Self labels.

[Silly_Doll]

I'm not sure if this has already been brought up, me being pathetic and n00b-tastic and everything sweatdrop But I was listening to a rather dull arguement today... I don't want to go into details, lest I loose another 3 IQ points.

Self labels; I've noticed that with all cliques there are "the real *insert clique here* and the poser-*insert clique here*. Let's say that you have the most popular people in school are the... "real preps" and then you have this new-girl... nothing really stands out about her except that she is wearing the lastest Abercrombie and Fitch erm... what do they sell there... wash clothes? Yeah, we'll go with that. The "real preps" then begin to taunt this girl calling her a poser.

The same could be applied to any label I suppose. Like in here, we have a self-proclaimed "real goth" find someone that looks like hot topic threw up on them... they then call that person a "poser goth." Please understand, I HAVE seen attentionwh♥reness to the absolute max. But if we can claim that we are "real goths" should we also have the right to point out who is a "poser" and who isnt?

Which brings me to my next question... What is better, and what is worse, and why?
Self-labeling, exclaiming that you are the true article.
Or labeling others, telling them that they're not real goths, preps, emos, erm... theatre nerds, whatever.

If you had to do one of those things, be a self labeler or just a general labeler, which would it be?

And on that note, is labeling at okay at all? Even if you're stating that you believe that a person acts or says things just to get attention? Is that really okay?  

[The Dadalorian]

yes labeling is okay, people just don't like being called what people percive them to be, it's human nature everyone does it, it's jsut people do it wrongly  

[Alice_K8]

I would rather be a self labeler than to label others. Besides, I'm always harder on myself than I am on others. I try not to label others too much. I don't pick out specific people and say "they are not goth"; however, I do sometimes generalize and say that "buying a whole bunch of clothes from hot topic will not make you a goth" (note that I don't say that goths can't shop there, only that hot topic is not equivalent to goth).  

[-Isel-]

labels r 4 soup cans lololololololzzzzzzz  

[Silly_Doll]

Isel

labels r 4 soup cans lololololololzzzzzzz

Please sir, may I have a nother bowl of emo?  

[Isobel Bellamy]

*points at self* Metal-head (no problem whatsoever, I like metal, I am a metal-head)

See, we creatures (the metal-head) are a very simple breed, more concerned with the next hit of riff-saturated ear-drum bursting asault straight from the depths of hell to give much of a crap about posuers and the like.

And also because it's very rare to find a "posuer metal-head". I think the only thing in recent metal memory that caused a huge ruckus of "oh, these damned kids nowadays know nothing! Nothing!" was nu-metal...which died a horrible, horrible life-support cut-off death a few years back (to much cheering...).

Metalers seem to be content with terrorising EMOs to care about kids getting into metal (which are actually usually led into deeper darker depths then they wanted too..) and/or getting it wrong (how the HELL can you mess up jeans and tee?!!). Though, there's a nasty tendency to call any kid an EMO *sigh*  

[Love.Your.Hate.]

Isobel Bellamy

*points at self* Metal-head (no problem whatsoever, I like metal, I am a metal-head)

See, we creatures (the metal-head) are a very simple breed, more concerned with the next hit of riff-saturated ear-drum bursting asault straight from the depths of hell to give much of a crap about posuers and the like.

And also because it's very rare to find a "posuer metal-head". I think the only thing in recent metal memory that caused a huge ruckus of "oh, these damned kids nowadays know nothing! Nothing!" was nu-metal...which died a horrible, horrible life-support cut-off death a few years back (to much cheering...).

Metalers seem to be content with terrorising EMOs to care about kids getting into metal (which are actually usually led into deeper darker depths then they wanted too..) and/or getting it wrong (how the HELL can you mess up jeans and tee?!!). Though, there's a nasty tendency to call any kid an EMO *sigh*

Ditto.  

[Mage The Red]

Well, self-labeler I am. I call myself a Goth, and I live with it. Obviously, people say i'm not because "you don't have goth pants" and "you don't have goth boots". It is true, but who gives a ********? I consider myself a Goth. I believe I am one... even though I have a very little amount of dark clothes, and the shittiest pair of boots. I even listen to music which isn't in anyway Goth.

EDIT: In conclusion, I'm a Goth. Big ******** deal if I don't have make up, or anything. I can't afford it. I'm broke. My mom steals my cash. Thank you.  

[-Isel-]

Silly.Doll

Isel

labels r 4 soup cans lololololololzzzzzzz

Please sir, may I have a nother bowl of emo?

You can have another bowl of shut the ******** up. smile  

[Mage The Red]

Isel loves me. Don't you? I know you do from your vulgar language, and crude sense of wordings that try to hurt me. mrgreen  

[Silly_Doll]

Isel

Silly.Doll

Isel

labels r 4 soup cans lololololololzzzzzzz

Please sir, may I have a nother bowl of emo?

You can have another bowl of shut the ******** up. smile

*shrugs* I'll deal.  

