May 11, 2010

"Is Professor Althouse really goth?"

Siouxsie Law examines the evidence — and offers "to fly out to Madison to help" me if I "ever want[] a goth makeover."

Well, I think goths may be dangerous... so how about some Photoshopping from a safe distance?

36 comments:

El Presidente said...

Anyone who skis in a black skirt has a bit of goth in her.

jayne_cobb said...

I've never known a dangerous Goth in my life.

I mean I'm sure they exist, but the vast majority have typically been quit kids who wanted an excuse to attract attention.

That said, they've unfortunately been replaced by Emo kids who do nothing but whine.

jayne_cobb said...

I meant "quiet kids"

Dark Eden said...

Goths at least pull off a semblance of coolness. Emo... why would anyone choose to be Emo over Goth?

But then again I have never understood why guys these days all want their pants down and their underwear sticking out.

jayne_cobb said...

I was fine with Goths, they at least had a sense of humor.

chickelit said...

Althouse is a secret Visigoth with her own code, Liber Judiciorum which Meade is attempting to corrupt into Bibere Judiciorum

PunditJoe said...

You may also want to consider what kind of goth to be. There are many varieties: standard goth, cybergoth (my favorite), the more flamboyant glitter goth, etc… Heh heh

hygate said...

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154323/

GMay said...

"And so Professor Althouse titled her post, “Is radical Muslim the new Goth?“

This is offensive on so many levels. It is not a kind comment. And while it may have been said half in jest, it is based on inaccurate stereotypes..."


I wasn't aware that Goths were so offendable or concerned with stereotyping.

Then again, when you have narrow tastes and preferences, hang out at the same places with people who all look and act like you do, don't be surprised when you get streotyped. Also might not want to think of yourself as "an individualist" either.

Triangle Man said...

If goths are rejecting stereotypes, then the whole scene must just boil down to wearing black clothing.

DADvocate said...

goths may be dangerous

I've met some goths that seem quite normal or, at worst, slightly pathetic.

Wince said...

This means we need to come up with a Goth name for Althouse, even though Althouse is pretty goth on its own.

Circe Nightshade - taken.

Azrael Abyss - taken.

Hmmm. Turns out, there's an app for that.

Ann Althouse = Deviant Motive?

Laurence Meade = Allyster Nightwind

Elena Kagan = Dying to Bleed

Glenn Reynolds = Whore Flick

EDH = Ravyn of Darkwood or Paper Cut (I like Ravyn of Darkwood, less nerdy)

PunditJoe said...

For most of the goths I know it isn’t about being a “non-conformist” or making any sort of statement. They just like the style. :)

Of course, my sample size is limited, so it is difficult to make any broad generalizations.

Anonymous said...

Grant Wood photoshop coming from Chip in 3... 2... 1...

traditionalguy said...

Goths are just another Nazi wannabe cult without the guts to shave their heads. They do succeed in being destructive people to themselves and others. Why they want Althouse to join up is the mystery.

PunditJoe said...

"traditionalguy said...
Goths are just another Nazi wannabe cult without the guts to shave their heads. They do succeed in being destructive people to themselves and others."

ROFL - Hello Godwin, your phone is ringing!

Up next, TraditionalGuy explains how kittens are actually in league with the Grey Aliens and secretly worship Bigfoot. ROFL

Please tell us you were just joking.

Unknown said...

Ann looked a bit pale and thin in the last Bloggingheads (thought she might be sick) and that is very goth.

As for dangerous, The Blonde's youngest niece was goth for a while and she was only dangerous to herself, or anyone in the car with her.

traditionalguy said...

Goths are just another Nazi wannabe cult without the guts to shave their heads. They do succeed in being destructive people to themselves and others. Why they want Althouse to join up is the mystery.

It would mean they've hit the big time, tg, although I can't see her or Meade with shaved heads (No, Chip, don't).

Unknown said...

"goths may be dangerous"

Exactly why?

Peano said...

"...how about some Photoshopping from a safe distance?"

OK

DADvocate said...

A couple of stores my kids like to buy stuff at in the mall tend to have goth looking employees. I've found the goth employees to be a notch above typical mall salespeople.

In one store, where my daughter bought some shoes, one of the goth guys played the guitar and sang us a song while she tried on shoes. It was all in good fun, quite hilarious and we all laughed about it. The most fun I think I've ever had in a store. And, we bought the shoes.

Anonymous said...

Goths intrigue me. Dorothy Cummings, the Catholic columnist who writes the Seraphic Singles blog (although she got married) is goth.

PunditJoe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sigivald said...

I think Professor Althouse should be Black Metal.

But I'm way too lazy to photoshop some corpsepaint.

