NationStates Jolt Archive

Straight Edge. To me, it's an idea. I did not conform to it, but my principles that I have always had are present in this idea. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke. But most important of all. I am true to myself and to my friends and family.

If their are any straight edge kids here, what is straight edge to you? It is a style?(I hope not...) Is it a set of principles guiding your life? Is it a movement? Is it a music style that you love? What is your view on straight edge? What are your principles? How do you interact with people who are NOT straight edge? Do you look down upon them? etc etc.

For non straight edge kids: What do you think straight edge is? Do you find any of its qualities admirable? Do you like the music? (Usually hardcore such as Champion, Betrayed, Minor Threat) Do you hold any prejudice against straight edge people? Do you think they are arrogant and consider themselves superior?

Tell me what you think.

Here's your medal. Now get on the bus.

I'm not straight-edge (heh, really, i'm anything but :p). I never really understood the motivation behind conforming to that ideal in a stylistic sense. Not trying to stereotype all straight-edgers as being like this, but those that are part of the hardcore scene and conform to the straight edge ideals prevalent in it seem to be living a contradiction. How can music born completely out of individual expression at its barest level be associated with something like that? It's beyond me...I can understand veganism as a political stance, but not the rest of it. I like the music, though. 'specially Refused.

I just figure real individuality is "If it feels good, do it". And sure, if you're happy and feel good being a straight edger, the best of luck to you! It's the whole attitude of "If you aren't straight edge then you can't call yourself a fan of hardcore" that confuses me. To me, some straight-edgers do seem arrogant, yes, but I know not all are like that.

I just kind of liked having X's on my hands. Makes me look cool like someone from an anime. I can like put them together and do something wickedly awesome.



*Note: LB is not straigt-edge and he hates anime. With a passion.

"Rather be dead than cool"
-Nirvana

"Rather be dead than cool"
-Nirvana

"I don't know why...every line ends in rhyme
I don't know why...less is more, love is blind
I don't know why

Stay...
Stay away!"

:)

"I don't know why...every line ends in rhyme
I don't know why...less is more, love is blind
I don't know why

Stay...
Stay away!"

:)

I'm so happy, cuz today I found my friends :)

I'm so happy, cuz today I found my friends :)

...they're in my head.

[/thread hijack]

I don't think we can justify talking about Nirvana in a straight-edge thread. :p

If being straight edge is yer thing, eh, whatever.
If not having to hold yourself to a silly ideal is your thing, thats cool too.
All I can ask, is that you dont look down on anyone who does not share your ideals.

When the Straight Edge movement began (when I was in high school ... yes, it's been around a while), it was mostly full of thugs who would go around and beat the shit out of other people for smoking a cigarrette.

I found the movement vile.

Has it changed much?

From what I've seen of straight edge (it wasn't around in my area when I was a teen, so I'm going mainly by what I've seen on the intarwebs), it sucks balls. Wanting to stay healthy by not doing tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs is fine. It's a personal choice, and people shouldn't lose cool points because they've decided that drugs aren't really their thing.

However, defining your identity and your subculture by your attitude on drugs and alcohol is pretty damn lame. And the neurotic contempt and hate that a lot of straight edgers seem to have for both drugs and the people who use them is utterly, utterly retarded. Throw in the more hardcore end of the Straight Edge movement that often take a similarly smug approach to veganism or sexual abstinence, and what you've got is a movement that seems to be defined entirely by how morally superior you can feel to the people who "aren't strong enough" to give up the various things you have. It's puritanism plain and simple, only without the religious overtones. And just like traditional puritanism, it's a culture that revolves around smugly congratulating one another on being better than all the people who've succumbed to temptation (even if nobody except the puritans thinks of what they're doing as succumbing to temptation).

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait.... Ham-O's a straight-edge? Dude, I just made you Regional Delegate... :p

Anyway... It's all good. I'll keep cigarettes, booze, hangovers, loose women and pot if that's ok though. ;)

Ermmmm, I have nothing against these ideals and philosophies as stand alone ways to live your life. Not my way to live, but whatever you like is fine with me.

But........ considering the roots of this "movement" (as someone else said already) this is one big joke on you all for anyone that can see the irony involved.
I'm sure there are a lot of anthropologists and philosophers that were very interested in the punk phenomena and are still very interested in this hyper-culture that is still developing.

