Measure twice, perform Burroughsian cut-up once.

[hirez]

My brain's not working properly and my lungs are still hesitating over the idea of converting back to running on oxygen, but at least now I've an objective measure of how stupid I am (About capable of watching the wrong IP address scroll off the top of a rebooting machine's xterm) and how weak I am (About capable of hefting a 21" CRT, but I need a

Comments

[mr_flay]

I keep trying to formulate a sensible answer to this blokey's problem, but I always wind up tying myself in knots. Ah, well. I shall satisfy myself instead with saying that I've recently met Dave Bradshaw, who said to say hello, and with whom I'll be spending a week in the desert this year. :D

[hirez]

Well, indeed. It's more a Usenet sort of a problem, largely because I don't think I'm hand-wringy enough anymore.

Disco Dave. Yes. Good chap. Make sure he never gives you a lift in anything quicker than a bicycle.

[malcygoff]

Usenet sort of a problem

I think that AG is still busy with the last moral maze. Well, two members of it are at least...!

Anyway, it's a nice change from the WIG quesion that WGW seems to encourage. err. If you'll pardon the acronyms.

[aoakley]

I keep trying to formulate a sensible answer to this blokey's problem, but I always wind up tying myself in knots

How about:

They were goths because they were suicidal. They were not suicidal because they were goths.

ie. they were already suicidal and picked a subculture which they believed (wrongly) fitted their state. So the goth thing wasn't really relevent to the suicides, and the chap was looking for answers in the wrong place.

[echo_echo]

I agree, except I don't know that someone would neccessarily become a goth because they were already suicidal. I think they may well have become a goth because they had a particular mindset that led to an interest and possibly acceptance within the goth subculture. I don't know that that choice could be said to be 'wrongly', maybe goth suited their state particularly well? Without knowing the case in question I can't really comment on that. But as you say, I don't think people become suicidal because they are goths

[hirez]

Broadly. Maybe. That's a bit simplistic, though.

I can only speculate, but it seems to me that a subset of people get into gothery because they can maybe see a bit more to existing than knockoff Burberry and Buckfast tonic wine. Maybe bootstrapping themselves into an essentially middle-class subculture was beyond them.