I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself first. My name is Steven. I'm 18 and I attend Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. I was born and raised in Rogersville and Kingsport, Tennessee. When I was younger, I considered myself a Goth. You can even find my old website linked on the Knox Gothic page if you look hard enough. I don't really label myself anything now, but a lot of "Goth qualities" have stuck with me: I still wear a lot of black, I'm still a bit of an outcast, and I still listen to "Goth" music. I'm taking a first-year tutorial called Alienation, which explores that theme through various literary, psychological, and sociological texts. Our final project is, essentially, to do research on something that has to do with alienation. I think it's fair to say my Goth tendencies are the reason I chose to take a course entitled Alienation in the first place, so I thought it would be suiting to do my project on the Goth subculture. Okay, on to the business at hand...
The Knoxville Gothic Community as a Case Study
This questionnaire is divided into two parts. The first is multiple choice for the purpose of compiling data in the form of percentages. The second is free response, with the intent of allowing you to answer more specifically and completely. If you are uncertain of how to answer a particular question or have any other concerns, feel free to e-mail me with any questions (stmw04@hampshire.edu).
Please send your responses to stmw04@hampshire.edu Your name will not be revealed to anyone. If at all possible, it would be great to have all the responses in by December 4 (of course, earlier is always better. This is due the 10th). Thank you very much for your time. I sincerely appreciate it.
1) How old are you?
a. Under 13
b. 13 - 17
c. 18 - 22
d. 23 - 29
e. 30 - 39
f. 40 +
2) What is your gender?
a. Male
b. Female
c. Transgendered
3) Choose the term that best describes you.
a. White/Caucasian
b. Black/African-American
c. Hispanic
d. Asian
e. Native American
f. Other ________
4) Again, choose the term that best describes you.
a. Lower class/poor
b. Lower middle class/working class
c. Middle class
d. Upper middle class
e. Upper class
f. Upper upper class (born into a family of wealth that is passed across generations)
5) Religion:
a. Agnostic/Atheist
b. Christian
c. Wiccan
d. Muslim
e. Buddhist
f. Satanist
g. Other ______
6) What genre of music do you prefer?
a. 80s Goth (e.g. Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, Christian Death, the Cure, etc.
We can argue over what music is and isn’t goth, but you get the idea)
b. Industrial
c. Metal
d. Classical
e. Other; please list _________
f. I don’t listen to music.
7) What kind of books do you primarily read?
a. Mainstream popular novels
b. More “literary” and “intellectual” literature; please specify _________
c. Horror
d. Fantasy
e. Science Fiction
f. Other; please list _________
g. I don’t read.
8) Do you play video or computer games? How often?
a. I play video games, but not computer games.
b. I play computer games, but not video games.
c. I play both.
d. I play neither.
a. I never play.
b. I play rarely.
c. I play occasionally.
d. I play fairly often.
e. Games are a huge part of my life.
9) Please describe your political leanings:
a. Social liberal; fiscal liberal
b. Social liberal; fiscal conservative
c. Social conservative; fiscal liberal
d. Social conservative; fiscal conservative
10) How would you describe your sexual orientation?
a. Heterosexual
b. Homosexual
c. Bisexual
d. Other ________
11) Are you interested in BDSM?
a. Yes, I am actively involved (either in attending clubs or privately)
b. Yes, but I am not actively involved (curious or inexperienced)
c. No, I am not interested.
d. No, I am not interested in BDSM, but I am interested in other sexual practice(s) not considered mainstream.
If you have any issues with any of the above questions, feel free to express them here:
Section II.
1) What led you to first identify as Goth?
2) Prior to identifying yourself as a Goth, how would you describe yourself?
3) Do you dress in a “Goth” manner? If so, what is your purpose in doing so?
4) What do you think of stores such as Hot Topic and more mainstream bands that are often associated with the Goth label?
5) How would you describe the current state of the Goth scene?
6) Are there any changes you would like to see happen in this scene?