Post #68024 by EnchantedTikiGoth on Tue, Jan 6, 2004 11:33 PM

On 2004-01-06 16:04, tikibars wrote:
Is it a problem to just like good music, good times, good people, and not pigeonhole yourself? Can't someone have their own identity without having to march under the banner of being a Mod or a Trekkie, or a Goth?

I think this abondonment of needing a clique comes with maturity.

Not to cast aspersions, but I also think that the need to be considered More-Individual-Than-Thou is something that might wane with age as well.

I guess no one really read what I wrote at the bottom of page 2, which I had hoped would shed at least some light on the mentality of a person who does self-identify by a cultural label.

I don't see identifying by a label as being the antithesis of having an identity... I just consider it being honest. I identify by plenty of labels: Goth, Steampunk, Lutheran, Canadian, university student, "that really bouncy guy with the hair", etc. etc. etc. I don't feel that being honest enough to acknowledge that these are my lifestyle, interests, religion, nationality, occupation and so on in any way diminishes my identity or individuality.

I am still who I am, as an individual. I have my own distinct personality, life experiences, faith, tastes, style, and everything else that makes one an individual. But I also share much in common with others, and I feel no compulsion to shy away from that in the name of appearing More-Individual-Than-Thou. I lead a lifestyle that, even in my interests in anime and Tiki and Steampunk, bring me into a cultural community that identifies itself as "Gothic". And it makes this self-identification for the sake of ease: it is easier to describe and congregate and find music when you acknowledge that this distinct community exists (imagine trying to find some good lounge music or Tiki bars if those labels didn't exist and all you had to go on were vague descriptions... If a description, y'know, isn't too much labelling).

For those who feel a need to conform to a label rather than use a label as a handy means to find likeminded people, they don't last long anyways... The lifestyle they are leading is not who they truly are, and they'll inevitably move on until they find it. But for those of us who are leading a lifestyle that is in synch with their sense of identity, I don't know why we deserve to be insulted as immature sheep. And sometimes, "I'm too much of an individual" may be a case of protesting too much.

Cory

[ Edited by: EnchantedTikiGoth on 2004-01-06 23:36 ]