![]() ![]() ![]() “People think we are really mean or are always looking for a fight,” says Bastien.Īssociating themselves with the new goth and punk scene, Bastien says they have additional concerns over the sexualization of female members of the community. Zane Bastien, a sales associate at the alternative clothing store Hot Topic and member of Ottawa’s alternative music scene, understands the dangers of these stereotypes. The media called those boys goths for flimsy reasons, and all of a sudden goths were timebombs of hidden violence and malice waiting to happen,” says Cao. “God forbid you wore a black trench coat for years after that incident. Newspapers described the shooters as outcasts who “spent their entire adolescence deep inside the morose subculture of Gothic fantasy,” according to The Washington Post, and were a “group also interested in the occult, mutilation, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson and Adolf Hitler,” according to The Denver Post. ![]() Suddenly, you went from being the weird person to a potential school shooter,” says Mulligan. “As an early millennial, (I think) the Columbine High School massacre had a huge impact in how goth and industrial was perceived. Members of the community say the media has perpetuated stereotypes, such as the widespread association of goth fashion and alternative music with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. “Goths are much more open to subjects like death and dying, getting old, and seeing and appreciating the beauty in the darker aspects of life without being consumed by them,” Cao says. “Just because the music is full of angst doesn’t automatically mean every kid with hair in their face and tonnes of eyeliner hates everyone and themselves.” Emo Night Ottawa is one of the largest organizers for emo themed events, celebrating Ottawa’s alternative music scene Īdditionally, Cao says that goths are often misinterpreted as having a morbid fixation on death and dying. Yet goth and emo rock has been associated with “depression, self-injury, and suicide,” according to an article published by Diffen. Cao disagrees. “I might also try to go out of my way to be perceived positively by other people because of the negative stereotypes,” says Mulligan.Īlong with Mulligan, DJs such as Erika Cao, also known as DJ The Shade, have hosted goth nights called Retro/Underground at Ottawa’s Swizzles Bar and Grill, celebrating the alternative music styles of classic goth and post-punk.Ĭao feels that alternative black clothing and makeup, as well as listening to music from bands such as Depeche Mode and Rammstein, allows her to best express herself. DJ Reverie shares his goth industrial music mixes on a podcast, #PositronicRadio. Mulligan has faced personal struggles because of these misconceptions. Mulligan, also known as DJ Reverie, says that goths are often described as emotionless, are stereotyped as dressing only in black and are assumed to be unproductive members of society. “I’ve always been attracted to dark imagery, whether that’s horror movies and dark music, along with metal it made sense to eventually get into goth and industrial music,” says Eric Mulligan, a DJ who specializes in goth industrial music mixes. Since the mid- to late-1970s, these music-based subcultures of emos, goths, punks and metal heads have grown into communities of people who celebrate their love of alternative music and fashion. Erika Cao (fourth from the right) and her friends often have goth gatherings to socialize and share interests Many who belong to these subcultures in Ottawa say such myths have led to negative comments and a lack of support for the community, and in some cases have added to personal struggles.īut with fall underway and Halloween around the corner, live music and social events are being organized to buttress Ottawa’s alternative music scene and provide a safe space for people to express themselves. For years, goths, emos, metalheads and punks have been the subjects of lingering myths and misconceptions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |