I can only make one strong statement about this that I know to be absolutely true. When some one bashes some one else, when some one makes fun of some one else in a public or group forum, when some one gossips about others, it is a sure and absolute sign that something in them is hurt. Happy people don't feel the need to bash others...period. Being unkind to others, while inexcusable, is a cry for help.
Every time I see this behavior in the goth scene, I wonder about the people doing it. I wonder what hurt them. Were they abused as a child? Did they go through a recent break up that caused them pain? Did they have a traumatic event in their lives that scarred them emotionally? Or do they just have a job or career or romantic partner that makes them unhappy on some level? The next time you hear some one gossip about some one else or form an unkind opinion about some one in a group setting or online, ask them, who or what hurt you? And what can we do to make it not hurt so that you won't feel the need to inflict the same pain on others?
