Norris1
Eric Norris
ENGL 1010
Solomon
Generation XXX: Hate Edge
Rage to the Hard-Core
We had just finished our set, me, my band mates, and my friends who showed up to see
the show, were all standing in a semicircle around the mosh pit area, watching the second
opening band play their set. The pit was getting incredibly violent with people slamming fists
into faces and sending flying kicks to chests. As soon as one of my friends got hit by these fists
and kicks, we decided we’d back out a little bit. We spent the remainder of the band’s set at a
safe distance from the “karate” pit, as I like to call it. Normally I go all out inside the pit, but
flailing your arms and legs, hoping to hurt someone just irritates the Hell out of me. As I watch
the savage and expected beatings take place, I just think to myself, ‘what is it about this music
and this scene that gets them so violent?’
Music is the ultimate form of communication in counterculture history since the hippie
movement of the 1960s, which evolved into the punk rock culture of the 1970s, which took a
huge dip into the underground, dodging the radar of MTV and the radio. The underground
scene of the 1980s became known as the second wave of punk rock, or the hardcore scene.
This scene dove into the roots of punk rock culture by playing basement shows and surviving on
a dollar or less per week. This punk rock scene called in all of the outcasts of society that were
just looking for likeminded people to hang out with; it gave all the misfits of society a feeling of
Norris2
unity. So everything sounded perfect, right? But what happens when that unity is threatened
from within? What if these same kids just looking for a place to belong started turning on the
people that let them in? Well, the underground hardcore scene became incredibly violent with
kids getting beat up at the shows just because there was one thing about them that was
different.
Probably the most violent, and most infamous of these groups would be Straight Edge.
Straight Edge was unknowingly founded by Minor Threat’s lead singer, Ian MacKaye, who
claimed he didn’t drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, do any drugs, have promiscuous sex, or even
eat meat. Apparently, his avid fan base picked up on this lifestyle and started following in his
footsteps. At first MacKaye just shrugged it off that kids were following his way of life, but
when it got to the point that it got incredibly violent and became more known as such, that’s
when he officially decided to withdraw all interaction with that scene and refused to identify
himself as such.
Even though some Straight Edgers, including the founder of Straight Edge, withdrew
from the scene, it still managed to expand and grow more violent. More bands started forming
by these violent vegetarians, and promoted their music throughout the scene with the
enforcement of violence, whether they are underground or mainstream. Music should not be
enforcing violence, especially to a group of late teens who are already socially repelled from the
rest of the world. Music, especially punk/hardcore music calls out to the counterculture of the
world and gives them a sanctuary with the music they put out, but it is being totally destroyed
by these people who think violence is the only way they can communicate.
Norris3
Some people inside the Straight Edge community would argue that there is still unity in
their scene, but that they defend it in a certain way that the rest of the world may find
unpleasant. Though the Straight Edgers do show that they care for one another, that’s where it
stops; they only care about people who have the same beliefs that they do, and that they
would go to extreme lengths to defend for what they stand for; meaning that they will
hospitalize anyone who so much as looks at them or one of their friends in a wrong way.
Straight Edgers do claim to have unity within their scene, but only show respect to those within;
anyone who didn’t believe in the power of the Xs was considered an outsider and sometimes
even a threat. Straight Edge got so big in the American underground that it started to feel a
sense of superiority among other scenes, and that every other scene was an obscenity
compared to them.
Some people still identify themselves as Straight Edgers, but are not violent; they just
abide to not smoking, drinking, or fucking. Some still abide by those rules but don’t call
themselves Straight Edge anymore. One of my friends who used to be a Straight Edger said she
decided to leave the scene because it was too violent, which in turn was making her violent,
and didn’t want to bear the label just because of all the bullshit it carries. Looking back, she
told me that she joined the scene because of the strong establishment of unity it had. Straight
Edgers are so tight with each other that if one of their own goes down, all of them stand up for
him/her and get even. That’s another thing about Straight Edgers; that they never fight alone,
always in groups. This is supposed to symbolize that this scene is like a family, and that as long
as they bear the Xs, they will always have each other’s back.