[Crazy_Vamp666]

There are without a doubt poser.
But people shouldnt be so hasty and quick to point out weither they beleave some one is or not.

In the fact of some one looks like Hot topic threw up all over them, doesnt make them no more real or no more less goth then they say they are. Most people are going to be there selfs as much as possible then anything els, Just becuase you have a so called "Mall Goth" doesnt make them any less more then another, just means that where there interestes might be, buy the cloths that look good to them and feel comfortable wearing besides.

I gota say this for sure... out of all the differnt Goth lables calling some one a Mall Goth as though it where to make them a poser, or make it a seem like its a crime. Just think about this for one secound.....

Where the hell do you buy your clothes Salvation Army, or pic em out of the trash can. Sorry to say but if some one is a poser based on the fact they shopp at places like Hott Topic, Criminal damage , or Tripp, then thats jsut said makes me think where do these people buy there cloths bums of the street. Come on evey body Buys cloths from STORES. Where els you gona get em.

Any ways yeh. As far as im Concernd You are what ever you say you are, jsut be your self thats all that matters. There will be those who will try to be somthing there not becuase they may beleave its the only group that will except them where others wont. But lets say its safe to say There are no Real Preps , there are no Real goths, or Real Punk. You jsut your self. Im Goth im proud I love it I shop at stores for cloths yes i even get some Braclets and bondage pants and some long black cosats from places listed above but makes me no less a Goth then any of us here.

This is only my opinon some you may want to disagree with this, well thats your opinon Im oipen to hear what you all got to say.

Thank you.  

[Silly_Doll]

Crazy_Vamp666

There are without a doubt poser.
But people shouldnt be so hasty and quick to point out weither they beleave some one is or not.

In the fact of some one looks like Hot topic threw up all over them, doesnt make them no more real or no more less goth then they say they are. Most people are going to be there selfs as much as possible then anything els, Just becuase you have a so called "Mall Goth" doesnt make them any less more then another, just means that where there interestes might be, buy the cloths that look good to them and feel comfortable wearing besides.

I gota say this for sure... out of all the differnt Goth lables calling some one a Mall Goth as though it where to make them a poser, or make it a seem like its a crime. Just think about this for one secound.....

Where the hell do you buy your clothes Salvation Army, or pic em out of the trash can. Sorry to say but if some one is a poser based on the fact they shopp at places like Hott Topic, Criminal damage , or Tripp, then thats jsut said makes me think where do these people buy there cloths bums of the street. Come on evey body Buys cloths from STORES. Where els you gona get em.

Any ways yeh. As far as im Concernd You are what ever you say you are, jsut be your self thats all that matters. There will be those who will try to be somthing there not becuase they may beleave its the only group that will except them where others wont. But lets say its safe to say There are no Real Preps , there are no Real goths, or Real Punk. You jsut your self. Im Goth im proud I love it I shop at stores for cloths yes i even get some Braclets and bondage pants and some long black cosats from places listed above but makes me no less a Goth then any of us here.

This is only my opinon some you may want to disagree with this, well thats your opinon Im oipen to hear what you all got to say.

Thank you.

Well, I understand what you're saying and I agree with you on most points. I'm still not 100% sold on "self-labeling" being a good idea, but I'm pretty sure that is only because I couldn't even try to organize myself into a clique. But it obviously works for other people, and if you're content with it then how is it any of my, or anyone else's buisness for that matter?

But what you said kind of reminded me of when I first learned of what a "goth" is. Back in the fourth grade, instead of paying attention to my lessons I would draw on my jeans cute little spider like deamon thingies, with horns and pitch forks. They would all have smiley-faces... nothing too harmless there right? Well at recess a girl came up to me and started acuseing me of not believing in god (I did at the time... I think). She started calling me a goth, and the way she said it I thought it was something really bad, like a filthy insult. As I got older, a little more wiser, I remember wearing the same pair of jeans to school in... the 7th grade I believe? And some other people who were self-claimed goths started calling me a poser. I COMPLETELY understand that what they said doesn't reflect a generalized opinion, but is only the opinion of a stupid 12-year-old.

But seriously... if we get to the point where we have to defend something like our doodled-on jeans, something is wrong. And it doesn't have to be doodled on jeans? It could be anything from a spiked collar to a designer brand hand bag.

Anyway, I guess the question I want to ask is... where does innocent and justified "self-labels" turn into "I'm on the high horse, and you're just a wannabe?"  

[GilAskan]

gonk

I'm goth-er than Peter Murphy having bondage sex with Siouxsie Sioux.

And I don't say that proudly. I indulge more stereotypes than I'm proud to admit.  

[nightwing773]

well, for me the way I tell isn't at all by how someone dresses, it's how they act. the preps are loud, annoying, and perfect. skaters, mediocre troublemakers, attention lovers who have an addiction to skating.
Emos, dark, over emotional, has mood swings and is a complete rebel.
Goth, dark, most of the time inside and out, loves darker/heavier and some of us like classical music. loves the dark because they see beauty in it.

things like that, and those things that they express.