After several months of trying to come up with a good working definition for the word "Gothic," this is what I came up with:
There is no single definition that encompasses all of what we call the "Gothic."
Every time I clicked on a link that said, "What is gothic?" and every time I asked a Goth what they thought being a Goth meant, I got a different answer. This is when I came to the conclusion that if you ask five Goths what it means to be Goth, you'll get six different answers.
Gothic is a word that carries far too much weight to be easily defined. (Back off, Webster.) I don't think we'll ever reach a single conclusion to the "What is Gothic?" problem. And I don't think that's a problem.
That said, here is a list of what I think the Gothic is:
o Gothic is a stereotype/label/clique, just like the "preppie" stereotype or the "jock" stereotype.
o It is a self-depreciating culture. It's about being immensely proud...and laughing at your own pride.
o Gothic is making the darkness light...and making light of the darkness.
o It is a state of being.
o It is a frame of mind.
o It is a lifestyle
o Gothic is relative. Every Goth has an idea of what Goth is...and that idea is right for each of them.
o Gothic is a paradox. It's a group of people who are all different...just like you.
o Gothic is an alternative view of life, love and beauty.
o It is accepting all of yourself-even the parts that no one else will.
o Gothic is seeing beauty in the things other people are too afraid to look at.
o It is living your life the way you want to and saying to hell with everyone else.
o Gothic is being different than everyone else and rejoicing in it.
o Gothic transcends time. It's ageless.
o It's a mystery.
o Gothic is accepting your flaws, the flaws of others, and the flaws of all human kind.
o It is an all-consuming need to be one with the darkness.
o It's looking at the world with what others would call a "skewed perception" and knowing that you're the one who sees things clearly.
o Gothic is finding passion in pain, beauty in the unattractive, and comfort in despair.
o It is dark and sensual.
o Gothic is on the edge. It is on the edge of society, on the edge of society, on the edge of acceptability...on the edge of madness.
o Gothic is a dark shadow that falls across the face of what we call reality.
o Basically, Gothic is whatever the hell you want it to be.
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