How Goths Handle Politics

 


There is a lot of buzz in online Goth/Industrial spaces lately about defining what is THE political leaning when it comes to this particular subculture.

Is it Leftism (with the roots to Post-Punk, which has roots to Anarcho-Punk)? 

Is it some kind of Libertarian-Conservatism (Staunch individuality, consumerism, conserving tradition)?

Is it some kind of Rightwing LaVeyan (Machismo, Gender roles where women are submissive and men are dominant; especially in BDSM)?

What should be spoken about, before even attempting to fall down that rabbit hole of what singular ideology/political leaning this subculture has, is about how this subculture, compared to others, even tackles politics. 

While Punk has always been very politically charged, Goth is vanity before anything else. "How will this benefit me? How will this allow me to climb social ladders?" 

This is the reason you frequently see Goths post on social media about things an administration is doing, and how they're (performatively) against it. But they will not honor any dialogue about practical solutions. They have no interest in discussing further, other than others applauding what they're saying, giving them engagement. It's a disingenuous act, with the ulterior motive of gaining social capital. Ask them if they know about things that can be done on a local level (ballot measures, county special elections), and you will be ghosted, blocked, or have your comment deleted. With goths, it's never about actually feeling empathy about underserved communities, it's about how pretending to have empathy for those communities, will serve the goth clout.

Much like any outside passions, that don't revolve around worshiping DJs, alt photographers, being a scene queen/king at the same venues, goths have no interest. It's the most self-aggrandizing subculture. When the term "cancel culture" entered the cultural lexicon around 2018, unlike the majority of what it stood for (i/g the #METOO movement, powerful figures abusing women or people with no power, exposing musicians/public figures for having dangerous ideologies, or exposing abusive behavior), goths found a new way to be Mean Girls. "Did (person) wear a problematic shirt 10 years ago? Perfect way to knock them down the social ladder! Did (person) regret their date with (person)? Perfect opportunity to falsely accuse them, and ruin their life, so I can climb that ladder!" The point being, the intentions were not helping people who are being hurt, abused, afraid to speak up, and being moral support for them. Goths weaponized movements like this, so they could selfishly help themselves gain popularity, or farm clicks/likes on social media. 

The answer to what political leaning universally defines Goth/Industrial culture is selfishness, narcissism, spite, and anti-intellectualism (the most defining trait for goth culture in general).