Of course this all started out with one punk that was truly none conformist, who didn't base themself on any image they had ever previously seen. The rest of you "punks" and "neo-punks" are mere simulacra.

'Simulacra: a copy of a copy which had no original.'

Not the same thing though....

What is this "Straight Edge" of which you speak?

I don't think it's been exported to the UK yet. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention.

What is this "Straight Edge" of which you speak?

I don't think it's been exported to the UK yet. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention.


Its like being a mormon, without the religion, and and you have to listen to punk music.

What is this "Straight Edge" of which you speak?

I don't think it's been exported to the UK yet. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention.

It has..... unfortunately.


try this for a definition. (http://www.straight-edge.com/definition.html)

The straight edge philosophy is fine, but I don't get the whole point out of beating people up who don't follow it.

So, it's punks who follow the rules of the more prudish members of society? Interesting.

I don't think it's for me, though.

When the Straight Edge movement began (when I was in high school ... yes, it's been around a while), it was mostly full of thugs who would go around and beat the shit out of other people for smoking a cigarrette.

The straight edge philosophy is fine, but I don't get the whole point out of beating people up who don't follow it.

Weird...most of the straight-edgers I know are emos (sortof) and goths who are far more likely to be the ones getting beaten up.

I've discovered a previously unknown, to me, subculture! And what a pointless one it seems to be at that. Joy.

Weird...most of the straight-edgers I know are emos (sortof) and goths who are far more likely to be the ones getting beaten up.

Man ... is that a departure ...

Emos and Goths (yes, again, when I was in High School) were the huge druggies .... pot, ecstacy, plenty of booze ....

I couldn't imagine a Straight Edge Emo .... those raves must suck!

Man ... is that a departure ...

Emos and Goths (yes, again, when I was in High School) were the huge druggies .... pot, ecstacy, plenty of booze ....

I couldn't imagine a Straight Edge Emo .... those raves must suck!

They got sidelined by Grunge-stoners, and needed to find a new image. Hehehe :p

They got sidelined by Grunge-stoners, and needed to find a new image. Hehehe :p

Oh good ... so I'm to blame ... nice. :)

I knew my flannel shirt and skateboard would do someone somewhere some form of harm.

Oh good ... so I'm to blame ... nice. :)

I knew my flannel shirt and skateboard would do someone somewhere some form of harm.

Hahaha...you destroyed my life! *downs a shot of whiskey*

I've discovered a previously unknown, to me, subculture! And what a pointless one it seems to be at that. Joy.
Are you referring to the often violent tendencies of straight edgers as being pointless, or the anti-drug, pro-vegan/environment stances of straight edgers as being pointless? Or both?

Are you referring to the often violent tendencies of straight edgers as being pointless, or the anti-drug, pro-vegan/environment stances of straight edgers as being pointless? Or both?

Probably both, as it strikes me to be, as someone's already mentioned, puritanism but without the religion... even though the celibacy parts and some of the ideology seems to be fuelled by puritan religiosity, anyway.

Straight Edge. To me, it's an idea. I did not conform to it, but my principles that I have always had are present in this idea. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke. But most important of all. I am true to myself and to my friends and family.

If their are any straight edge kids here, what is straight edge to you? It is a style?(I hope not...) Is it a set of principles guiding your life? Is it a movement? Is it a music style that you love? What is your view on straight edge? What are your principles? How do you interact with people who are NOT straight edge? Do you look down upon them? etc etc.

For non straight edge kids: What do you think straight edge is? Do you find any of its qualities admirable? Do you like the music? (Usually hardcore such as Champion, Betrayed, Minor Threat) Do you hold any prejudice against straight edge people? Do you think they are arrogant and consider themselves superior?

Tell me what you think.
It's not for me...I wouldn't find it difficult to give up drinking and drugs (I don't smoke...not tobacco, anyway). I can see why some people would be attracted by it, though.
The music's great - especially Minor Threat, and by extension, Fugazi.
I don't know anyone who is straight edge, but I have met a few in my time. They seem perfectly normal people to me, not arrogant in the slightest.

well, i won't call myself straight-edge..too many people consider too many weird things to belong to straigt-edge..

no, i donÄt drink,don't smoke, don't eat meat (well i try),..

but then i listen to mainstream music (as well), i don't try to dress "punk" or whatever, nearly all of my friends drink and smoke weed and i'm okay with it.

i think it's pathetic if you cant just do what you consider to be the right thing for you, but have to make it into an ideology/movement or whatever and do the oh-i'm-part-of-a-movement-i'm-cool thing.. meh.

