Disclaimer: This
was written as a term paper for my freshman english class a long time ago
so some of this is a little outdated and naieve.
x straightedge x
Straightedge (SXE) is the term for a youth movement
part of the Alternative lifestyle sub culture similar in a lot of ways
to the indie, punk, rave, and hippie sub groups because it has it's own
bands, record labels, fashions, creeds, spirituality and lifestyle like
they do. SXE is completely different as it breeds action and change along
with living a poison free lifestyle. SXE first started in the early 80's
as an alternative to the punk lifestyle when a group of punk kids decided
that they didn't want to drink, smoke, or use illicit drugs in order to
express new ideas and alternatives to main stream ideals. It was in a sense
an alternative to the alternative. Punk Rock is all about rebellion, but
these kids didn't want to just rebel against society, they wanted to revolt
against the scene that raised them. While they wanted to give up the mind
altering substances, they weren't about to give up their music. So for
awhile, these kids kept going to punk shows but after awhile that wasn't
enough. They started their own bands that were going to express exactly
what they felt about how they were living in addition to what amounted
to commentaries on timely issues such as abortion rights, animal cruelty,
racism and the list goes on and on.
The first of these bands was the Circle Jerks. They gained a certain
amount of success in the punk world and within the alternative music world
as a whole without compromising their chosen lifestyle. Lots of bands all
over the country started springing up such as, Bad Religion and 7 Seconds
in California and Token Entry and Sick of it All in New York. Then in 1983,
a band called Minor Threat, started pumping out what is known as the precursor
to today's Hardcore. In their seminal single, Salad Days, Ian MacKaye,
the band's lead singer shrieks, "On to greener pastures / the core has
gotten soft." And with those words proclaiming punk as going soft to
it's roots, Hardcore is born. The revolution of Hardcore from Punk was
done but the break wasn't clean and probably never will be. Ian also coined
the term "straight edge" and was the first visible user of "X" as SXE symbol.
There are two major stories of how "X" got to be
the symbol for the movement. The first theory is that Ian and the other
members of the fledgling DC Hardcore scene used the XXX from the DC flag
on records, zines and apparel and people in other areas picked it up and
started using the "X" or "XXX" as a their symbol also. The second slightly
more feasible theory is that is was taken from the common practice by club’s
to put a large "X" in permanent black ink on their underage patrons. The
"X" easily identified to the bartenders that these kids couldn't be served
alcohol. With that in mind, kids started putting an "X" on their hand even
if they were old enough to drink to signify that they don't drink even
if they can.
Reflecting on the roots of the SXE Hardcore movement
more than 10 years after it started, there are many differences and changes
in attitudes. A major one is that not everyone who is Hardcore is SXE,
but everyone who is SXE is still Hardcore. Even band members from the seminal
Hardcore days have given up the edge. This means that there are now a lot
of underlying rifts within the scene. There also has been a trend among
the SXE Hardcore to have bands play melodic music, called Emo-Core. The
movement is no longer unified and alot of people are beginning to become
what SXE is supposed to be fighting against, apathetic naysayers. SXE is
not about what bands you know, what records you have, how many of other
people's zines you have, what band shirts you own or how many beads you
have around your neck it goes so much deeper.
Okay, we have done alot of talking about where SXE came from and where
it's at now, and what's it not but not about what it really is. SXE is
all about being the best, productive person you can be. It is about integrity
and strength of your character and the growth you can do as a person in
a supportive environment. It is generally accepted that in order to be
SXE, you have to be poison free. This refers to abstaining from the use
of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. "How much does it cost? The booze and
drugs you need?" (Gorilla Biscuits 1989) Alcohol is one of the main
things to avoid because it is legal. Intoxication breeds complacency, and
sobriety breeds awareness. It is to the government and the other controlling
influences in our society's advantage to make it perfectly legal to make
you a complacent, non questioning individual. "Our ignorance their benefit.."
(Frail 1993) Besides, why would you want to put something in your body
that is a known poison that will kill brain cells and harm your liver?
Tobacco has been said many times to be more addictive than crack yet it
is still legal because it is a big business. What kind of sense does it
make to pollute your body and your air so that you can make someone who
is very rich even richer off your addictions? Drug use has obvious disadvantages
similar to those of alcohol and tobacco but it also takes an even heavier
toll on your mental level. In short, doing drugs makes you stupid and chains
you to a chemical substance. Having your life dependent upon a chemical
makes that chemical the most important thing in your life. When a chemical
is the most important thing, it is not possible to concentrate on being
a productive and contributing member to your society. "I won't simmer
in this complacency..."(108-1992) To fall back on an old cliche, Before
we can change the world, we must change ourselves. SXE is about self-improvement
and helping others do the same. It is imperative that you have a clear
mind and know what you are about in order to help others do the same. "Ignited
by the ignorance.." (Snapcase 1993) Society as a whole will change
when each individual is educated enough to make responsible choices for
themselves. Drugs exist for people who are not willing to take control
of their lives... SXE kids are willing to take that responsibility for
their lives.
