an essay
in this essay, i will present to you my award winning article on straight edge (it
won third place in a local paper). and then, because i feel that not enough of my
opinon and such, was portrayed in that story, i will add some further coments
and critiques of my essay, as well as the movement.
i'm a person just like you
but i got better things to do
than sit around and smoke dope
cause i know that i can cope
laugh at the thought of eating ludes
laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
always gonna keep in touch
never wanna use a crutch
i've got straight edge!!"
-lyrics by ian mackaye, minor threat, dischord records, (c) 1981
how many people out there feel that the issues of drugs, casual sex, and alcohol
are both morally repugnant and redundantly stupid? well, maybe it is time for a
change in your life. you should consider straight edge.
what is straight edge? perhaps it would be easier to explain if it was a well
known term, however, it is not well known, so here is an attempt to explain it.
straight edge (abbreviated sxe) is closely tied into the hardcore/punk rock scene,
and is the abstaining from drugs alcohol, and casual sex. straight-edgers also
can be vegetarians or vegans (someone who eats a strictly vegetable diet). the
belief in the d.i.y. (do it yourself) ethic is common among straight-edgers. this
means that they fix their own car or organize their own tour, for example. they
can also choose to give up on the government.
straight edge is not a cult or a gang, it is a lifestyle. no one is there to initiate
you, it is just a promise you make to yourself. do not make the promise without
knowing why you are making it. if you cannot keep your "edge" don't bother
trying.
the way that straight-edgers separate themselves from everyone else is not only
by making this promise to themselves, but also by marking themselves with an
"x." the "x" is said to be a mocking response to the x's put on the hands of
underage punkers so the bartenders will not serve them alcohol.
i recently went straight edge, and have found to appreciate it very much. for the
record, being substance free and having a taste for hardcore/punk rock music
are the basic "rules" of straight edge, the others are added to the different levels
at which people wish to carry out their "edge." if you realize the problems that
(un)controlled substances bring (as well as government, certain types of food,
and sexual relations), and you feel that you can promise yourself that you do not
need these, you should try being straight edge. but, do not do it because i
recommend it. do it because it is the right thing to do.
well, that concludes my paper/story...whatever. looking back now, at the article i
wrote, i realized that i could have improved the story in other ways. however, i
had a certain amount of room to work with, and only so much time. so, i guess i
am happy with my story. but, allow me to expand upon the whole issue of
straight edge, here:
you will notice in the lyrics to the minor threat song (also entitled "straight edge"
and from where the term and/or movement derrived) that it says "i've got the
straight edge!" in the song they actually say, "i've got straight edge." however,
the actual copywrighted lyrics say "the straight edge!" i did not want to violate
the copywright and disgrace minor threat, so i included the full lyrics of that part
at least.
you will also notice either some contradiction or confusion within my explanation
of what sxe is and what the "basic 'rules'" are. let's clear that up, shall we?! the
absolute basic rules of becoming or being sxe are not taking any harmful
substances into one's body, and listening to (and enjoying) hardcore/punk rawk.
depending on who you listen to (i mean individual people here, not bands) and
where you come from, the "added" rules come up, and they vary. some people
will tell you that the basic rules are the same as above, but you also have to be a
vegetarian or vegan. some will say that the basic rules are again the same as
above, but you also have to abstain from sex. this causes yet another problem.
in dealing with sex and straight edge the common rule is "no casual sex/illicit
sex" whatever. which basically means, don't be a whore (this applies to males
too). don't sleep around, etc. in spite of this, it is also belief (maybe not
common) that a straight edger can have sexual relations with someone that he
or she loves, someone that they know they will always hold close to the heart. it
is almost dependant on how far you wish to carryout your edge. like i said,
hardcore/punk and no substances are the "basic rules." so you could be straight
edge and still eat meat, have sex, have faith in hierarchal powers, believe in
jesus, etc. and still be sxe! but i wouldn't recommend it. to get a better
understanding of some straight-edge beliefs and such, read the alt.punk.straightedge faq (sxe faq).
in my opinion, sxe is the way to be, but the label may not fit. here is an
example: my girlfriend, does not do drugs, she does not drink, she listens to
many different types of music, but not punk rawk. is she straight edge? no, not
by definition, for she doesn't listen to punk rock. but if she did listen to punk
rock, she claims that she would still not be straight edge (although in most
people's minds she would be). the reason for this? simple, she thinks that it is
unfair to put a label on someone. she just wants to be her, "dawn." not, "dawn
the straight edger!" see what i mean? the label just might not fit some people.
being very, very politically aware, i myself, take straight edge as a mark of
individualism. adding the fact that i am the only straight edge person in my
school. i know that there are more straight edgers in royal joke (royal oak)
michigan, but i have not associated myself with them. am i anti-social? hecks no,
i am one of the most friendliest people. however, i am very critcial of everything,
so if you can't take criticism of yourself or of anything else that you may believe
in, i may not be the most friendliest person to you.
i have been straight edge for under a year now. i am not the most straight edge
person on the planet, nor do i think straight edge is a competition. if there is a
stereotype for what a straight-edger looks like, i am farthest from it. i took up
being straight edge to set myself apart, and because i knew that it was
something good for me to do. anyone can have fun sober. anyone can kill
themselves by messing around too much. i would rather not ruin my whole life
though. am i ever tempted to do drugs or drink alcohol? not in the least. i mean,
come on, "peer pressure" is nothing more than propganda from and for "peers."