Norris4
Also the Xs are representational to this scene. The Xs are the most prominent symbol of
Straight Edgers; it’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of them. The Xs originated
when early Straight Edgers and their bands were looking for gigs to play, but since most of
these kids were underage, they couldn’t play bars. These youths responded that they could
draw Xs on their hands, stating that they were underage, and that if anyone with these marks
tried to buy alcohol in the bar, then the manager could kick them out. It didn’t take long for the
Xs to become the icon of Straight Edge, but as the scene went on, so did the symbolization of
the Xs. Straight Edgers started getting the Xs tattooed on their hands stating that they would
be “Straight Edge for life.” Other versions would include three Xs in a row, which either meant
“then, now, and forever,” or that the first X meant no sex, the second one meant no
drugs/alcohol, and the third meant no violence. Straight Edge can also be abbreviated as sXe.
There are some terrific ironies that come out of these symbols: first, the obvious one, that one
of the Xs means no violence, when Straight Edge is referred to as one of the most violent gangs
in the Punk Rock/Hardcore culture. Also, Edgers beat up people who wore these symbols and
claimed to be Straight Edge, but were just poseurs. The other irony is that the triple X is used as
a film rating for pornographic films, which is a congregation for promiscuous sex. The three Xs
is also popularized in media to signify alcohol. And the abbreviation sXe can also spell out
‘sex.’
You may ask, ‘where is all this violence coming from?’ I decided that this violent culture
is becoming so vast because of the music scene. Here are the lyrics to a song called Vendetta
by the hardcore band Irate: “You think you could fuck with me / I’ll beat you musically then
Norris5
physically / Straight out the Bronx, New York / I got mine, son, step up and get yours.” In this
song the lyricist is asserting his hate towards “poseurs” and that he will not only protest them
in his lyrics, but also that he threatens to assault them in real life. It’s this type of music that is
directly enforcing that they support violence and that their fans should too. What this is is just
a bunch of angry teenagers with instruments, who got together, and started playing this
aggressive music with equally aggressive lyrical themes.
These bands’ live shows also get incredibly violent because of this music and the band
themselves start getting the crowd all pumped up and tell them to start hitting each other. This
wasn’t the traditional mosh pit that you see at most punk rock shows, these were full on fights,
and they were fights that were going on just for the sake of being violent. This also results in a
larger arrangement for security to try and pinpoint who started these fights, which can result in
more violence between the fans and the bouncers. Sometimes these fights that start actually
do have some motive behind them, though it doesn’t compensate for the severity of the fights.
A perfect example of this was at a Bring Me The Horizon show in Salt Lake City in early October,
2011.
Bring Me The Horizon came on stage and started playing their set. They weren’t even
30 seconds into their first song when the singer, Oli Sykes, noticed that there was a kid in the
mosh pit being savagely beaten by a group of “sketchy” people. He brought the show to a halt
and started to haggle the guys who were beating on the poor kid, and then splashed some
water at them to “teach them a lesson.” This angered the group of kids, and about ten of them
jumped over the barricade, past the security guards, and onto the stage. They jumped on Sykes
Norris6
and all started to beat him senselessly. Security and his fellow band mates managed to pull him
out of that brawl and sent him backstage.
However, it didn’t stop there; the crowd started to get really fired up and there were
people started calling out Straight Edgers for starting this whole dilemma which resulted into an
array of fights in the crowd. Even the people in the upstairs bar were egging them on by
pouring beer on them. One of the band mates came out and said that all Straight Edgers had to
leave the venue; it took a while, but they eventually left and the band continued on with their
show. I wasn’t at that particular show, but a couple of friends of mine were right in the middle
of all of it, and I am happy that they made it out of that show without the assistance of a
hospital stretcher. Although, I want to take you back to the story I told at the introduction of
this essay. It was that same show that I got my taste of a Straight Edge brawl, and in which I
was the victim.
After the second opening band finished up their set, the crowd began to disassemble;
everyone was moving towards the back and to the exit. I was apparently standing in the way of
a group of guys who were the same guys that were motivating the violence in the pit. I didn’t
notice them walking my way and I felt one of them shove me out of the way so he and his
group could get through. I turned around towards them and let out a sarcastic “okay!” to
them. One of them turned to me, called me a faggot, and then walked on. I hate that word. I
hate how it is used in a derogatory manor towards gays, and I especially hate it when it’s used
to call someone a wuss. So, naturally I gave them the finger as they were walking away.
