Fantastic

[andrewducker]

Following the conviction of a scottish goth for murder yesterday there's bound to be an increase in anti-goth sentiment.

I didn't realise that it had already become pretty bad (from neferet's journa)

At the start the Jodi saga, the spooky kids of Stirling were removed from their normal haunt outside Costa by the police, who 'didn't want any trouble'. So they relocated, eventually, to the train station. It seems they have now been turfed out of the station; the guard was heard explaining to one of the kids, who demanded to know why he wasn't allowed to wait for his train on the platform like anyone else, that some people had complained that they felt threatened in case one of the kids turned out to be another Luke Mitchell. (I got this from the transport co-ordinator, who was less than happy, as he was worried his own spooky-kid son was going to be branded as a nutter thanks to generalisation).

Comments

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

Oh, for fuck's sake. This reminds me of the anti-goth ridiculousness in the US after Columbine - I remember a seemingly perfectly sensible woman asking on a BB whether, as she'd heard, a particular day was a goth "feast day" on which it would be unsafe to let her kid go to school. I mean, a goth "feast day"? What would that be?

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I have no real idea what Goth's stand for or why they dress so differently from most people, and as their style of dress does look so abnormal I must admit I do find them slightly freaky.

[mb2u]

There is no such thing as a goth feast day. For one thing, goth's don't eat. For another, goth's are too mopey to celebrate anything...

(the above was sarcasm, for those who don't konw it.)

You're right, it's post-Columbine again. Expect it to get worse. Wait until schools start enforcing rules about dress codes and sending students to the office because they "look like a threat..."

[pisica.livejournal.com]

As with any group, there is no single answer to what 'they' stand for or why 'they' decide to do what they do. Many of the 'Goths' I personally know are middle-class poseurs who work for the civil service and pretend they're alternative because they wear black on the weekends. Others are teenagers who are exploring different identities. The rest? Probably a multitude of reasons and responses. I'd be interested to hear more explanations (and fewer scare stories) on the topic.

[andrewducker]

Different != Bad

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I agree, and I would defend the rights of Goths to be Goths - but I am giving an honest emotional response.

Goths (from what I have seen) wear clothes and paint their faces in a way which is shocking or scary to most people, painting their faces white to look ghost like and so on. They have chosen to present an image which is worrying to people (presumably that was the reason for that choice?) so it is reasonable for people to be worried by them.

[andrewducker]

It's not (generally) designed to be scary, although it can definitely be supposed to be provocative.

I certainly feel a lot more comfortable in black than not, and the goths that I know just think that that particular look looks _better_ than what the average person wears.

A fair chunk of the time, I think they're right :->

[paddie-gal.livejournal.com]

I have to say though, if Luke Mitchell had been a 30-year-old Goth, then this wouldn't have been an issue. It's the fact that he's a kid, who has already decided how he wants to present himself (ie gone against the grain) that freaks people out. I can't understand, and to be honest, I never could understand, why "they" (and by "they", I mean the wizards) think that people are defined by their clothes/music/movie choices. I love Goodfellas and American Psycho, but I also love Mary Poppins and Finding Nemo - am I schizophrenic? No, I'm NORMAL!!!! Gah! *rant*

*sigh*

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

Hopefully it'll pass. I half expect the tabloids to 'uncover' that he was a roleplayer etc etc etc..

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

:-) Now what could be more perfect for goth teenagers! "People actually think we are dangerous!", "look how we are being persecuted" OR at least that's what I'd have thought (but there weren't really 'goths' as such when I was a kid. I erratically went about in long black skirts/leather trousers, backcomed black hair, 4" patent stilletto, deep dark red nails/lips, but it wasn't a common look).

[andrewducker]

Well, there weren't many goths in Scotland - they did exist elsewhere.

Well, depends on when you mean by "when I was a kid", I suppose.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

Er, I was thinking about 1982/83-ish.

I mean Siouxsie Sioux was doing the look back then, I suppose, but (IIRC, but my memory is fallible and my cultural exposure was limited) there weren't much by way of media or real-life examples to call on. I probably watched too many Hammer Horror films and the like.

In my case, being alienated, thin, very pale, and with long dark hair and a liking for wearing black, Goth was probably a look just waiting to happen to me even if no-one else ever did it :-)

bullshit

[nirvanamm.livejournal.com]

lukes innocent. i write to him in polmont. he was convicted on village gossip and flimsy circumstantial evidence. his appeal will take 18 months but it'll be worth it cos hopefully he'll be out after the appeal