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