Probably both, as it strikes me to be, as someone's already mentioned, puritanism but without the religion... even though the celibacy parts and some of the ideology seems to be fuelled by puritan religiosity, anyway.Perhaps. I'm not too familiar with the ideology, but it seems that if you look at the Minor Threat lyrics from "Out of Step": "Dont smoke/don't drink/don't fuck/at least I can fucking think" that straight edgers would view drugs and promiscous sex as interfering with the way a person thinks. This may or may not be a puritan argument, though.

I admit that as a late teenager I was straight-edge. Here in an area where hardcore was king for quite some time, almost all kids were straight edge at some point. Black X's in sharpie on their hands, to their "emo backpacks". Such is the way.

To me, straight edge meant no drugs, no drinking, no smoking. Those that are "true" straight edge believe it also means leading a vegan lifestyle, no sex, no caffeine, and trying to tell everyone about how great it is to be straight edge.

I love a lot of the old SE bands like Sensefield, Minor Threat, and Snapcase (actually, I've met the members of Sensefield when they played in my basement and Snapcase is a bunch of guys my friends and I went to school with and hung out with all the time). The interesting thing is that many of the people that "started" this scene (with the exception of Ian MacKaye) are no longer straight edge.

I don't call myself straight-edge but I don't drink or smoke or abuse drugs either. It's just a personal commitment in the same way that my vegetarianism is.

In my experience, sXe'ers are as all other people. Some are preachy bastards and some are tolerant and accepting. I was, when yunger and filled with youthfull zeal and big ideals*, rather active in the radical-leftist movement known here in Denmark as 'the autonomous' ('de autonome' in danish). Only Goth-boi amongst lots of punks, many of them sXe.

Never got into it myself, though.

With regards to sXe'ers beating up people who are not for that reason and that reason alone, I have never heard of any incidents here in Denmark. Seems that we have been spared the idiocy.




*Now I'm older, filled with experienced jadedness and keeping my ideals to myself.

Hang on a minute… I've sort of got an image of what this is.
Puritanism, hatred, punk, violence, arrogance… apart from the punk, that sounds like something that suits me. :D

Straight Edge. To me, it's an idea. I did not conform to it, but my principles that I have always had are present in this idea. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke. But most important of all. I am true to myself and to my friends and family.

If their are any straight edge kids here, what is straight edge to you? It is a style?(I hope not...) Is it a set of principles guiding your life? Is it a movement? Is it a music style that you love? What is your view on straight edge? What are your principles? How do you interact with people who are NOT straight edge? Do you look down upon them? etc etc.

For non straight edge kids: What do you think straight edge is? Do you find any of its qualities admirable? Do you like the music? (Usually hardcore such as Champion, Betrayed, Minor Threat) Do you hold any prejudice against straight edge people? Do you think they are arrogant and consider themselves superior?

Tell me what you think.
I'm not straight edge, but it's what you described it was. :rolleyes:

The qualities admirable? I don't know.

The music is cool though.

Prejudice? No

The Straight Edgers (or Stretchers as me and my friends call them, just for fun) I know are not arrogant. Hard Liners however....

http://www.howsyouredge.com/edgebreak/index.php

Best SxE page ever.

I'd not call myself straight edge.... I don't fit it, I eat meat, and I don't have any violent tendancies. I don't drink, smoke or take drugs.... but surely that's a meh point?

I just don't want to do any of those things. Primarily because my parents drilled it into me, but then, everyone's conditioned somehow...

When the Straight Edge movement began (when I was in high school ... yes, it's been around a while), it was mostly full of thugs who would go around and beat the shit out of other people for smoking a cigarrette.

I found the movement vile.

Has it changed much?
Yeah I had seen that as well ... but I am old enough not to be in that secene anymore ... more of a highschool fad

http://www.howsyouredge.com/edgebreak/index.php

Best SxE page ever.
Holy fuck they find it that important that they need to make a list of who decides to be "not" in their group

They need a fucking life really

If you choose to not drink smoke ...... so on and so forth that is cool
But thoes that are so obsessed with the who is "in" and "out" like the people that run that sight need to get a fucking grip on reality

Reminds me faintly of a non pollitical McCarthyism