Well, here is the rant that I promised. And the fact that this topic is in the music forum adds to what I'm saying.
In another topic, there was a bit of heated discussion on how one club is better than another because the former is all about the music and the latter just has silly little fetish shows. So does that mean the only thing goth is music? I thought it also included fashion, art, literature, film ... a whole culture and mind set.
A while ago, JynxxxedAngel found a site that has a whole bunch of goth stereotypes including Corp Goth, Victorian Goth, Medieval Goth, Steampunk Goth, etc. Well, one I scored highly as was the Fetish Goth. That is what brought me to City Club and DGN. Not the music, but hot chicks in vinyl, floggers, bondage, etc. Yes, I do enjoy music but my tastes aren't even goth though they're related. I like Industrial, EBM, Darkwave, Synthpop ... but honestly, if a club plays nothing but NIN, Ministry, and Ramstein all night I could care less as long as my fetish element is there.
I'm a kinky person that enjoys exploring multiple aspects of BDSM in the bedroom. I have multiple paraphilias (though more as an interest and not so much a psychological condition). One thing I love about DGN is we're an open community and I can discuss my kinks and not have to feel ashamed about them and hide in the closet. But honestly I was very offended by the music snobs who were putting down my culture because it's not as goth as their music. Fuck, I'd rather watch a flogging scene set to Katy Perry than a bunch of people dancing to Bauhaus. Does that mean I'm not goth? Does that mean I'm not as good as the music snobs?
Recently, in another thread, a DJ stated that DJing is so easy pretty much anybody could do it and he'd be willing to teach anyone who asked. Well, as a fetish performer I would like to say that what I do is incredibly difficult and not everyone can do it even with years of training and practice. And hell, I won't even do a flesh pull or suspension because I can't even take the piercing. But does that mean I'm better than the music snobs?
No. We're all just as goth or ungoth as the next. We're just one of the many dozens of sub-genres that exist within the gothic community and I think we need to start showing each other a bit more respect. We are more alike than we are different.