (Family, Friends, strangers, etc.)

Even though the media will portray Goth as less than friendly and safe, the fact is that it's a very open-minded, intellectual and creative one.

There's studies about Goth students and intelligence, and it turns out that these students are generally the smarter of the bunch, the ones that enjoy reading and learning, and the ones that make it to jobs like lawyers, doctors, or managers. These students aren't encouraged to drop out of school, in fact, they're encouraged to continue learning and exploring classical literature. There's an article on it  .

At the end of the day, what it boils down to is that the Goth subculture truly is an entire subculture.

Subculture: "A cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture." ~ Google Definitions

The Goth subculture is one that adores the dark, the morbid, and the topics that most other people would find too depressing to think about. However, like America's widespread culture, Goth works with people of all religions and people of no religion.

There are no religious requirements in order to be a Goth, which is why there are so many Gothic style crosses, pentagrams, and other such symbols like anhks.

There are no music requirements, no ethnicity requirements despite the fondness of a pale pallor, no dress requirements, and absolutely no mood requirements. Goths can be as vibrant, happy, and eccentric as they like, and that's why so many people are drawn to the subculture, along with a very possible fondness for horror or mythical creatures or the spooky.

So where did people get the idea that all Goths are Satanists?

The fact that people frequently associate Satanists with black clothing, being "creepy" and being "not right in the head" would conclude them to believe that Goth and Satanist mean the same thing. While it may be true that Satanists dress in a similar way to Goths, it in no way means that all Goths are Satanists, just like all witches aren't Goths either. (I once heard that someone was told they had to be Goth to be a witch.

There's absolutely no requirement for either thing!) Goth is also not a cult, it's an entire society for people who enjoy the simply dark aspects and undersides of life. As Jillian Venters, wonderful advice columnist and writer of Gothic Charm School stated, there is no "Goth Cabal" that dictates what people are required to do to become or stay a Goth.