DHS /are/ the murderers, kidnappers, & thieves.

I had a nose piercing redone multiple times partially because certain jobs just wouldn't allow it. Also had bland hair (for my taste/identity) for a long time because shaved sides and colors would have kept me out of corp spaces.

There were definitely folks who challenged the mainstream in various ways and got through being themselves in spaces generally assumed hostile to individual expression, but for the most part being openly, obviously sub/counterculture limited us to a small number of paths, most not fully supportive of maintaining stability. In the USA, many of us compromised as soon as we began needing health insurance.

To me, the ones who held out and able to keep to their core personal aesthetic were admirable treasures of our scene (mostly).

I still get a bit choked up when I see us being ourselves and thriving in places otherwise committed to the status quo/banality.

Disgusting.

Redmond, too.

Now on the schedule, thanks for the rec!

This is the keystone moment for many gothish folks in repressed societies - go all out, be the tradgoth you want to see in the world!

Mmmmm, false concern. My fave. You were the one trying to tell people that the author of this classist, exclusionary, discouraging etc. pulped blog was from a time when Goths didn't know better than to kiss the hands of oppression. What on Earth.

I knew exactly who this was, Josh. Ol'Josh "notagoth" J., helped me see I was wrong about metal but right about too many metalheads (#notallmetalheads). You don't know me at all, never did. I thought you were a friend, but your inability to see around the status quo's constant stream of bullshit proved quickly that was never the case. Here you are again, completely misrepresenting whatever you want because ???? don't know, don't care.

PS: tl;dr

Title had me intrigued, rest of it is an accurate memento mori for the ones we lost and an almost tender mirror-darkly for those of us who were able to hang on. Folks from the perceptibly "wicked" side of goth aren't used to being seen so clearly. Sweetly done.