Absinthe Heart: Digging Our Own Graves?

Imagine a world without a goth event to forward to every month, a normal tea party sans the eloquence of the Victorian era or even scarcity in finding like minded friends and engage in similar activities. Sounds something that is highly unimaginable or a script off a B-movie film? Unbeknownst to many, the gothic movement is facing an uphill struggle to keep the momentum going and despite the amount of exposure that it has gained over the years, the limelight might very well be the very poison that might just kill off the movement stealthily and we might be the ones to be blamed

(Will the work of our pioneers come undone by a snap of a finger?)

For many years, the gothic movement has fought long and hard against the prejudiced eye cast from the public, paranoid parents linking it with negative idolatry such as Satanism and the media lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce with their mypoic sensationalism in order to rake in sales. From the Columbine High saga to the unjust murder of Sophie Lancaster, goths worldwide stood united against the hailstorm that threatened to break them down but once the dust settles down  and the parasites leave to latch onto another victim, so does the unity and revert back to their various paths be it Victorian, cyber or rivethead pretending that nothing happened in the first place. Granted, there is absolutely nothing wrong in having different groups in the gothic subculture and it is the various flavours provides a platform for each of its aspects but rather, the internal dispute in trying to establish a sole definition on what the gothic subculture should be all about. To the old-school goths, the glorious days of goth music started and ended in the 80's with modern acts being nothing more than mainstream novelty while in contrast, the modern generation are being slapped on with labels such as Mansonites and emos simply because of the music that they grew up during their period of time such as Marilyn Manson and My Chemical Romance. But the buck doesn't stop at just the music, the clash of ideologies has spread to other aspects of the gothic subculture with vocal opposers being dismissive or criticising anything that does not fit into their mould of what being goth should be all about. With the gauntlet being thrown, both sides will attempt in trying to outdo one another in establishing themselves as the sole authority for the gothic subculture and leaving no room for other groups to represent their interests. Sadly, this will create a major faultline leading to bystanders having to choose a side or simply walk away altogether and establish their love for the subculture elsewhere be it in another country where representation is liberal or even cyberspace, where everything is available with just a click of the mouse. In fact, the Internet has become the comfort zone that many have become accustomed to and see it as a fuss free way to express their individuality at the comfort of their own roof. The absence of these cyberzombies will create a huge void in terms of physical presence and affect progress in a coutnry's gothic movement and subsequently lead it into a downward spiral due to dwindling numbers .Established nations such as Germany and America have a stronghold to ensure its longevity and have been at it for many years with the older generation of goths providing the framework by regularly attending goth events and buying music off the racks just to name a few but it is the lesser knowns that face the stark reality in having to match up with the abovementioned countries and pacifying dissidents within the community itself. Like an empty vessel, the demands that they make border on exorbitance and "offer" advice on how things can be improved which in truth, an overhaul to whet their egotistical palate and threats on boycotting subsequent events, stirring up a tempest in a teacup

(Irregardless of type, it is possible to stay united for the subculture)

What needs to be done in order to stop the rot from manifesting? A wake up call to snap them out of their hallucination and make them realise that while it takes years to get to the top, one person is enough to demolish even the most resilient of defences. The batcave was not built in a day and the core reason why it has become an icon is mainly due to the fact that people turned up for events religiously and supported the bands who played while at the same time bonded with like minded individuals to have a good time. It is the same logic that applies elsewhere and in order for artistes and festivals to keep the fire burning, they have to get that support from people who are dedicated to the subculture. Granted, the Internet allows accessibility to information but it can never replace the thrill of attending a real life event and soak up the atmosphere while contributing towards the gothic subculture in one way or another with the future dependent on them once the generation ahead of them begin to wean off the subculture actively. As for the squabble as to what the gothic subculture should be all about, they are simply just shooting themselves in the mouth by promoting their brand of miguided elitism. The gothic subculture has spread its wings on various aspects and transcended across both the underground and mainstream with the world beginning to look past the stereotypes of the past and accept it for what it is. Instead of undoing the good and going back to square one, it would be much more logical to support the various representations of the gothic subculture by promoting them while at the same time, understand the elements incorporated into making it goth. Moreover, intepretations vary from every generation and individual so change is an inevitable process that will leave everyone having to choose 2 options; Embrace it while taking steps to further enhance their respective facets or to strongly oppose the new wave of the gothic subculture and risk fading away. Only a fool would choose the latter and in turn press the self destruction button, embracing and improvement are the key elements in ensuring progression and relevance with the mainstream acting as a gateway to a treasure of history that the new generation can discover and fully immerse themselves into the subculture over time

Till Lindemann from Rammstein reminisced during an interview with a British publication about his early years as a musician in East Germany and how it was hard to get past the authorities with the genre of music that he was playing back then and while most of us do not have to endure such hardship like Till, we should not be taking our progression for granted and dig our own graves instead. It takes initiative and passion to maintain our relevance so by the time you are done reading this article, isn't it about time you should go out and do something for the gothic subculture?