Here's a topic Stereotypes!

[kei]

Ok first off lets start with what the hell is emo and goth? their names i know that much but what diefinition do they have? None goddamnit lmao so what is with people pointing their god forsaken fingers at other saying look an goth or look an emo kid, "hey guys we shop at hottopic so we must be goth right?!" (sarcasm) j/k it's plain bullshit man, ok the guys wearing black, big deal lol i mean really, emo sounds like it would be elmo's causin. LOL the word goth means a 16th century keltic church. LMAO these terms their using gothic . emo, what the hell do they mean by them.

Sarcasm: "Oh i have a bowl cut, and a shady face and attitude with a manno tone voice, i must be emo right.... "

quit bullshitting yourself man. your a guy who has a different style, that he likes, that's all. It dosen't make you any better or wrose then you already were.


Any opinions?

[Silver Adept]

Well, identification with a group is important to a lot of people, because it means that they have others who share the same mind and world-view that they do. A lot of groups, especially those with some recognition by the mainstream, have the "purist/wannabe" fight in their ranks almost constantly, regardless of whether it's goth, Wiccan/Neopagan, science fiction fandom, otakudom, etc. (And even some that get eyed by the mainstream as just strange, like the furry fandom, hame the purist/wannabe war themselves) Group identification is a helpful think to most people's psyches, and not surprisingly enough, the people who often really fit into the group are the ones that go beyond needing to identify with the group, and are just comfortable with being who they are.

Goth (which, if you really want to go back, derives its name from a band of barbarians of Germanic descent - at least, I think they're Germanic. Either way, they helped sack Rome) is a type of mindset that happens to have an external component, a uniform adopted by its members to identify each other. Emo's a musical style that people identify with. So yeah, it doesn't necessarily make you better or worse by itself, but if you've got a peer group, that can help you feel accepted and okay, and a lack of a peer group makes things worse.

Either way, it's really about self-identification. Then comes the part where your definition matches or doesn't match the established definition and by how much.

[GAAZ]

In my book it's easy.

If you're a female Goth it usually means you're hot.

Male goths are retards that need to get a job.

Emo's are people too weak to cope with day to day life.

^_^

[Yumi Takayanagi]

My opinion on this is, while it may be a good way to tell people apart, i hate it when people go "Hey look i'm emo" ect ect because your really not that stereo type if you claim you are.

[Kugyou]

[Satine]

Kugyou: SRSLY. <3

"Goth" started as an antagonistic reaction to disco in the 1970s. It was an offshoot of the UK post-punk scene that grew into death rock. The first "goth" band was Bauhaus. The gothic movement draws from the gothic novel (of course), horror movies both classic and campy, prior art house movements, Romantic literature, film noir, and many other things; it continues to evolve. Goths are generally drawn towards the dark, the morbid, the macabre, the occult, the romantic, the mysterious, the spiritual, the supernatural, and occasionally the religious.
There is no one "gothic" ideology. Yoinked from Wikipedia: "Defining an ideology of the gothic subculture is difficult for several reasons. First is the overwhelming importance of mood for those involved. This is, in part, inspired by romanticism and neoromanticism. The allure for goths of dark, mysterious, and morbid imagery and mood lies in the same tradition...Balancing this emphasis on mood, the other central element of the subculture is a conscious sense of camp theatricality or self-dramatization.
"The second impediment to defining a gothic ideology is goth's sometimes apolitical nature. While individual defiance of social norms was a very risky business in the nineteenth century, today it is far less socially radical. Thus, the significance of goth's subcultural rebellion is limited, and it draws on imagery at the heart of Western culture. Unlike the hippy or punk movements, the goth subculture has no pronounced political messages or cries for social activism. The subculture is marked by its emphasis on individualism, tolerance for (sexual) diversity, a strong emphasis on creativity, a dislike of social conservatism and a strong tendency towards cynicism, but even these ideas are not common to all goths. Goth ideology is based far more on aesthetics than ethics or politics."
The "stereotypical" goth is probably more correctly referred to as a mallgoth (in the US) or spooky kid. Even these terms are stereotypes. And the term "goth" comes from the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe. Up until the 18th century, "goth" was synonymous with "barbarian".

"Emo" is short for "emotional". Emo music expresses strong emotion. It's also used as a slang term used to describe a wide range of fashion styles and attitudes somewhat associated with emo music and related scenes. However, "emo" as a musical genre and "emo" as a slang term are largely separate. It has gotten negative connotations due to association (whether erroneous or not) with self-harm, depression, and homosexuality. In recent years, it's been used on the Internet as a derogatory insult, especially to those who seem emotionally unstable or those who talk about issues in their lives in public forums or chat rooms. (Hey, we qualify! )

Apologies for this really long reply. But these are two stereotypes that really get on my nerves.

[Blackmage]

I hate Emo bands and wish they would all go away... If I wanted to listen to someone whine and bitch about life I'd listen to my own mind.

[Kudasai Hiroki]

[Silver Adept]

While you may fit the name, there are people who are particular about not wanting to be associated with it. A different form of "purist", I suppose, who thinks that the mainstream of the fandom has become too corrupt (Ilplazzo: This world is... corrupt!) or too "sold out" or something like that and hearkens back to the "purer" days.

What you'll find out, though, is that most people who identify with a label and really have thought about it dont' fit the stereotype of the label in some way. About the only people I've met who fit the label perfectly are people who are just doing it because they think the label is cool. Depending on your fandom, you can have a few of them, or a lot of them, have them pass out of that stage quickly or slowly. Either way, the stereotype is always a distortion and shorthand. If you forget that, then come the problems.

[Tobias]

A friend of mine once quoted: "I hate emo kids...unfortunately, im the most Emo kid i know."

I dunno...this type of stuff is stuff that personally, i find aggrivating. It could be based on the culture around the Fairfield-country area, but kids have the money, and like to complain about life anyways. The reason why someone like me dislikes it is because these people slit their wrists and the like for dumb reasons, like daddy not getting them new cars, or the like.

But i digress...i think a lot of these people have a generally small level of emotions, since they force themselves into the ideals of cynicism. They have the money around here to do drugs and further screw with their own lives, making everything worse and more turbulent for them.

I don't know exactly where i'm going with this...i guess what i can say is that i'm a cowboy, if anything.

There aren't enough cowboys out there.