Being drug, alcohol and tobacco free are all unifying
factors of the movement but the emphasis is not on being carbon copies
of each other, it’s about being able to make conscious choices for yourself.
It is about recognizing that every person has the potential for power but
taking power is a commitment. It's about realizing that at some point in
your life you are going to have to decide what kind of life you want to
lead and what kind of a mark you want to leave on this planet when you
leave. Anything added to these basic principles of self empowerment are
optional choices.
The next logical step on the way to sharpening the
edge is confronting your exploitive habits and raising your consciousness
is going vegetarian. This is because SXE is about preventing the exploitation
of those who can not protect themselves. "I'm not the first to say...
THOU SHALL NOT KILL" (Gorilla Biscuits 1989) This includes the millions
of animals used for testing purposes each year that are needlessly killed,
maimed or otherwise hurt. Thus, being a vegetarian and trying to prevent
the needless slaughter of over six billion animals each year for human
consumption tends to align with the SXE principles. "We eat to stay
alive but it’s their lives we steal..." (Gorilla Biscuits 1988) While
millions of people are starving, 90% of grains are fed to slaughter bound
animals not to mention the huge amounts of forest being razed to create
more grazing areas. Who knows what is in those forests they are slashing?
Decidedly unknown plant and animal species are present and perhaps cures
for diseases such as AIDS or cancer. A part of the movement believes that
being vegetarian is not enough and that in order to rid yourself of any
guilt of animal exploitation, you must be vegan, meaning that you do not
consume any animal products at all including eggs and dairy.
Hardliners are a faction that border on being right
wing facists without the christianity. They are usually homophobic, racist,
pro-life, and militant animal rights activists. There is no compromise.
This faction of the movement spends alot of time telling people what to
do and not much else and talking with them is like talking to a brick wall.
The other big SXE moral question is where the movement
stands on sex. The hardliners believe that sex is not acceptable at all
unless you are married. However, this kind of dictation in people’s lives
begins to sound all to much like an organized religion such as, Catholicism.
"I question my existence, I put myself on trial..." (Snapcase 1993)
And since a big part of the SXE movement is to be able to make judgment
calls in your life, it doesn't make sense that the movement should dictate
such perimeters. The hopes are that a SXE person would not enter into illicit
sex not because of the moral implications but because of the health risks
involved in undertaking a wanton lifestyle. This also relates to the hardliners
views on abortion. They are decidedly Pro-Life. The SXE movement as a whole
is Pro-Choice because the movement advocates an individuals rights to choose
what is best for them. This is not to say that SXE as a whole is either
Pro-Choice or Pro-Life because each member of the movement decides for
themselves what to believe.
Issues such as abortion create long and lengthy
discussions in the Hardcore culture. Hardcore is a soap box and whether
your soap box is a Zine, a band, the alt.punk.straightedge board on the
internet or simply your actions in general, it is expected that everyone
participate and share their ideas and opinions. It is with this kind of
interaction that SXE becomes a legitimate and viable school of learning.
However unlike alot of other school’s the students are encouraged to think
for themselves."No Bad Religion song will make your life worth living.
You have thoughts, live them." (Bad Religion 1992) Because SXE are
what most people refer to as motivated, kids all over the world stay in
touch with what everyone is doing and spreads this information to other
people. Unlike some alternative groups, you will find alot of SXE kids
in higher education because they realize that in order to reach their goals
education is necessary. There is not a blow off education mentality.
Another basic SXE thing in keeping with all movements
is that the people actually do things beside talk. SXE kids have founded
collectives all over this country and outside. A major one in New York,
Earthwell, works for all sorts of causes ranging from tutoring and AIDS
education in schools to hospice work. Other smaller groups are organized
within groups of friends and range from local recycling initiatives to
running community centers where art shows and poetry readings are held.
The contributions that SXE kids make to their community's far outweigh
the fact that they don't poison themselves with chemical abuse but it is
this poison free lifestyle that allows them to go to school, run community
programs, write Zines, have bands, go to shows and still be alive.
The goal of a SXE person is to get up in the morning
and be able to look in the mirror and not be disillusioned about their
lives. They want to be 30 years old and still have their youthful ideals.
Then, they want to be 50 years old and still be doing the things they were
doing at 18. They refuse to blame things on "the lack of a better world"
because they are making the world a better place to be. But most of all,
SXE is just about knowing who you are and being able to be proud of who
that person really is.
Be true to yourself...
XXX
