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I wanted to talk about something I've seen on Reddit and Tumblr. Now, yes I have a Tumblr, but I only started it a couple years ago, so Im late as hell to its peak years. Any way, somethimes I look up goth/emo/scene "astetic" shit on ther, and one time I found a subreddit with memes about goth posers, but I cant find it right now, because its only when I want to mention it that i cant find the damm thing. Probably somethine like r/gothmemes or some shit. Any way, but usully I find posts or art someone posted saying shit like "you don't have to listen to the music or dress this way to be part of the subculture". Best I can do is paraphrase this one post I found on Tumbler.
But honestly to me stuff like this is such bullshit. It's about like when people say you can't be punk if you're Fashist. Like Im sorry, but the definition of "punk" is rebelling aganst evrything that is the norm, and when the norm is opposing Fashism, then opposing Fashism isnt fucking punk, bitch. I man dont get me wrong, Im not saying you have to be Fashist to be a pnk, or that being a Fashi makes you a punk, but being anti Fashist doesnt either. And when I say anti fashist, I dont fucking mean using Fashist tectics like political violence to combat Fashists, or using the word loosly to label anyone who disagrees with you. Not evry fucking opinion that isn't yours is dangerous. Some ideas are dangerous, yes. Yours is one of them.
And look, Im not saying you have to be a walking stereotype to qualifie as a member of whatever subcult, but it helps to try. I mean, OBVIOUSLY you don't need to be BORN with black hair to be Goth or Emo, becase we have HAIR COLOR! Which you shold se if you want to be considered Goth or Emo or whatever. Because if all it takes to be a member is that your a nice person and you identifie as a member, and all the unique traits of that group are optional, then the group's label has no unique definition, so it might as well not exist. There's nothing to make it diffrent from other groops so why even bother wanting to indentifie with it?
By this logic, someone who dosnt vibe to gothic music, or has no "goth" atire, just likes the look, but maybe prefers post-grunge (me, basicly), could identify as Goth. Exept Im not goth, I try to dive into the music but since I don't lissen to it or dress like Edgar Poe at leest I don't try to say Im goth. Whenever I hear peple talking about posers at leest I have some self awarness to say "yep" and go along with it. And if I were ever confronted with "name some of their songs" when wearing a shirt from a band who, if i know any other their songs, its onl ther better known songs, and Im gonna be honest and say "you know what, I haven't listened to them much, I just saw a cool shirt and figured I'd try them out sometime" or some shit like that.
I woldn't be surprised if the bastards who say "you don't have to do X or Y to be Z" are posers themselves. And piss off with calling people who say you do have to do X and Y gatekeepers. I say we need more damm gatekeeping in or society! It'd be better for everyone. I think the most pro-trans thing we can do is instead of jst accepting whenever someone says they identify as the opposite sex than what they are, we instead only accept they're identity when they look, dress and act the part. If anything, accepting peple like Lily Tino, who's a total creep and totaly not just an atoginofile or whatever, who's jst a caricture of a transwoman, saying he's just as valid as a transwoman who actally took their hormones, tried to act like a woman, and dosnt make a big out of they're transisition becase they just want to live they're life. Saying that someone like Lily Tino is jst as valid as that other person, I say that's anti-trans. None of that has jack shit to do with music subcultures, I'm just trying to give an example of why we need gatekeeping. Becase words have definitions, dumbass! And if you don't stick with that definition, your not using the right word!