Out of the Bat Cave and into the Classroom:
Goths on College Campuses

Acknowledgments

This paper would not have been possible without the help of many people, all of whom I’d like to thank at this time:
-Robin Roberts, for suggesting the topic for this paper.
-All the net.goths for filling out the four page questionnaire and answering any further questions I may have had.
-Kenneth Broyles and Andrea Adolph for allowing me access to their English 1001 and 1002 classes.
-The students in the above mentioned classes for taking the time to give me their opinion.
-Emily Dick, Karen Goodlett, Liz LaNoue, and Hillary Garrett for helping me tabulate the non-goth surveys as well as reading various drafts of this paper.
-The Machine in the Garden for allowing me to use their pictures.

Introduction

Some outsiders define them as "freaks."
Others would say "scary," "satanic," or "weird."
Most would at least use the word "dark."
Yet they are none of these things, or perhaps all of these things, depending to whom you talk. However one thing remains constant:
Almost all of them would call themselves Gothic.

Certainly there are many stereotypes about Goths. Many people assume they are all of the above as well as depressed, suicidal, morose, wanna-be vampires, followers of Marilyn Manson, slackers, or attention-grabbers (all taken from surveys dated 9/29 and 9/30/98). These misconceptions seem to stem from the way Goths (on a whole) dress: in all black clothing, silver jewelry, and dark makeup. But what exactly are Goths if they all are none of the previous statements?

They are members of a subculture that centers around the music of the same genre, a fondness for things macabre, and an affinity for black or dark clothing. The movement began in the late 1970s, growing out of the punk subculture. Peter Wake explains the origins of the scene in the Alt.Gothic FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page on the Internet:

the term ‘Goth’ was used by Ian Astbury who described Andi Sex
Gang as a ‘gothic pixie’ and popularised by the UK music
magazines... to describe a class of music. For some people that
music became the basis for a ‘way of life.’ They brought their own
backgrounds and interests along and a subculture formed and took
for itself the name Gothic.1

Surviving the new wave and pop rock of the 1980s, floating through the alternative grunge of the 1990s, Goth is still very much alive, or undead, today.

A Goth is usually judged by four criteria according to Alicia Porter in her Internet article An Examination of Gothic Subculture: An Insider Look For Outsiders. Porter lists number two as "the way you dress. At first, a person’s appearance is an identifying factor. It initiates the belief within the group that this person should be considered one of them" and number four as "the music you listen to. The music plays different roles to different people. Some enjoy Gothic only for its social aspects."2 Yet many Goths argue that it is a mindset: a way of thinking and viewing the world. When asked for her definition, a 17 year old woman from Los Angeles, California explained "Goth is basically accepting that not everything is going to go right with your life, and embracing both the darker aspects and the lighter aspects of life and celebrating the fact that we can make due with what we have."3

Personally, Goth is the combination of dark music, passionate emotions, and yes, even black clothing. In the Gothic subculture, I find intelligent, well-read individuals that care about poetry and art, rain and moonlight, beauty in darkness. Despite the fact I find plenty of the above outside the Gothic scene, inside I am assured to find people like myself.

However one cannot exist for poetry and moonlight alone. One must do laundry, pay bills, all the mundane aspects of everyday life that ensure the perpetuation of society and one’s existence. One must get a job.

One sometimes goes to college.

So what happens when a Goth leaves the relative safety of their scene to enter a world filled with many people they would call "normal?" How do these "normals" react to Goths? Do they all coexist in perfect harmony or does the light and darkness battle each other much like the sky at twilight?

Thinking about this, I began to recall certain incidents in my college career. Once, a man pointedly refused to hand me the syllabus in a feminist English class. Another time, a woman asked me if I worshipped the Devil. Sometimes I hear snickering and various taunts such as "Hey Elvira!"/"Look at the vampire!"/"Hey, Halloween’s not until October!" as I walk through the quad or into the classroom. Outraged, I complain to friends that I am here to get an education and it should not matter what I wear to class because I am well-read, smart, and current with my studies. I wondered if these harassments, being isolated and few, are common to Goths on college campuses everywhere or is it simply a result of attending a Southern, conservative, predominately white university?

