I was upset when the media labeled the high school shooters (Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold) as goths, but Im even more upset when people like yourself mirror the same judgement/stereotype/whatever without knowing the facts. They were not goths. I _am_ a goth, and while I do have a.....fascination with death, its death in general, not CAUSING other peoples deaths. Goths do like the darker side of things, the macabre, the mystic, the occult and yes, death, but I have yet to meet one that revels in causing others pain and taking life wantonly.
Many people are labeled as "goths" by the unknowing:
Now Im not saying "people who idolize adolf hitler cannot be goths", its just that in my experienceI havent met any, and I dont think I ever will. What I am saying, is that it is unfair to goths to label these sociopaths as "goths" because they wear black and the word death came up. Now Im not trying to draw attention away from the real issue of what our society has come to for allowing such a crime to take place and for raising people like Harris and Klebold, but theres no need to lay blame for such acts on goths.
God knows theyre already blaming Quake, Marilyn Manson, AD&D;, movies and the internet for "corrupting the innocent minds of our youth and forcing them to commit such atrocities". Now I hate Manson, but I have heard his music and at no time did he tell me "take an uzi to school and gun down as many people as you can". Ive played Quake, and I can say the same thing for it. Its a GAME, and people who have a problem distinguishing reality from a video game, or reality from rpgs like AD&D; or UO or EQ(lol) have some serious mental issues.
What I think the real issue here is how leniently people take "parental guidance", "mature audiences only" "rated R", "if you are over 19 then click ENTER...." and the like. We need to limit access from children whos minds are not ...developed enough to handle such material. Now Harris and Klebold had some serious mental deficiencies, but the majority of North Americans dont. It doesnt help things, though, when an 11 year old is two or three clicks away from hardcore pornography and S&M; which was intended for people (however sick they may be) over 19. Not to mention the "horror" sites with dismemberment/death. Same goes for rated R movies which I see 13 year olds going to see, and for video games with that "mature audiences 17+" logo on them that noone seems to notice.
Our society is fucked up, and ACCESS to material is too easily granted. It isnt ID software, or TSR, or Origin, or Manson, or Metallica, or whatnot thats to blame, its the people that allow kids (yes 14 year olds are CHILDREN) access to such material.
Ugh, this was supposed to be a short email but it turned into a rant....8(
Angela Surgan
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