On Being Goth...

According to an intelligently written article I recently read, I fit rather well into the label Goth.
Not the stereotypical idea of Goth -- wearing all black & being angsty & creepy -- but from the ideal behind it.
The article lists the following characteristics as part of Goth subculture, and I'm following each with a comment on my relation to each...

‡ You feel the need to spend a lot of time creating things (music, art, poetry, philosophies, stories and the like)
Yes, yes I do. Stories spring up in my head constantly; I could be the idea man behind many a movie or TV show or comic book. Usually I create art, or need to design characters for stories I'll never create. This goes back to being a kid and building things with Lego & drawing all the time. If I'm not Photoshopping something, I've been making a stop motion video or a webcomic or sketching out ideas in my head. Heck, lately I've been making a new website to replace my old one entirely.

‡ Your creative efforts are often described as dark, shocking, scary, morbid or strange
Dark, Strange. Yeah, pretty much. I aim for things with a twist: Twilight Zone style. It's really evident in my stop motion videos, The Adventures of Diavo & Joe, as Diavo has a bought with the dark side in Ep4, and Joe becomes a bad guy in the secret ending of Ep7...

‡ You like museums and cultural centers
Yes, I love museums, especially art ones.

‡ You understand and even enjoy Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning or some other similar work without having to read the Cliffe Notes
Ok, no, not so much. I pretty much detest Shakespeare...

‡ You know the difference between nihilism and existentialism, even if you don't really live by either
Yes actually. And my take on 'em was always "Life is pretty meaningless until you give it one." ;P

‡ You really, truly enjoy music of many kinds
I have an eclectic taste in music indeed. Swing always because it's very melodic and danceable, but other type of music are prevalent in my mp3 collection of some 4,300 songs: techno, trance, happy hardcore, Trip-Hop, Celtic, jazz, latin, cha-cha, rock, hip hop, a capella, punk, rockabilly/psychobilly/hell-billy, ska, swing, violin, even French reggae... There are just a few types of music I don't like, and that's usually because of certain qualities they have (ex: I like country music (yes actually) but I hate the twang in the singers' voices).

‡ You are a very sensual person (aware of color, texture, sound, taste and scent)
Yes. Oh yes. ;P

‡ You don't understand why the people around you spend so much time watching TV
Well, there are a few good shows on, but I do prefer doing things to passively watching.

‡ You don't feel comfortable looking just like everyone else you know
That is very true. Almost to the point of being a flaw in my character. I need to be individualistic.

‡ You do feel comfortable just being yourself, even if no one else around is anything like you
Yes, again almost to a flaw. Or, to the annoyance of people I'm around that might be more "conservative" at that moment. Sheesh.

‡ You wonder "why" a lot, and come up with some interesting answers
YES! I need to know why!

‡ You wonder "how" a lot, and often figure it out on your own
YES! I want to know how!

‡ You don't just reject something because you don't understand it
Right, I want to understand it, to increase my knowledge. But somethings don't even get the first chance to prove it. ;P ;P

‡ You base your opinions of people on who they are and what they do rather than what they look like
Yes & no. Unfortunately stereotypes exist because most people like that fit them. Like everyone else, I will form instant opinions based on how someone presents themself. It's up to them to overcome the stereotype they're lumped into. ;P A lot of people will surprise you. Even more won't. :-/
But my real, founded opinions on someone can't be, well, founded until I get to know them.

‡ You are not afraid of the unknown
Mostly just very cautious when treading into it.

‡ You are not afraid of the dark
I'm not, that's silly.

‡ You are afraid of mediocrity
I am, that's not silly.

So, interesting, yes? I think so. Not the end-all definition, but it's more than a silly multiple-choice survey.
The article also debunks a number of Goth stereotypes, which for most people is a smart read in itself.

Now I'll pair this with a fun website on Goth stereotypes! ;P (From there I'm mostly the Geek Goth & Gothabilly.)