Nice to have you back, LBB. Didn't even know you were gone... hehe!
Well, personally i could care less about goths coming back.

You have to understand that Goths are a legitimate sub-culture of society. Though the gloomy doomy 'goth look' came out in the early seventies thanks to the mighty Black Sabbath, it really picked up in the early 80s thanks to bands like the Cure and later Paradise Lost who (so they say) singlehandedly invented the genre of gothic metal (followed by bands such as Anathema, Celtic Frost, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, etc.) Of course all this is inspired by the certain era in European history, usually referring to the German city of Gothenberg; an era that recalls eerie old castles, black horse carriages, gargoyles and tragic stories that were grandiose as they were gruesome. You could say the early masters of goth were authors such as Poe, Shelly, Byron and even Bram Stoker.

I'd say bands such as Merciful Fate and Venom, took the look to the extremes we see today. What they did was bring all that imagery to heavy metal, which was predominantly leather clad biker fare or ball busting ripped jeans up until then. It became a part of an act. A new look that grabbed attention and also rebelled against the aforementioned industry norms. Marilyn Manson and Slipknot took the look to the mainstream in the late nineties and new millenium, which I believe is a good thing becuase now metal had a new identity and look. Like glam, hair metal, grunge, it's all a healthy part of the cycle that keeps rock n roll going. And I love every bit of it.

However, I can understand where your arguement is coming from... and you're right. The goth look, though frowned upon, still is a part of western culture, stemming from their own folklore. Just like hip hop being a legitimate sub-culture in the streets of urban America. It becomes a joke when Sarath from Nugegoda Handiya wears black mascara and nail polish, telling people he's depressed in long drony monologues. Hell, no one even writes songs in simple English anymore. I'm sick of reading lyrics that thread on the same 'ol grandiose grand guignol descriptions of gloom and doom, using lengthy adjectives and archaic phrasing, rather than convey genuine emotions! The end result is as contrived as Iraj calling his fellow Sri Lankans Niggaz... yeah Pimp my Bajaj!

Rock on \m/

They're all there for a reason; to make us look good. So chill and just ignore it. There are more pressing issues to worry about. And even those aren't worth worrying about. Tropical goth... hahahahaaaa!