[Heretic]

Man am I sick of seeing this. Complain, complain, complain about how ignorant people are, then insult and harass them rather than making any attempt to educate them. For those of you who can’t be bothered to address the topic of this thread, why would you even post anything? In case it has escaped you r attention you are, in essence, trolling this thread. Who needs outsiders when we have you guys on the job?

*rubs bridge of nose*

Anyway, I’m not posting this to just to start a dust-up; I just thought I would add my two cents to the topic since I happen to actually BE an African American Goth, and I happen to have a couple of decades in the culture under my belt. What follows is my particular point of view; take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by OnyxBat

Ok it's really rare to find a Black goth girl or
boy.

This is true, but only to a point. You will notice that there are many people who look and sound like Goths, but either refuse to self-identity themselves as such, or never conclude that their opinions and interests fall under the definition. This is true not only of the general population, but of African American as well. There are numerous instances in popular culture, from music to fashion, in which a Gothic aesthetic can be seen in what is typically pigeonholed as “Black culture”.

They’re out there, just not where you would typically expect to find them or wearing what you would typically expect them to wear. I should know; no matter what I wear, most non-Goths think "thug" or "musician" or "cop" long before "Goth" occurs to them (if ever).

I've read some stories and about them and how non black goths are racist towards them.

I happen to have lived in Minneapolis most of my life. For those of you not up on your demographics, Minneapolis and its sister city St. Paul comprise the second Whitest urban area in the country, right behind Salt Lake City. I have yet to experience outright racism in the Gothic culture here. Generally, the Goths here all feel as though they are unacceptable in the eyes of society at large, whether because of how they look or what they think. In this atmosphere, dark skin is simply one more difference. As a result of this attitude, the Goths I've come into contact with have not treated me noticeable different from how I've seen them treat anyone else.

I would just like some opinons on how you would approach one.

No one appreciates having others focus on their physical appearance to the exclusion of everything else. Would you need to approach a girl with big boobs differently? How about a really tall person or an overweight person? As they say, we’re all the same color on the inside. Concern yourself with the person inside; who they are and what they’re about. The rest is no big deal unless something relevant occurs. In those cases, just be honest. It's only the ignorant who will take offense and refuse to tolerate simple, inoffensive questions.

[quote]And how would there own race see them.[/QUOTE
No one believes “White people” are a singular group; everyone recognizes the various cultures and ethnicities that comprise this group (Italians vs. Irish, country vs. hipster, etc.). My question is: why assume African Americans all think the same or are into the same things? There are numerous subgroups within this ethnicity. Thinking in terms of “their own race” ignores the similarly wide variations within what people typically refer to as “Black culture”.

Don't get me wrong; there are indeed “ultra-culturalists” who denigrate anyone and anything they believe isn’t “Black” enough, just as there are those in society who harbor a hatred for anything “non-White”. The number of people whose minds are THAT narrow is relatively small among both groups

*this is not a racist thread*

Unlike a few too many others you might find on this board, I can (usually) tell the difference between ignorance and malice. I applaud you for being willing to stand up and make an attempt to educate yourself about what you see as a valid issue.


- Heretic