Goths and clove smoking has been a longtime parodied, true to form, and consistent nuance of the Gothic subculture. Anyone who has been in a Gothic or Industrial club knows the familiar sweet, yet spicy cinnamon like smell of the draped in black cancer stick. Dark, smooth and sultry these conversation starters and occasional pickup magnets never fail to attract attention until the night is over and the first rays of sunlight beckon sleep.

While I am not a cigarette smoker, I have been known to enjoy a clove here and there with a few drinks. Lately I went as far as to stuff Djarum blacks into the discontinued in the U.S., fabled red and black Sampoerna Xtras box, just to get the satisfaction of confused looks.

Author Alicia Porter Smith ponders the question on her blog Stuffgothslike , “Why do Goths smoke cloves”?

“Is it because they are worse for your health than regular cigarettes, therefore beckoning Death at an accelerated rate? “

Perhaps unconsciously the urge towards rebellion and self destruction does drive Goths toward clove smoking, however it could also be the color, spicy/sweet taste and morose appeal.

Regardless of whether one is a smoker or not, another stab at withdrawing civil liberties has been actualized. The Obama administration has approved the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a move that gives the FDA control to regulate every aspect of  Tobacco product advertising, distribution and who knows what else. The first step of which is banning “flavored” products, or using the terms “mild” or “light”.  We all know that when something is banned, people go out of their way to try and find it, import it, or create it to no end.

If the Government was paying 100% of everyone’s health care costs, I can understand their having a say in what you put into your body – since illness related treatment and prevention would come out of their pocket, but this is not yet the case.

I say let “we the people” make our own decisions about what we can consume, grow in our backyard, or purchase…  are we one step closer to a totalitarian dystopia?

What do you think?

Tags: dystopia, goth culture

In our current age, the possibility and probability for manipulation of human and interspecies DNA is a very real and unfortunate likelihood. Genetic engineering and Eugenics have already been underway for sometime, whether it be in the laboratory, or in the attempted ethnic cleansing of WWII.

The moral, ethical and sociological issues that would be the byproduct of such practices may not deter the powers that be from continuing these projects. If one day parents are to have the choice to artificially select more “desirable” features for their offspring, should it be an option? Or could this provide the means to a deeper rift of the economic and social divide, further alienating the privileged from the have nots?

For a more passive view of the potential outcomes of such experiments, a new film project is underway called “SPLICE”.

source: Film description per Del Toro Films.

“SPLICE is being produced by Guillermo Del Toro, and stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polly, and is being directed by Vincenzo Natali. DreadCentral reports that SPLICE is the story of two scientists, Clive and Elsa, who merge human and animal DNA in an experiment to see what comes out of it. The result is a deformed infant that grows into a beautiful winged chimera, and a bond is formed between its creators. The bond turns sour, though, when death starts raining down.”

The Immersive Cocoon may be the next big advancement towards an physically engaging, 360 degree submersion into Computerland. Per the description on the website,…”The Immersive Cocoon combines elegant industrial design with a revolutionary new way to think about digital interfaces.”

The pod will feature motion-sensing software, reminiscent of the film Minority Report, to track your body’s movements. Instead of using a keyboard and mouse, your body becomes the entire interface.
The screen will wrap 360 degrees around the walls, opening up new levels of visual stimulation and interactivity. Inside the unit, there will be reclined seating, air conditioning, server racks and more.

Potential uses include gaming, remote office work, exercise, enhanced Second Life capabilities, virtual tours, and more.

Commercial models are not expected to be available for another 5 years, it will be interesting to see if these ever become affordable for an ordinary household, or remain housed in public spaces, available for rent.

While I’m all for technological advancement, as a medium by which to enhance and empower our society as a whole, this may introduce yet another barrier in human face to face communication, by encasing yourself into a digital world, so far removed from the interpersonal analog communication that is lacking today. Every where I look, I see the new “posture” of the year 2000. Can you guess what it is?

If you said couples standing together, looking away from each other, faces plastered to their cell phones, you guessed correctly. While this may seem cynical, I fondly remember as a kid playing outdoors, riding bikes around the neighborhood, venturing off into the woods, creating imaginary worlds with friends, skateboarding, with a healthy mix of indoor video game time… yes, good ole’ Atari.

Only time will tell.