Norris7
Just when I thought that was the end of if it I heard someone calling to me. I turned
around and this kid, maybe about 18 or 19 was beckoning to me. I approached him and he
asked me, “You got something to say to me!?!” Before I could even speak he punched me right
in the chin. I was stunned; and next thing I knew I felt a barrage of people surrounding me and
heard them saying, “Whoa, whoa, back off! Let’s not start anything!” I came to my senses and
saw all my friends surrounding me, making sure I was all right. I assured them that I was, but I
could still barely speak. Next thing I know, I felt someone grab my shoulders, turn me around,
and there I was face to face with about 10 Straight Edgers all in a line. As soon as I was turned
around I felt two more blows to the side of my head. I was completely baffled; I felt myself
being tugged away by a couple of my friends while the rest tried to calm down the Edgers. I
was scared and angry, and all I wanted to do was get the Hell out of there; security wasn’t going
to do anything.
We all went back to the house regroup and just calm our nerves. I wasn’t the only one
shaken up by this; everyone was petrified by this event. It was a nerve-racking, emotional night
for all of us and everyone was worried about each other’s wellbeing, especially mine, and
decided that I stop playing shows for a while. It was because these people were grudge
holders, and that if they recognize me at any time I will have the pleasure of meeting their fists
again. It didn’t matter if I fought back or not; if I didn’t, it would make me an easier target. We
all agreed that it be best to stay under the radar, write new music, and give time for this to die
down before we hit the stage again. This night definitely brought all of us closer together, and I
Norris8
realized that even though those Straight Edgers have their “unity,” these guys I have right here
will have my back until the end, and don’t have to resort to violence to do so.
This scene is an incredibly dangerous one; it seems like a promising lifestyle with no
drugs or alcohol, but it’s just totally contradicted by how violent it is. I know not all Straight
Edgers are like this, I know some call themselves as such and they are very nonviolent people.
However, it’s sad to see that the majority of this scene is known for all the bad things. What it
all comes down to is ignorance. If people think that their idea of life is better than others’, then
they can get the idea that it’s the right way and will force it on others. And, it’s not just the
people’s beliefs and actions they take that make it such, it’s also enforced through the music
they listen to.
I am not a huge fan of this new age hardcore music that’s coming out, with a few
exceptions, but any band that promotes violence in their music is something I won’t be listening
to. Some people would say, “Oh, you listen to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer, they have some
pretty violent songs!” Yes, they do have violent lyrical themes and album covers, both of which
have sparked controversy, but the difference is that these bands are taking violent themes and
putting it through an artistic perspective. They’re not promoting it, they are just using it the
same way Shakespeare does in Macbeth or Romeo & Juliet. These hardcore bands, on the
other hand, are saying that violence is the only way to stand up for yourself, and if anyone
starts giving you a hard time, punch them in the face.
Norris9
Music, to me, is one of the most powerful things in the world. Music is meant to draw
people together, not set them apart and with violence nonetheless. I am sick of seeing people
getting beaten and even killed just because they have different tastes in music and different
views on life and these violent Straight Edgers, whom I now refer to as Hate Edgers or Crooked
Edgers are an ideal example of this ignorance. They are the most violent, judgmental,
subculture group that I’ve come to know. I just wish to sit down and talk with this scene and
talk some sense into them, but the only way they talk is with their fists. People in general
should stop viewing people by their labels and more as fellow human beings. We are human!
We all are different, and while we all can’t have the same view, we have to learn to live with
the differences; unless these differences are taken to extremes like the Straight Edge culture
does. “The problem with movements is that movements start to lose sight of humanity, human
beings, and individuals. I think in Straight Edge, the people who pushed the idea of a militant
movement really lost sight of human beings.”- Ian MacKaye: former Teen Idols, Minor Threat,
Fugazi, and unintentional founder of Straight Edge.
Norris10
Works Cited
"America's Most Wanted Salt Lake Straight Edge." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 16
Apr. 2013.
EDGE the Movie. Dir. Marc Pierschel and Michael Kirchner. Perf. Ian MacKaye. Compassion,
2009. DVD.
Heisel, Scott. "Alternative Press." Alternative Press. N.p., 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
American Hardcore. Dir. Paul Rachman. Perf. Ian MacKaye. Sony Pictures, 2006. DVD
Finai, Keisha. Personal interview. 22 Apr. 2013.