I sent out a request on the Internet newsgroup alt.gothic for college Goths to tell their tale. After receiving a four page questionnaire (addendum 1), over 40 Goths completed the survey. I also attended four English 1001 and 1002 classes, comprised mostly of first year students, on Louisiana State University’s campus. All four classes were shown two pictures of the Gothic music group The Machine in the Garden (addendi 2 and 3, used with permission) and were asked to fill out a two page survey (addendum 4, included are the top five responses) based on their reactions to the photographs. The first day, identified in this paper as (A), I went to the classes dressed "non-goth," in a blue and pink flowered dress. The second day, identified in this paper as (K), I wore a long gray skirt, black sweater, rosary, ankh necklace, black eyeliner and red lipstick, trying to present myself as obviously Goth as possible. I assumed the students would be more honest with a person dressed in non-goth clothing so (A) became my control group. All of the classes were told simply that I was a first year Masters’ student in the English department doing a paper on reactions to certain types of students in college classrooms. I then passed around the pictures and asked them to answer the questions according to how they felt about the people in the photograph.

Problems Only Researchers Have

Due to the length and time constraints of this paper, I chose only to work on the two main aspects of the surveys: severity and tolerance of Goths in the classrooms. Included in this will be Goths’ opinions on how they are treated in the classroom as well as their non-goth peers’ comments on how they treat Goths.

The main problem I had with the non-goth surveys is not all the students filled out all the questions. Towards the end of my research, the numbers will be a little skewed.

For the goth surveys however, it was impossible to tabulate answers since the questions were much more subjective. Therefore I have simply included certain answers for all sections of this paper.

Finally, one must remember that all of the non-Goths surveyed are primarily first year students at Louisiana State University whereas the Goths are from all over the United States and Canada. I do feel this was beneficial to my research however, considering that L.S.U. is a very conservative university and by asking students at such an institution, I could see if they were tolerant.

Severity

I must admit I entered this project with my own prejudices. Having experienced discrimination at this university, I expected the majority of the Goths to respond with many tales of horror and a large percentage of the non-Goths to express hatred and distrust. Some of the surveys show this, but before I discuss those incidents, I would like to explain that I am in no way comparing anti-goth activity to racism, sexism, homophobia, or various hate crimes. While discussing this with another goth, "Jeremy"4 agreed that

there is prejudice towards any subculture, be it the big pants kids at
the raves, hip-hop fans, metal-heads, punks, whatever. The thing
that makes it a different level than homophobia (which overlaps
anti-gothicity a lot, by the way) or anti-Semitism or racism against
blacks is that, when you get right down to it, we’ve CHOSEN to
set ourselves apart, knowing full well what reaction it will get.5

By choosing, "Jeremy" means that Goths have control over the way they dress and/or present themselves to the general public. "Sabrina," a 21 year old female in New Orleans, LA, told me

I dress more simply for class because when I am trying to
concentrate, I don’t want to be distracted by how my clothes look
or feel. And I am not there to get attention, I am there to learn and
exchange ideas. I don’t really dress like a "norm." I dress like a
Casual Goth. Work is another thing. I dress in classic, conservative
office attire all summer.... I dress according to occasions. I have no
problem with not looking Gothic all the time... because no matter
what, I still have the soul.6

Unlike skin color or sexual preference, clothing, the main outward indicator of a goth, can be altered, taken off, or hidden. But should it be? Should a person have to fear walking into a classroom merely because of the clothing they choose to wear?

Out of approximately thirty-eight Goths interviewed, many were discriminated against in the classroom: ten had students refuse to sit next to them in class, five had other students refuse to pass them handouts, five have been refused notes, twenty-nine have overheard derogatory comments about their appearance, one has been threatened in the classroom, ten have been sexually harassed, one has been physically harmed, and three have been materially harmed. Please remember that all of these answers are about situations inside of the classroom.

