R U Straight Edge?
by Lindsay Gibb; co-op extraordinaire

Everyone seems to be so called "straight edge" these days, but how many of them REALLY are? It is most likely that the people who are truly "straight edge" are the ones who don't want to label themselves that way. This is because the title is being greatly OVERUSED today, giving the whole aspect of "straight edge" less of an impact.

WHAT IS "STRAIGHT EDGE"?

Originally "straight edge" manifested itself as a result of the punk/hardcore music scene. In the 80's the punk band Minor Threat wrote a song called (coincidentally) "straight edge" and the lyrics to this song were against smoking, drugs, alcohol and promiscuous sex (more recently vegetarianism has been included into the beliefs). The idea behind this was that this band (and others to follow) wanted to better themselves and the world and they used their music as the medium. People paid attention, and soon after people started following these beliefs. They called themselves "straight edge."

The "X" which is displayed above and often used to symbolize the "straight edge" movement, came from the "x"s that are drawn on peoples hands at licensed shows if they are under-age so that they can not purchase alcohol. It has become a prominent symbol in the "straight edge" movement and many wear it on themselves to symbolize their beliefs.

IS IT BECOMING A TREND?

The question left to be answered about the so-called "straight edge" is are people today using the title for the right reasons? In the 80's there was a select group of people who called themselves this because of their beliefs and their lifestyle. Today people are calling themselves "straight edge" because they think it is the cool thing to be. The problem is that with over (and incorrect) use of the title the meaning gets lost along the way.

This is not to say that some of the people who call themselves by this title do not have the right idea. Recently I spoke with an 18 year old who strongly believes in the original morals behind the movement. His name is Andrew and he is disturbed by the misuse of the title by kids today.

"If you're not straight edge now, you never were." says Andrew.

According to Andrew, a lot of the people who call themselves "straight edge" today are doing so, not because they believe in it but because it's a new thing and they think it's cool. "One minute you'll see someone calling themselves "straight edge" and the next they will be going out to have a cigarette." Because of this Andrew is reluctant to call himself by the same name.

No one can justify their reasons for drinking or smoking to Andrew. The only reasons that can he can see is for social acceptance, which should not be a concern. The problem is that not enough people question these ideals. They take it for granted that they are the only ones who can control their lives. They fail to realize that this is only possible in a sober state. Andrew can see that people get trapped in their ways and feel that they can not stop feeding their addictive habit. This is where a conscious decision needs to be made to stop poisoning our bodies.

STEREOTYPES

There are lots of stereotypes surrounding the punk rockers of today. They have been labeled as "wild" and "menaces to society", but this isn't the case. I can't promise you that they are all going to behave themselves, but just like any other group of people, they have ideas and morals. The greatest thing about the punk/hardcore scene (according to Andrew) is that it promotes intelligence. It is asking you to think for yourself and not just follow the crowd. The anarchy aspect of the punk scene has also been misrepresented in the past as a "no-rules" chaotic lifestyle. What the anarchist ideals come down to is not to buy into big corporations, such as cigarette manufacturers and alcohol companies, which is another big reason why they don't want to participate in these types of habits.

A lot of the negative views of the "straight edge" movement come from the fact that some of its participants show no tolerance of those who do not believe in its objectives. While it may be one persons decision to be "straight edge" it may also be another's to smoke or drink.