Does music play a central role in the Goth scene Essay

Does music play a central role in the Goth scene - Essay Example Elsewhere goth is described in terms of an identity that is counter-culture and goes against the grain of popular society. It chooses deliberately to be unpopular and to go its own way in terms of self-development, fashion, music, and other key lifestyle aspects, including the choice of friends and activities (Urban Dictionary 2014; Williams 2006). Meanwhile, from the point of view of the rest of society, goth, the goth scene, and goth subculture tend towards the fringe and dark side of things. This is the case in fashion and in elements of popular culture such as music. That said, the mainstream seems to have mixed reactions towards Goth, with many seeing goth as a benign and a valid way for teenagers and disaffected youth to define themselves and their group (Gold and Cuda 1999). While simple definitions abound, modern day contexts for Goth and the Goth scene seem to indicate that Goth identity and the elements of Goth are fluid and are continuously evolving. There is the assertion in Daniel and Desantis (2013) that Goth as a movement of counterculture owes its staying power to the lasting appeal of its aesthetic, which is not death but persistent non-death. Goth seems to thrive by going against the mainstream. The emphasis is ongoing against what mainstream society prescribes in terms of activities, what to do, and fashion, what to wear, among other things. Moodiness and an inclination towards the dark and lonely side of things is a pervasive emotional atmosphere. This moodiness is what outside society sees from the outside looking in. As subculture, meanwhile, Goth has within it elements relating to the free expression of sexuality, defining artifacts and features that include certain fashion and musical preferences as described above (Daniel and Desantis 2013; Fereday n.d.; Wilkins 2004; Hodkinson 2005; Tumblr 2014; Smith 1997). Music too comes up inevitably in discussions of Goth, as a key