One 17 year old woman from Los Angeles, California, with the most severe experiences of all Goths surveyed, went into detail:

I’ve been jumped on a few occasions, held down by a person or
two, and slapped around and kicked. I cracked two ribs about a
month and a half ago (minor incident at a concert I was working
at), and had a class about a week after that... the girl that sits
behind me in that class saw that I was taped up (I was wearing a
tank top because CA in late August is HOT and that class has no
a/c). She then proceeded to kick me in the side, lightly mind you...
but enough to make me wince with pain several times. Every time
she’d push her foot into my side, she’d make a comment like "See
what you get for compacting with Satan?" "See what you get for
being evil?" I switched seats and sat off in the corner by myself.7

This kind of hostile environment is certainly not receptive for learning. A classroom should be free of prejudice and chance for harm. Students are in college to learn, not to worry if their clothing, color of skin, religion, or sexual preference will prompt abuse or pain. Lawrence J. Lardy and Mary K. Porter advise professors to "recognize and be sensitive to the diversity of your students. Pay attention to the language you use and the examples you give. Do not make derogatory jokes or offensive remarks about ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other areas of diversity" (53 italics mine). Although their article "Office Hours and Tutoring" in the collection University Teaching: A Guide for Graduate Students8 is quite helpful in reminding professors to recognize the diversity of their students, what happens when the students themselves make derogatory jokes or offensive remarks?

Physical abuse in the classroom seems isolated to one or two rare occurrences. The majority of discrimination directed towards Goths is, in fact, verbal. "Alyssa," a 20 year old woman in Mississippi, told me

These girls first asked me if I knew that Halloween was not for a
few months... then proceeded to ask me why someone of my size
would dress like that... one of them said something like a fat bitch
like that (meaning me) should know that dressing like it was
Halloween would only draw attention to myself and that is
something someone like me should not do.9

Curious, I checked "Alyssa’s" answer to number seven of the survey, "what is your standard attire when you attend class?" She responded simply "black dress or black blouse and skirt (always long and also may contain a few other colors but for the most part is black), black shoes and purse."10 This is certainly not extreme Gothic clothing. "Angel," a 17 year old woman in New Orleans, LA, wears what to most would be considered extreme. She describes herself as a "Vampire Goth" and wears fangs and red contacts every day to class. Yet she has never had any reaction worse than

A simple look, then another long look. Sometimes even four or
five looks before they’ve had enough. Sometimes they’ll whisper
to someone else to look... People ask why... my response is.. Well
why do women wear makeup? Because they want to beautify
themselves... and I feel beautiful with them on.11

Goths Speak Out

So if there is this chance of discrimination, why do Goths even bother dressing up for class? As stated earlier by "Angel," it is because it makes her feel beautiful, yet as "Jeremy" points out, some Goths dress this way despite the knowledge that they may receive negative attention. When asked for the advantages of wearing gothic attire in the classroom, a 24 year old graduate student in Boston responded "I think people assume a certain amount of creativity and ‘artsiness’ in me before they have any evidence of whether or not that kind of inclination exists in me. Which is fine with me ;)." She continued with the disadvantages of her attire: "the flipside of creativity and artsiness is often considered to be a lack of discipline, seriousness about academia, or general motivation."12 Another student in Dallas, Texas professed one advantage as "the people I do meet lose a lot of the stereotypical preconceptions about the black clad types they see."13 Almost all professed enjoyment over the fact they are noticeable to their professors and peers, yet bemoaned their uniqueness when they miss class: they just cannot blend in and be forgotten! A 19 year old woman in Amherst, New York confessed

I actually like standing out. I like that all my professors, even for
100+ person classes, know my name. They don’t need to be
reminded of who I am when I meet with them at office hours, and
they never mistakenly mark me out. However, I would like it if
people wouldn’t assume that I’m the one to ask with questions
about Frankenstein outside of class.14

If we lived in a perfect society, we wouldn’t have to worry about stereotypes based on clothing or ethnicity. Unfortunately, utopia is very far away and college is here now, minus dress codes thank goodness, so Goths do not have to hide who they are.

Limbo

All of the Goths explained what has happened to them in college as the survey requested, but I am surprised over the amount of people (over half of the respondents) who amended most of their statements with "not in college" or "only in high school," implying that these things happened more frequently in high school. It seemed only obvious that the group of non-Goths I should focus on be first-year college students. Out of approximately thirty-eight students, all of the (K) group were freshman, and out of approximately twenty-four students, twenty of the (A) group were freshman. The overwhelming majority of both groups say they wouldn’t mind if those in the pictures sat next to them in class, but three in the (K) group said they would either feel uncomfortable or move. One 18 year old female said she would think "they’re going to put some ‘hibbe gibbes’ on me."15 When asked how they would treat a person dressing in this manner, fifty-four of both group respondents answered they would treat them like anyone else. (For detailed responses and percentages of all the answers for both groups, please see addendum 4).

