October 26, 2005

Rockers get the shaft yet again.

Since the beginning of Rock and Roll, rockers and rappers get the shaft. They're blamed for far too many things from bad behaviour to school shootings. When it comes to the latter, no one thinks anything of inner city kids carrying guns to school or getting involved in gang related shootings at an educational institution. Most of those schools these days have invested in tighter security or at least metal detectors.

Let's move onto the latest line of killers. The bad rap of today going to: Goths.

It's amazing how subcultures morph into something so far away from their roots. Now turning into the next mainstram, goths are getting a worse rap than ever.

The Trenchcoat Mafia:
Kept amongst themselves, wore long black jackets, seemed depressed, listened to Goth and Industrial music. Shot up Columbine High School.

Jeff Weise: Native American Neo-Nazi Goth. Kept to himself, seemed depressed, wore black, listened to goth and industrial. Shot up his school in Red Lake Minnesota.

Scott Dyleski: Kept to himself, wore long dark jacket, seemed depressed, listened to Goth and Industrial music. Bludgeoned Pamela Vitale, wife of high profile defense attorney and TV commentator Daniel Horowitz.

All three were instantly tied into Satanism. How stereotypical is that?The unfortunate part about these incidences is not that they are goths. It's the fact that they are simply tragedies with one common bond. They are all alleged to be goths. Goths themselves are in an uproar. Usually because of the stigmata being attached to them. They are being
villaified as devil worshippers or overtly depressed or detached from life or obsessed with death.

First let me say, I've been a goth and to those who don't understand the Epical way, they would consider me a goth still out of ignorance. ( See: Goths vs. Epicans ). So basically I understand the subculture and it's history and how it's changed drastically since its inception.

Giving or taking 5 years depending on how long a trend takes to catch on in the mainstream, lets look at the path of blame. 50 years ago, they would have blamed this on Elvis, rock and roll and reefer madness. 40 years ago they would have blamed it on the Beatles, Jack Keroac, Hunter S. Thompson and LSD.30 years ago, they would have blamed it on Black Sabbath, The Who, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and herion. 20 years ago they would have blamed it
on Quiet Riot, Metallica, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Anthrax and Motley Cruë and cocaine. 10 years ago they would have blamed it on Gangsta rap,Grunge and Nirvana and methamphetamines.

Face it. No matter what, the mainstream needs a scapegoat. When it comes to goth, they're the soup du jour. But as you may have previously read in Goths vs. Epicans, it's not a unified subculture so it offshoots into too many other aspects.

I did wonder about the described carving into the victims flesh on the latest incident. A cross made with two slashes. When did this become goth? Last I remember, that was the symbol for the American heart Association. They need to release some sort of sketch to the media so we understand these things.

Basically, they will always blame music. And it's always music the authorities don't understand. But you can't blame the music, the movies, the video games or the bands. Why don't we start blaming the parents for not doing their jobs? Why don't we do something about the childs depression other than going off to work while we leave them alone doped up on happy pills? Why don't we take a stand and be a presence in their lives? Why are we as a society, passing blame yet doing nothing about it? Before one can go blaming subcultures, why not let it examine itself? Subcultures offer a variety of things that are lacking in regular culture. Goths sought to be understood. They're the modern day hippie simply looking to fit in where they feel they don't elsewhere.They wanted to
enjoy the creativity of design, dress and a penchant for things normally looked upon as creepy. They enjoy shock value as any prior shock culture had done. They have varying religions, tastes in the type of dark music. To quote from Gothtec.com: "Goths are NOT all: depressed, unusually bigoted, violent, suicidal, involved in illegal drugs, Vampires or believe themselves to be vampires, sado-masochists, Satanists, musicians/painters (and other artists), computer programmers (although there seem to be a lot of them), wearers of black (some wear white and gunmetal), yers of their hair, users of white makeup."

So then..what are they? The music is so varied in the subculture that it has no cohesion.

And of all this? What do Satanists say? Always so quick to blames Satanists as if Satanists do nothing but run around and kill and sacrifice people. Why is it always "he had gotten into being goth and ...A SATANIST!!" I think there's a few pretty pissed off Satanists right about now.

Enter the new Sherrif: Epicalism. The Epicalist does not need to dress a certain way to fit into the club". They don't have have a certain look or wear a particular makeup. They simply have to do two things: Believe in it's tomes and philosophies and listen and recreate it's music. That is all. There's soon to be a website devoted to nothing but Epicalism as a movement. A movement based n acceptance with less restrictions and a greater celebration of all
things dark, within which depression can be uplifted from the mire as we take away the hurtful intent of all things negative. To translate that to a goth or Metalhead? Basically that means it's Goth grown up or sophisticated Metal.

Über-elitism breeds discontentment and resentment. Epicalists are a brood family that isn't locked in the chains of most subcultures conformist nonconformity. If ever there was something to save the wayward souls... This is it. It's coming.

BRACE YOURSELF.

Posted by Darkstar at October 26, 2005 11:04 PM