I have no idea what it is to be a Goth – and that bothers me. It bothers me so much that I want to find out. I want to go into the lairs of Goths, to see what makes them tick. I want to know everything. I want to go undercover into their world of darkness and see what shining light possesses them. What makes a person dress in all black, scary and beautifully black, but only black, day after day, only black? How do you take to the streets dressed like that, day after day, only black? How do you continually face the world dressed as an outsider?
How do Goths see themselves, and how do they see the rest of us. Is their attitude that there is room for all of us? Or do they think that they are right and we are wrong, and its only the fact that there are so many of us that they do not banish us completely, but have consigned themselves to live “underground” in our world instead?
Is there any meaning to being a Goth, or are Goths just rebels without a cause, some pretty clothes and nice bars, and a chance to meet new friends? Is there a story here, say, Gothism is a natural expression of one’s feelings of a need for distance and non-conformity, or is the Goth culture a total anomaly, no rhyme, no reason, no purpose, no direction, just half a step away from extinction, and a decade behind in getting there?
Living in New York City my entire life, I’ve seen so many different kinds of characters, cliques, and cultures. I feel I have a reasonable understanding of most, but Goths, I just don’t get. I don’t understand who these people are and that burns me up. I gotta know…I gotta find out…What makes these people tick?
Goths may not be here forever, but while they are, I have a chance to find out what it is to be a Goth. Thus, my term project proposal – Capturing Communities – New York City Goths.
Step one is to gain access to the Goth world and to gain their trust. Once you do that, remember that the goal is to capture a community –not just the surface details but what actually makes it tick. Who are these people and why have they bonded to one another in this unique way?
I like your project, Goths definitely are fascinating and are one of the most exclusive communities, probably even able to rival Hasidic Jews and the like. Which is why I want to give you an advice on approaching them.
You mention a few times that you have no idea what they represent and are wondering if there is any meaning behind it? Though to get to the bottom you should remain very neutral and open to what you experience, and you can definitely make whatever conclusions from your research, when you are dealing with the representatives of the community do not let those ideas/questions come to the surface. Come with respect and show willingness to understand. Even if in the end you will decide that they are really a bunch of rebels without a cause looking for attention, you should know that to them what they are doing does have a meaning and they want respect for it. With this community I would probably do research before you begin making contact. Read some literature on what they like, what their ideals are, what their community wants. I’m sure there is some information out there, even if it’s someone’s blog. Try not to be internally influenced by it, but rather use it to connect with them, have something to talk about at first.
Good luck!
(and sorry for the long essay. lol. just wanted to give a more detailed advice)