Goths? Those
Loonies Aren't With Us "They wore black, listened to hard-core rock 'n' roll and were social outcasts, but the two members of the so-called Trench Coat Mafia who shot up a Colorado high school were definitely not Goths. Actual members of the Goth subculture - a diverse and brainy group of mostly college-age people that celebrates 19th-century Romantic literature, a "dark aesthetic" and their status as social outsiders - condemned the media's portrayal of the gunmen as Goths simply because they wore black and liked shock rocker Marilyn Manson. "The Trench Coat Mafia fits the media's image of what Goth is," said David Katz, a 20-year-old computer systems analyst in northern California who considers himself a Goth. "If wearing black made you Goth, than most of New York City and L.A. would be Goth," added Laura McCutchan, a New York graduate student into the "scene." "I think [the shooters] were simply disturbed people." Yes, dark clothing and a dark world view are common to people who consider themselves Goths - but the subculture is neither violent nor obsessed with guns, Goths said. "Goth is not neo-Nazi or white supremacist, which is what these kids sound like they were," said a Goth who gave his name only as Jhimm. "Goth is not about violence." The problem, Goths said, is all a matter of public perception. Most Goths dress anachronistically, in 19th- or 18th-century lace or leather. Many are pierced in more than just their ear lobes. And some wear ghoulish black-and-white makeup. Then there's Goth music, often a dark and brooding expression of hostility and sometimes anger towards contemporary social mores or our suburban TV culture. Although a diverse group, Goths are united in a crusade to tell the mainstream world that Marilyn Manson is not a Goth. "He has become the media's icon for the Goth subculture, but he's a modernist who wallows in ugliness," said Jhimm. "Goth is about 19th-century Romanticism and beauty." And one Goth, reached over the Internet, couldn't help taking a dig at other forms of music and anti-social behavior. "Why is it that country music isn't targeted when so-called rednecks rob banks or commit domestic violence?" asked the Goth, who uses the online name MrIndPants."
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