039 - Individuality vs. Conformity

Welcome to episode 34 of Cemetery Confessions! This month we are taking a retrospective on the last 40 years of goth, we are reviewing the new EP from Rendez-vous, and we are discussing the paradox of a goth identity, and what it means to be an individual within the context of a communal culture.

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Our guests this month are Trae and Dani.

~Guest Introductions~

News:
40 years of goth 25:40
What is Normal Anyways?

Album Review: 1:16:17
Rendez-vous - Distance

Philosophy Corner: 1:29:33

This month we are talking about what it means to be an individual within a group context, what elements create a goth identity, and how authenticity plays into the structure of goth culture and identity construction. While the supposed bifurcation of individualism and conformism, is less discursive a topic than “what is goth”, it is nevertheless just as contentious. We’ve all heard comments such as, “you all look the same”, or, “goth is what you make it”, and, “it’s about being a pure individualist”.
Goth identity in some ways then, might be seen as a paradox. So, what we are going to look at tonight is how a goths lived experience, adherence to venerated ideals, and their shared epistemology, coexist with a simultaneous eschewing of labels, and desire to avoid precise classification. I’m hoping we can also touch on the extent to which that paradoxical identity has lessened or stayed the same over time, and what practical impact that has on an individual.

References:
'I am not a goth!': The Unspoken Morale of Authenticity within the Dutch Gothic Subculture
“We are all individuals, but we’ve all got the same boots on.” Traces of Individualism Within a Subculture Community
Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture