Goths: Then and Now

Posted by Alex in Bizarro Comic, Neatorama Only on August 8, 2008 at 8:22 am


After I chuckled heartily at Dan Piraro's depiction of the Fairy Gothmother in his awesome comic strip Bizarro, I wondered how goth today differs from the goths of yore. After a little research, I present to you this:

 
Goth (of yesteryear)
Goth (of today)
Who 3rd and 4th centuries East Germanic tribe. Kids dressed up like undertakers, complete with black eyeliners, nail polish, white face powder and so on
Origin Scandinavia. Early 1980s in the UK in the gothic rock scene
Feared by The Romans and later, the Huns Their parents, who feared social ostracism and high cosmetics bill, and the Russians government
Conquered by The Byzantine Empire Mean bullies at school
Likes Warfare, sacrificing their vanquished to their god Tyz Listening to gothic rock, playing dress ups, watching The Crow
Dislikes The Romans and Huns Tanning, being mistaken for Emo
Fashion accessories Chain mail, swords, big axes and other weapons Coffin-shaped things, piercings, pagan and Egyptian symbols, crosses, etc.
Similarity Both have nothing to do with gargoyles and Gothic architecture (though they both may like the building style). At first, Gothic architecture was called "French Style" (Opus francigenum) by the Germans - I presume that was some sort of an insult.

In the 1500s, the term "Goth" is a pejorative, meaning rude and barbaric. The Renaissance architects, who disliked the style, started calling it "Gothic" and the name stuck.




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COMMENT

20 comments to "Goths: Then and Now"

  1. matt
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:03 am

    this is slightly tangental - i’ve often laughed in bewilderment at how another popular music/fashion melding has come to change, and even in a far shorter amount of time span of about 20 years - “emo.”

    emo i “grew up” with:
    bands? Rites of Spring, Frail, Embrace, etc
    fashion? nerd glasses, backpacks, sweaters, library card
    attitude? destroy capitalism, create and distribute poetry & art zines, scream your heart out about love, life struggles, the state of the world

    emo nowadays:
    bands? um… i honestly don’t know… My Chemical Romance? anything that makes me want to punch myself in the face, i suppose.
    fashion? basically, what i would call “goth lite.”
    attitude? make expensive MTV videos and get the girls.

  2. Shea
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am

    “There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist.” -Ayn Rand

  3. Evilbeagle
    August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am

    The 3rd century Goths were way cooler.

  4. JivesTheButler
    August 8th, 2008 at 11:01 am

    I’m so Goth I sacked Rome!

  5. Tim Giachetti
    August 8th, 2008 at 11:04 am

    I’m so non goth I Romed my sack. :P

    And someone needs to shoot that silly bastard on the right. Grow up loooooser.

  6. clinton labombard
    August 8th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Yup. Just fashion, and that’s according to a long-time old-school goth friend of mine. Goth used to mean something.. for about 5 minutes and then the production managers got up from the meeting table to make some money.

  7. Sofar
    August 8th, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Actually it’s the French that wanted to call Gothic architecture “in the French style,” they thought they invented it. It didn’t really begin to be called “Gothic architecture” until after it had gone out of style, back in the day “Goth” meant barbarian or plebian, something “Gothic” was barbaric. And the old styles of architecture certainly seemed barbaric in comparison to the new Classical Revival styles coming in from Italy by the time the Renaissance rolled around.

    @Matt: There’s a place in my heart for My Chemical Romance, but then again I’m neither emo nor goth.

  8. Sofar
    August 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    Lordy lordy, I didn’t read that last bit before I posted. I repeated something that had already been mentioned.

  9. Lea
    August 8th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    I love MCR and my hair is purple but lord. Never had the money, the patience or…I don’t know what happened. I guess I grew up?
    *gasp*

  10. shadesong
    August 9th, 2008 at 1:20 am

    what would a 3rd century goth think if he saw a goth of today :D

  11. JC
    August 9th, 2008 at 2:05 am

    Do they have a philosophy?

  12. Mayor of Kentonville
    August 9th, 2008 at 7:11 am

    Hilarity Ensues

  13. Thomas
    August 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am

    Come on, there’s a little emo in everybody. At the end of the day, we all go home, put on some Saves The Day and cry ourselves to sleep.

  14. MW
    August 10th, 2008 at 2:33 am

    If they want to look like death, why not just die?

  15. Carmabelle
    August 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    HAHA! omg. the whole concept is funny. Gothic people nowadays are such posers. Everyone gets depressed so shut up.
    and i love MCR.

  16. shallytally
    August 20th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    I want to die, but I want to dress up first.

  17. Johann
    August 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    yeah i used to be a HUGE goth in high school because i wanted to prove to everyone that i didn’t care what they thought of me. i ended up realizing that i was only proving how much their opinions did matter to me and now i’m just a pothead trying to figure it out.

  18. The Spectator
    August 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    Funny piece, though I don’t doubt the Byzantines conquered the Goths: the latter sacked Rome and founded what became known as the “Holy Roman Empire” in the early middle ages, which was, of course, neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

    “Gothic” was indeed a term of derision for a long time in Western Europe. This changed starting in the 18th century with what we call the “gothic/medieval revival” when some British writers began to appreciate the grandeur of their native architecture as opposed to foreign classical models. The late 18th century also saw the birth of the reviled and admired “gothic novel”.

    Why modern goths are called goths is still beyond me.

  19. Magenta
    August 30th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    I LOVE when people who have no idea what the fuck they are talking about, try to give a half assed intellectual study of a genre they know nothing about.
    Goths are not as conceited as you say we are, god forbid if we dont wear polo shirts and khakis like everyone else. Could it be that even though we use the name goth, we could actually be nice people? Could it be that we see things you dont? Could it be that we know more about beauty than you do?

    So i say, why dont you Shut the Fuck up, and learn more about something before you bash it.

  20. william
    September 9th, 2008 at 8:43 am

    Nice people?? This sounds real nice dont you think!! LOL


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