Groundwork Proposal

This is an outline of the project that I will be undertaking. It may change as time goes on and as I get deeper into this project.

Topic description:

After a great deal of thought and research, I am pleased to say that I have created a strong research proposal idea. I started out with the idea that I wanted to continue my path of research on the Goth subculture. It is something that I have a good grasp of and I feel that I can do a great deal more with. I had a roadblock in terms of finding what the next step would be in terms of the research that I do, as well as, how to help the Goth community.

Then I asked myself the question: What other alternative subculture has been successfully integrated into society? The answer: Punk.

Punk and Goth emerged around the same time in the 1970s (I will get to this in my Groundwork paper), yet Punk is far more accepted by society today. Then I posed the question: Why? The reason is because Punk has marketed itself as a musical genre, a fashion style, and an art form. In other words, Punk has found a way to make itself user-friendly, whereas Goth has not.

Therefore, my present mission is to make Goth user-friendly so that members outside of the Goth community will be less afraid of it. I feel that this is a good bridge project that will lead to more awareness about the Goth subculture.

I want to create an event of Goth arts-poetry, dance, painting, fashion design, etc. I plan to ask Goth community members to showcase their art forms and invite the public to the event. This event will be highly educational, because it will answer the question: “What is Goth?” The answers will lie in the art forms, as well as, informational pamphlets and posters that I will create along with the help of members of the Goth community.

I will also open this event to artists outside of the Goth community so that other alternative subcultures can also have a chance to have their voices heard. I will be sure to keep it to the more macabre alternative subcultures so that there is a sense of cohesion. The reason for this branching out is because I found that a lot of the same people overlap into various alternative subcultures and I want to be inclusive of the entire sphere.

Background research and knowledge:

In order to carry out this project, I need to have a strong understanding of the Goth subculture and its affiliates. I will also need to see what specific subcultures to include to maintain the above-mention cohesion. I will also have to gain some more knowledge about the arts in these subcultures so that I am able to tie them in with the Goth ideology.

Importance for me:

This topic is of importance to me because I strongly feel that people should be allowed to be themselves and be accepted for who they are. Society should have options for people so that they are not limited to things that they may not enjoy. Also, it is a personal mission of mine to quell the incorrect attitudes that people have about Goths and other alternative groups. In my research I have found a great deal of false information written by individuals who have no knowledge about Goths. Yet people read these articles because the writer has a PhD behind his name and then blame Goths for problems within their societies. I want to be the antagonist and fight for the truth.

Importance for the Goth community:

The Goth community is not well-understood by society and often dismissed as evil, satanic, and violent. These accusations could not be farther from the truth, yet they continue. Goth is an inclusive, accepting subculture where people of various backgrounds, ages, races, sexual preferences, and interests can feel at home. The world is finally learning that society is very diverse, yet they are unsure of how to deal with this diversity. For this reason, individuals that do not fit the mold are left emotionally homeless.

Goth is a positive subculture based on awareness of the world events and of oneself. They do not shut their eyes to the truth like so many others do, but embrace life for what it is-tragedy and all. Goth is an important outlet for a great amount of people because of its accepting nature and it is important to preserve such an open sanctuary.

I feel that my project would help Goths teach others about their community, thereby, having the power in their own hands to change society’s attitudes about them. They will be able to make the change happen and be empowered to keep their community alive for generations to come.