PunditJoe said...

Here is my attempt to Photoshop a goth Ann:

Original Ann

Goth Ann

Now all we need are some fitting tunes. Maybe some Cruxshadows, Pride and Fall, and, of course, Razed in Black. :)

Chip Ahoy said...

Goth name: Nun's Oath Ale

As my whimsy leads me.. said...

I think Jayne sums it up pretty well. One of my daughters went through a goth period. She was never a quiet kid, but always needed lots of attention. A real attention sponge. I've never seen a black Goth. In fact most of them are very pale--more than just due to the black clothes and makeup. Usually chubby and pasty. Too much time indoors. I hate the look, and the pseudointellectualism, but most of them I've been acquainted with seem decent. The Goth-voudoun priest who had his dentist make his dentures with slightly longer than normal canines--who used to babysit my grandkids-- is kind of weird, but has always been nice enough to me. Some are really angry. Some want to make up their own religion--maybe so they get to be god.

AA does not fit that model at all. She's too logical, too cheerful, too appreciative of color, and if she had any Goth inclinations, Crack Emcee would not come around here.

Toy

Unknown said...

Peano said...

"...how about some Photoshopping from a safe distance?"

OK


I hope professional help is in your life these days.

(pink and green...?)

Pundit Joe said...

Here is my attempt to Photoshop a goth Ann:

Original Ann

Goth Ann


Very Morticia (and who is more goth?).

JAL said...

Can't remember which TV show, but one character (young guy) says he did the goth thing for a while thinking he would find some cool chicks.

What he found out was that they were depressed, and not cool.

Just a TV show. Interesting observation from the writer, I guess.

MamaM said...

Saw a guy with a pair of 4 inch black bats drawn under his eyes the other day. The idea intrigued me, and I wondered if they'd been Sharpied on or tattooed.

Then I wondered how effective a pair of bats might be in covering over or deflecting attention away from the bags under my own eyes.

Would Goth expressions still feel as meaningful and relevant to younger Goths if older women and grandmas started randomly using them?

I can't imagine a large pair of bats on my face drawing much admiration or acknowledgment of affinity from anyone.

What disturbed me most about the young man I saw wasn't his makeup but the almost complete absence of vitality in his eyes and physical demeanor.

traditionalguy said...

Pundit Joe... Where do you think the silly Goths get their inspiration from? It is the common source from where Herr Schicklgruber got his original methods and ideas from.

Anonymous said...

All these comments are amazing, but I am really impressed with your readers' photoshopping abilities.

The Siouxsie Law art department is working overtime on this.

Anonymous said...

I can only assume that Chip is hard at work on this as we speak.

PunditJoe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PunditJoe said...

(previous comment deleted due to errors in links)

TraditionalGuy, I guess you weren't joking.

I just don’t think it is reasonable to claim goths are a "Nazi wannabe cult". I have yet to meet a goth with any real political identity or goals as they tend to be more interested in music, concerts, and fashion than in any sort of political movement or organization. To my surprise, Wikipedia actually has a decent article about the goth culture and it makes specific mention of their general lack of a unified political ideology. Your attack on them strikes me as similar to the attacks on Tea Partiers - attacks based upon preconceived notions that do not necessarily represent the reality.

People can often make flip and hyberbolic comments online that, while emotionally satisfying, are not terribly useful in advancing conversation. I think you comment falls into that category. While I too made use of hyperbole in my first comment towards you, it was intended to serve as an illustration of how serious I thought your comment had been. Obviously, by that I mean not very.

Sadly, because of flippant use of terms like racism, fascism, Nazi, etc… they have become so devalued as to be near meaningless. Just cries of racism and Nazism will be ignored because they have been drowned out by their gratuitous use. Therefore, I urge people to use such terms with great care and deliberation in an attempt to restore their value and to ensure we can properly identify real evil where it occurs.

Unfortunately, Ed Driscoll was probably right when he wrote, “In The Future, Everyone Will Be Hitler For 15 Minutes

traditionalguy said...

Pundit Joe...The use of the term Nazi is over done. That Acronym correctly refers to the political organisation that suddenly took control over the German people in 1932. Before there was a Nazi Party, there were German practitioners of traditional Egyptian Witchcraft that by 1905 had lured a certain silly Austrian paperhanger into a deep practice of the the silly Madame Blavatski's secret doctrines. This is not top secret stuff anymore. But it is still seriously dangerous stuff no matter how much fun we pretend Goth people are having with it today.

PunditJoe said...

TraditionalGuy…
It term may be overused, but in this case you seem to sincerely believe it to be accurate. Please explain which goth traits have drawn inspiration from Blavatsky’s work? Can you demonstrate the linkage?