In Defense of Dark Things

With Halloween approaching, I find myself snatching up the strange and creepy ornaments for my everyday décor, only to be frequently inundated by a rather annoying question. It’s a question that often leaves me throwing my hands up in resignation while the asker either backs away or distorts their face into a disgusted grimace.

“Why all the skulls and scary things? Do Goths just have some sort of infatuation with death?”

My appreciation for skulls and other dark things has nothing to do with shocking the “mundanes”, conforming to non-conformity, or some other nonsense. My love for the darkness goes beyond the surface; its spidery tendrils are rooted in my outlook on life. To supplement my arguments, I've cited quotes from other Gothic individuals who seem to share my views on having a dark aesthetic.

Of course, my opinions are not shared by all. Not every Goth enjoys horror movies or morbid imagery and not every person who loves horror movies or morbid imagery is Goth. I seriously want to emphasize this; while there are Goths who may share my views on this subject, there are those that don't.

To continue, there is a sobering feeling when returning from a cemetery walk, as the tombstones and empty surroundings serve as a reminder that everything is temporary and will eventually lead to death and decay. It is with this attitude that life can be appreciated, as opposed to the shiny, prepackaged materialistic selfishness that continues to plague our society.  Jennifer from the website Sunlight and Shadow writes,

As far as the Gothic “obsession” with death, the more appropriate word might be “acceptance”, or “acknowledgement”, or “respect”…The Gothic viewpoint on death is one of acceptance of the fate that awaits us all, rather than “whistling past the graveyard,” denying death, and hoping it’ll just go away.

In addition, one of the ways some Goths deal with death or dark subjects is by “…look[ing] at the dark side of life—the deathly, the dystopian, the twisted, and bringing it into the light whether by turning it into macabre high art or looking at it with humour or turning it into something adorable,” writes The HouseCat of the blog Domesticated. The skull necklaces, bat earrings or morbid artwork that can be found by various members of the scene exemplify this.  

Often the love for the dark, strange, and morbid is a reaction to the constant injustices and suffering that individuals unfortunately face. In his eloquent video, "Why are you so fascinated by the macabre?", YouTube user The Count asserts that “Goths tend to embrace the sinister as a means of coping with injustices in the world. They feel anger towards personal injustices, which is then projected outwards towards social injustices.” Some Goths are critical of these sanitized "everything is just peachy" attitudes due to experiences in dealing with the underlying hypocrisy of their adherents. These experiences, whether personal or impersonal, challenge the ideals of mainstream society. Voltaire states in his book, What is Goth?,

The underlying philosophy of Goth is that our society is predominantly hypocritical…Goths hold that the ‘normal’, ‘upstanding’ members of our society who pretend to be ‘good’ all of the time are in fact capable of doing great evil. This is because Goths are often people who were victims of some kind of abuse—physical, verbal, or emotional—at the hands of these very same self-righteous folk (Voltaire 15).

The struggle of inner morality is an interesting subject to delve into.  I once wrote on a social networking site that the one defining characteristic of darkness is that it strips us off every pretense and security, every excuse and invented identity, down to the core where only the true self remains. It is in this moment that your true motives, intentions, and character are the only thing that clothe you. Darkness is a mirror that reflects the shadow nature to everyone--and ourselves. Just because something is considered uncomfortable or offensive doesn't mean it should be ignored.

It is also a matter of taste. I find things like cemeteries, bleak mornings, and abandoned places aesthetically pleasing. The coffin rings and bone jewelry are beautiful items I wish to adorn myself with. I adore horror movies, macabre art, and oddities because that is what I find beauty and excitement in and that is what pleases me.

For a more eloquent response to this oft answered question, the aforementioned video and these podcasts delve into discussions regarding the macabre and death (the podcast focuses more specifically on the latter).

Sources Cited:

Doneske, Jennifer. “Gothic Myths and Gothic Facts”. Sunlight and Shadow. 27 March 2007.             Web. 11 October 2014. (link)

The Count. "Why are you so fascinated by the macabre?". Online video clip. YouTube, 24 Feb 2003. Web. 12 October 2014. (link)

The HouseCat. “What IS Goth?”. Domesticated. Blogger, 10 December 2011. Web. 13                          October 2014. (link)

Voltaire. What is Goth?: Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General                                      Skullduggery. Boston:  Weiser Books, 2004.