So it seemed I was at a crossroads with these percentages. As stated earlier, I began this project with certain expectations and on both sides of the spectrum, goth and non-goth, the overwhelming majority of students reacted or were treated positively. Many of the people in the (K) group expressed concern that I expected them to stereotype people based on clothing and to them, I apologize. In this society based so heavily on a person’s looks, I assumed clothing stereotypes would not be any different.

Tolerance

The voices of tolerance spoke and I listened. Twenty-nine out of the forty (K) students wouldn’t mind a goth sitting next to them in class, and neither would ten out of twenty-one (A) students. Most answers stated "no matter what the person may be into you should respect them", although some students said they would be glad to have a goth sit next to them in class:"I’d be interested to talk to them" and "cool! These people are so interesting." The Goth numbers coincide with this. Twenty-three out of thirty-eight have never had a student refuse to sit next to them, thirty-two out of thirty-eight have never been refused handouts, thirty-one out of thirty-six have never been refused notes, and none have ever had to transfer schools due to mistreatment.

"Jenny," a 21 year old senior in Atlanta, Georgia, added her own commentary to the survey: "I would say that overall my experience in the classroom at university has been good and I have enjoyed it. I have never been given a hard time by profs and rarely if ever by students."16 Another woman, 26 year old Tennessee graduate "Rebekah," informed me that she was in a sorority while in college. When asked if she received any negative reactions to dressing gothic for functions, she explained

Not from my sorority.... I got a lot of "you’re so individual... I wish
I had the courage to be like you." Or, "wow, that’s a cute (insert
item of clothing). Where did you get it?" I wasn’t there to
conform; they didn’t want me to. I think I was there to prove their
diversity and open-mindedness. They were interested in knowing
someone like me.17

I was surprised to hear this since the majority of the negative responses Goths received were attributed to fraternity men and sorority women. As one of the final results, this helped to dispel my previous conceptions about how Goths are really treated by non-Goths in a college setting.

Conclusion

The aim of this study is not to promote preferential treatment, but rather to see if discriminatory acts against Goths in the classroom exist. Certainly many Goths experience some form of prejudice; many recalled incidents in which they overheard fellow students making derogatory comments about their clothing. However, abuse went beyond merely verbal into actual physical harm in one reported case. But on the whole I found Goths, both through their own words and the words of their non-goth peers, treated fairly in the classroom. So it seems that abuse is isolated, even at this Southern, predominately white, conservative university. Any discrimination evident was due to ignorance and one can only hope that through education, contact, and continuing exposure to the intelligent, open-minded Goths surveyed in this project, that ignorance will change to understanding.

FOOTNOTES

1 http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/gothic-faq.html
2 http://www.xmission.com/~gothics/subculture/index.html
3 "Joy," email to the author, 26 Oct 1998.
4 all names have been changed
5 "Jeremy," "Re: anti-goth ad campaign getting crushed!" 8 Oct. 1998, online posting, newsgroup alt.gothic. Usenet. 10 Oct. 1998.
6 "Sabrina," email to the author, 22 Sept. 1998
7 "Joy," email to the author, 26 Sept. 1998
8 Lardy, Lawrence J. and Mary K. Porter. "Office Hours and Tutoring." University Teaching: A Guide for Graduate Students. Ed. Leo M. Lambert, Stacey Lane Tice, and Patricia H. Featherstone. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1996. 50-54.
9 "Alyssa," email to the author, 27 Oct. 1998.
10 "Alyssa," email to the author, 22 Sept. 1998.
11 "Angel," email to the author, 26 Sept. 1998.
12 "Emily," email to the author, 2 Oct. 1998.
13 "Evan," email to the author, 17 Sept. 1998.
14 "Storm," email to the author, 23 Sept. 1998.
15 (K) group, 30 Sept. 1998.
16 "Jenny," email to the author, 24 Sept. 1998.
17 "Rebekah," email to the author, 26 Sept. 1998.

Send any comments, questions, rude remarks to Medakse@concentric.net