| W.W.C.D? What Would Choke Do? |
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| For anyone that has ever questioned their EDGE, It's time to look to a higher power! |
| SUBMISSIONS |
| In the early 1980's, Ian Mackaye of the old-school hardcore band Minor Threat composed a song entitled Straight Edge promoting very specific drug and alcohol free lifestyle preferences. Back then, no one could or would have predicted this as an origin for such a profound revolution. For Ian Mackaye, who has moved on to play with Fugazi, it was just a song. But since then an entire movement, aptly named Straight Edge, has continuously evolved, spreading rapidly throughout the worldwide hardcore/punk scene. Straight Edge is now twenty years old. and counting. Despite so many variations of personal ideologies, Straight Edgers still stand by the movement's very simple core values: no alcohol consumption, no recreational drug use or dependency, and no promiscuously sexual behavior. At first, one ponders what separates the Straight Edge community from everyone else practicing monogamy and sobriety. The answer lies within every Straight Edger's individual "pride" within him/herself and the hardcore/punk scene around the world (Walter). However, punk and hardcore are two very misunderstood musical genres and already have tarnished reputations among "normal" people due to their extreme stylistic qualities (Walter). With that being said, the very nature of Straight Edge withstands constant questioning, ridicule, finger pointing, and slander, thus becoming more of a political scapegoat than a culture in the eyes of many. According to Converge vocalist and long-time Straight Edger, Jacob Bannon, "Most conversations with major media outlets lack the power and integrity that the foundation of [Straight Edge] has." Therefore, "the coverage of punk and its family tree suffers from this lack of understanding on a daily basis" (Bannon). In this case, a serious topic arises. Is Straight Edge a militant gang-related force of drug-free driven intolerance? Well, it simply depends on who you're asking. |
| During the summer of 1999, Time Magazine published an article depicting the Salt Lake City, Utah Straight Edge scene as a notoriously violent division of the movement. The author, Steve Lopez, in addition to contradicting the very definition of original Straight Edge values with fallacious "Edger Do's" and "Edger Don'ts," stated clearly that the movement itself is "an anti-drug gang of middle-class kids" and furthermore points out a brawl resulting in murder on the part of Straight Edgers (Lopez). Despite his shocking declarations, Lopez does indicate the extreme rarity and exaggeration of these incidents, but nevertheless focuses more on the uglier side of scene unity and conviction. In response to situations like this, Converge's Jacob Bannon once again makes a firm, relevant observation in saying, "it's important to acknowledge that all subcultures are a microcosm of the big picture." "We all have emotional highs and lows, the same heroes and villains," Bannon continues. "We are all just serving time wherever we choose to root ourselves for the ride" (Bannon). |
| In essence, any crime is just plain wrong, whether it be committed by a Straight Edger, an inner city gangster, a religious terrorist, or a corporate business criminal. As Lopez fails to articulate specific details leading up to the murder he described, his readers are left to believe Straight Edge is to blame. Drummer of Orange County's Eighteen Visions, Ken Floyd, comments on Straight Edgers having "a label hanging over their heads," and that "misconduct will soil [any] label." So why not discuss solely the murder case independently of social biases? Why must the article use the murder to sling mud towards the now misunderstood community that is Straight Edge? According to UK Straight Edger Jessamine Walter, this is an example of "dog biting the man isn't news, man biting the dog is news." "Bullying people who don't conform [or] do what the "cool" crowd [does] has always gone on," explains Walter. "But when the minority (of) Straight Edgers do the bullying, it suddenly becomes news" (Walter). Sure enough, Walter is correct. Countless other websites, television news programs and publications contain coverage involving the murder of Bernardo Reprenza, such as England's TheSite.org, The Salt Lake City Tribune, and ABC's 20/20. |
| As seen abundantly throughout the web, an unedited, uncorrected transcript dated March 26th, 1999 of 20/20's story on Straight Edge documents the opinions of those representing the same Salt Lake City scene. Conducting the interview was ABC's own John Quinones speaking with homicide criminal, Andy Maunch, who reportedly was charged with the first degree murder of Bernardo Reprenza, which was also mentioned in the August 30th edition of Time Magazine. Though there were other Straight Edge opinions documented by the transcript, it's obvious that the attention remained specifically on Maunch, who was labeled a "soldier of sobriety" ("Straight Edge"). Even if there was just one murder committed by a Straight Edger, it's still a murder 20/20 chose to focus on. And to this today, it continues to blacken the name of Straight Edge as Barbara Walters closes the story with, "We have just learned that local and federal authorities have put Straight Edge, along with other groups involved in domestic terrorism, on a list of people to watch closely during the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City" ("Straight Edge"). However, despite Quinones' observation that Maunch was excessively "belligerent" in comparison to his many Straight Edge companions, a simple fact remains ("Straight Edge"). The media decided to mention this tragedy while discussing Straight Edge, instead of simply referring to Straight Edge as a contributing factor of initial conflict while discussing the murder case. Is it possible the media can't attract concern for a murder case without some sort of political favoritism? Let's not forget Andy Maunch is responsible for the murder of Bernardo Reprenza, not Straight Edge and any sincere attempt to create a more sober environment. |
| Walking the Straigh Edge by: Mike Daw |
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