The Gothic and Its Influence - Essay Sample

Introduction

Gothicism has always been a subject that brings mystery to many people. This has led it to be misinterpreted and associated with lots of cults, dark magic, and Satanism. Gothic was a Germanic term used by scholars in the 17 century to refer to being non- roman or not being classical. The inception of the term Gothicism can be attributed to Horace Walpole, an English writer in his 1764 novel, The Castle of Otranto. Walpole described how Goths found solace in what many people would term as dark, mysterious, and befitting Satanism (Walpole 23). This long-held belief is a misrepresentation of what Gothic beliefs and values are. In essence, Goths are your average humans who present ordinary human senses like fashion, music, romance, and technological trends.

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The Gothic way of life has been associated much with some dark force due to it being interlinked with the mystery of supernatural power that entails elements revolving around life and death. In recent times, Gothicism is being fueled by the emergence of pop culture in the early 1970s. The global influence of pop music has seen it spread globally making its existence be felt through all forms of human backgrounds and ethnicities. Pop culture has portrayed Gothicism in a new dimension through the pop clothing styles which majorly embrace black clothes. Women have been represented in them wearing tight black outfits, commonly cleavage-enhancing corsets, and leather pants. A distinct type of boots merging with dark clothes is often worn by both genders in pop culture.

The entertainment industry has taken advantage of this mystery brought by the old culture to bring out captivating content. Movies across the entertainment fraternity have taken advantage of it to produce cutting-edge media through horror and thriller movies and science fiction (sci-fi) videos. The thrill brought out by this media content has helped bring out the real attitude of non-Goths towards the Goths (Martin 3-4). The psychological question that is majorly outlined by the gothic sense of life can help us to appreciate our various human tastes and stimuli towards different acts and cults. If this human psychological diversity can be well studied, much would be gained on know-how on how to deal with social psychopaths during their rehabilitation process.

In the recent past, we have learned to appreciate each person's desires. Through that, much has come into the limelight about the Gothic beliefs and values. The Satanism associated with it has faded away among a significant proportion of society. The social and ethnic diversity from which the Goths come has helped to acknowledge their standard human characteristics of being peaceful, humanistic, cultural, and economic driven individuals. In spite of the vibrant change in human society, Goths have been able to merge their ancient beliefs with modern society. Their strong beliefs in the pre-medieval to Edwardian eras are unmatched. This can be attributed to their social values which appreciate much of what was done in those eras.

A common belief existed that Gothicism won't survive in modern society. The truth has proven otherwise. Goth culture has diluted into being the 'norm' in today's fashion industry. Celebrities have become the dominant players contributing to its spreading. Young people today are more obsessed with associating with their favorite stars to the point of adopting their dressing styles. This has provided densely to the widespread of Gothic symbols through numerous ethereal that have been assimilated and sold as everyday accessories. The widespread Goth-related accessories have seen many people being labeled as being Goths without their conscience. This is due to significant companies adopting logos that appear to be Gothic to gain some eye-catching advertisement millage in branding their products.

Despite the numerous success that has been enjoyed by the Goth society, there have been lots of setbacks that have undermined its existence. Over the past century, religious groups have campaigned tirelessly against the Goths. The use of dark red and weird symbols gave the various religious groups ground to justify their accusation (Stoker). Dark-red color has always been associated with blood which holds a potent symbol to the Christian fraternity. From the global share on the individual religious graph, we can readily acknowledge the pressure that has been exerted on them. Their primary survival tactics can be attributed to their silence. The power of silence can be manifested in not giving the opponent the ground to justify their accusation thus avoiding any culmination of debates and arguments.

The main reason for that criticism fueled towards the Goths was due to some past instances where evil-minded individuals used the thriller caused by the mystery of the Goth society to engage in inhuman activities. Gruesome cases of murder perpetrated by many serial killers before the 21st century led many to believe that Goths were evils people. The scary murder scenes were always littered with evidence suggesting that occult activities were the motivational factor in those killings (Martin). The tension created by evil individuals still haunts the Goth individuals to this day.

Conclusion

From our discussion above, we can acknowledge our human diversity in beliefs and values. As long as there are no hidden evil motives, all human societies should be recognized and appreciated. The judgment that lacks substantial evidence fueled toward a given group should be discouraged to ensure a cohesive community. We, therefore, should be ambassadors of humanitarianism instead of our personal beliefs.

Works Cited

Martin, John. The Artifact. "The Sublime Effects in Gothic Fiction." 17 October 2015. Website. 28 February 2018. <https://the-artifice.com/the-sublimes-effects-in-gothic-fiction/>.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. London: Archibald Constable and Company(UK), 1897. Book.

Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. London: The British Library, 1764. Book.