it is as fake as "teenage angst." do i think that people should be beat up or shot
for doing drugs? no, but i don't agree with it. this leads me to yet another facet
of straight edge. a place where i feel straight edge went wrong.
hardliners. hardliners are still sxers, but with more of a kick, literally speaking.
many sxers feel that hardliners are wrong in their actions and words. what is a
hardliner? someone who is sxe, preaches sxe, and kicks anyones ass who isn't
sxe. well, not anyone, more like the people that they see at a concert doing
drugs or drinking. let's get something straight, it is one thing for ian mackaye to
ask someone to quit doing what they are doing at a fugazi concert. but it is
another thing to kick someone's ass for doing it. that just isn't fair. it goes
against the right of the person, and the ethics of straight edge (which is why
they are called hardliners more often than straight edgers). violence toward the
person is a no-no! however, violence towards "the man" is fine and dandy!
yet another problem of straight edge would be the "hare krishnas." hare krishnas
are actually their own movement, on their own, and can be better understood by
reading the hare krishna faq. like i said, that is a movement all on it's own, but
some straight edgers feel the need to involve or continue involving religion in
their lives. so they turn to the hare krishnas (for what reason, i do not know).
most straight edgers feel that attaching yourself to any establishment of
hierarchy is wrong. i know i feel this way. for, it is a common belief to not be
indoctrinated by anything but your ownself. i guess if one feels they need
religion, then they must do what they have to do. i am just making another
critique of straight edge known. i originally wrote both the article and then the
followup while i was in high school and living in royal oak michigan. that was
almost four years ago. now i attend michigan state university, and have wisened
up in my philosophical views. i have more reasoning now, as well as more
objectivism. i am no longer the only sxe person in my school, although i might as
well be, as there are 40,000 drunken ignoramous' that "school" here. my
experience here has definitely made me realize that no matter what, this world
will never ever change until it's too late. i don't want to get into every single
thing, rather, stick to things dealing with sxe. now, with the sex issue that i had
talked about before. i still agree with that, i still feel that what is meant by "no
sex" is no illicit sex, don't be a whore, etc. if you can stick it out with one person,
and have responisble sexual relations, i am fine with you. i respect you, and you
are truly a gift to this (horny) human race. because i know it can be tough in this
day and age of sexual situations being aired around just about everywhere you
go. and how you are more "man" the more girls you "bang" and whatnot. the
more diseases you can spread or pick up. yeah! that's really cool. keep up the
good work genius. i also want to define "sex" as relayed to me by my girlfriend a
couple of years ago. i couldn't agree with this more. there are three different
levels of "sex" and they are as follows:
fuck/screw/possibly, or rather even probably, rape - this is the worst level of
sexual relations. what this level is, is completely physicaly. nothing emotional is
felt before, during, or after. it's just lets get it in, and get it over with, to the
point where it's not cool. all hormonal too. sex/plain ol'
sex/fornicating/intercourse/woopie - this level is usually what happens between
couples if they start "doing it" very early on in a relationship that they feel is
going to last long. there's a degree of emotion. and is even common with
married couples, sooner or later they just lose most of the magic, and just have
sex! still a rather physical thing, for one party or the other, but not all the time.
hormonal and emotional.
love-making/making love - this is the highest level of sexual relations that there
is. this is something that started off of a physical attraction, and then developed
into an emotional bond shared by no one else but the couple in love with each
other. sure sexual stimulation needs to be physical in order for something to
happen, but this is mostly emotion. knowing that you and your partner are
sharing something only with each other. that you mean something to one an
other.
the first part, fucking, is what sxer's shouldn't be doing, because they aren't sxe
if they are doing that. making love is fine. after all ian mackaye says "don't
smoke! don't drink! don't fuck!" so that's my whole opinion on that.
let's see, what next...hardliners, i once had a person email me and tell me that i
was very wrong about what i said about these hardliners. the person who wrote
the letter turned out to be someone who lived in my state, and used to hang out
where i used to hang out. this person was pretty cool, never met this person but
that's okay. things changed (well, mostly in the eyes of my girlfriend, who
forbade me from talking to this person, and i'm going to leave it at that).
anyway, this is what the person said about hardliners, and i simply couldn't
agree more "hardliners are a group of kids who have a lot of
racist..homophobic...predjudice...holier than thou beliefs." the point was made
that "they kick your ass for not being sxe" wasn't enough. and i concur, i didn't
very much in depth on the subject, because i didn't know a lot about it. so i'm
sorry, and although i'm still not saying a lot here, i think that quote pretty much
sums up what i left out.
and i'd like to finish up on the whole issue of religion. as mentioned previously a
lot of sxer's turn to the belief system of the hare krishna. i still don't exactly
know why, but i don't want to give out the impression that all sxer's who are
religious are hare krishnas. instead they come from a variety of belief systems. i
had one person email me from south africa telling me how much they loved jesus
christ, and that they were sxe. i said that's fine, just don't be shoving your
religion down other people's throats like all those other god-people do. the
person agreed with me, and went on to express his love. :| i personally am now
an atheist. at the time i wrote both the article and the first followup, i was
agnostic, kinda undecided on the whole issue of "the creator." i've seen and read
some things now that have definetly made me an atheist. in fact i have been in
the process of rewriting my entire essay on "religion? no thanks." for quite
sometime now. and it will probably be complete by the end of the semester.
.:community:.