So, this is Darkforum. I've noticed people getting called out on being goth and dark quite often on this site and the defences of it etc. The format of the site and the name seem as if this is indeed looking to recruit this kind of character, or at least some deviance required. So why is it that the very thing the image of the forums seems to recruit is what is constantly called out and insulted. Then people wonder why certian areas are dying or have trouble keeping things going. Poetry, people get called out for teenage angst sounding. Hell i'm guilty of writing that way and in fact agreed with others who say it or i've even called people out on it.

Maybe white on black is just really easy to read, you know, easy on the eyes. And the devils for smiley faces are just the first thing or the easiest to do. And the Dark in the name just sounded real purty.

But some stuff is real, takes time to process and isnt whining and bitching about how your normal life is terrible. Its rather self rightous and self centered to dismiss things immediatly as teenage angst. Its as if to say you've gone through so much shit in your life that being a teenager and bitching about this shit that's no where near as bad as what you've gone through. Isnt' that attitude in itself extremely proud and doing the exact same thing you are preaching against. Thinking your own problems are so terrible and unending that no one else connects? Isnt that the exact basis on calling someone out on bitching about life when it sucks?

So that's my bitching for the day, bitching about the things people bitch about to people who are bitching.

Lemme explain something to you. This used to be a poetry, story, art/photography submission site only. It was called darkness.com. Yes it catered to a certain type of individual. In the early fall/late summer of 2000, the owner put up the message board. So of course all the little fuckers that posted their shit on the submission portion signed up here as well. It was never intended to be a goth site. It was intended to promote artistic expression. Let's face it: artistic types tend to follow a somewhat alternative lifestyle. In the first couple years of the forum, we had soooooo many threads titled "What is goth?" and "Are you goth?" that it became something of a joke to us. This being the internet and all, most of us old users took it upon ourselves to ridicule and berate anyone who dared use that label. Reason being... most of them were/are idiotic teenagers who have no concept of what a "dark" lifestyle consists of. It's a fashion statement for most of these kids. A way to give their life meaning and make them noticed. That in itself gives me a good reason to shit on them.

In 2001 when Sire bought the site and changed the name to darkforum.com, we got yet another influx of new "gothy" users. He's also the owner of darksites.com and vampires.com.

If you'll notice, we rarely pick on people simply because they choose the lifestyle. Normally they have to be stupid or annoying to boot. As for poetry... well "dark" poetry is such a fucking cliche and deserves to be ridiculed.

And it's also a well-established fact that 90% of us on here aren't goth and don't embrace the lifestyle.

look, plain and simple, you make a forum / art submission site with 'dark', 'vampire', or 'goth' in the name, url, etc. you're gonna get tons of goths. buh duh. if that's not what the owner wanted then he must not have thought it through very well.
wickedlady, your post gives away your shallow/prejudiced stance regarding goths. there's nothing wrong with being shallow and having prejudices, everybody does and i definitely do, but it's kind of assholish to make a big deal out of it.
and i thought being stupid and annoying was enough to be ridiculed? does being goth really have anything to do with it?
we're all looking for self image, to give meaning to our lives, just like teenage goths are. you are too, and it's naive to think you're not. i doubt we ever stop trying to prove ourselves... to ourselves, ultimately.
i'm probably a bit younger than most members here, but i consider myself pretty mature. i like to think i am, anyway. i subscribe to subjectivism, by which what you call 'teen angst' is totally justifiable. just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong...
and if you really didn't want any more goths, you would just change the forum to "pretty kitty forum". i promise you all the goths would leave.

wait, first let me say... your rock wicked lady, and I would do you dirty if I wasnt married.

secondly... I have been on this site for AGES, and had to go thru alot of abuse as I was n00bsauce, I respect the ppl who put me in my place when I was an annoying teen fuckwad. If they stay around long enough, they will have proven themselves worthy (or at very least tenacious) if they leave then we were right all along and they were worthless fucknuts not deserving of the semen in my crusty keyboard.

thirdly.... DIRTY, really dirty.

Wicked, thanks for the history, i appreciate the background. Still a little interesting though the reality of the site, being 'run' by older more outspoken people while the image at first glance is quite different. meh, time for the first final exam of the semester!

God you're fucking stupid. Did you read anything that I said? Or are you so butthurt that I trampled on your subculture that you neglected to use your goddamn brain.

Oh and I <3 you too, MOO. I'd let you do me hard if you weren't such a boob.

I didn't say we run shit. Well technically Dyshade and Crypt run shit. I used to run shit around here in an informal sense. But I'm getting older. And more pussy-ish.

What first glance image is that?

fuckin' teenage wannabe goth whores

I know you never said you run shit, that was merely an opinion formed by observation and no offence was meant by it.

First glance though,

Maybe white on black is just really easy to read, you know, easy on the eyes. And the devils for smiley faces are just the first thing or the easiest to do. And the Dark in the name just sounded real purty.

"Darkforum.com Dark Stories, Dark Art, poetry...." That implies its a...dark...place. In our society the pop culture things that go with dark tend to be gothic or an offshoot of it. It's just like a first impression. Sure it can easily be wrong, judging a book by the cover etc. but the point is that's what it looks like at first.

So? That's just a cleverly designed ruse to get those kind in here so we can make fun of them.

Haven't you learned ANYTHING? You've been a member nearly 5 years.

I'm a goth and Wicked takes the piss out of me all the time. I know my place!

WHat?! This forum hates goth people?! OMG?! But i thought this forum was run by goth people all along. MmMmMm....

You're different, though.

I <3 you.

I <3 you too!! It just goes to show that we can all live peacefully together in united bliss regardless of our musical or stylistic persuasions.

I fucking hate baby bats / plastics / demi - goths though! In fact, baby bats that wear chuffing plastic black macs in the middle of the fucking summer - boil-in-a-bag-baby-bat!

OK, I've vented my angst, I'm calm now.

<3! But, you are a Goth though.. aren't you?

LOL!

i think you misunderstood the intention of my post - it wasn't meant to be an attack, more of a defense. i never said i was gothic by the way... and you don't have to be to try to stand up for them. i did read your post and i was merely commenting on your childish dismissal of what you choose not to understand. i hate pompous, pretentious and generally anybody who seems full of themselves by pretending they're so much better than other people. i've seen other posts of yours, and i've never considered you a dickweed. and your post here wasn't that bad, and i understand it might be exagerated a bit and some of the harsher notes are pretty normal for you (you add it for spice, i think) i just wanted to let you know that i didn't agree. plus you can't really expect not to ruffle a few feathers which such strong opinions. well, the last thing i want to do is to get into a dick-weighing contest with you, because i think we just had a little misunderstanding.