What is hardline?

The hardline ethic is a hard one to track down information on, the information put forth in this page are the most accurate i can get. If you are a hardliner or know more about them then me, please email me some info to update this page. The main reason its hard to find hardline info is due to the small amount of hardliners around these days and also the overall negative attitude focused toward hardliners in the straight edge community. This kind of attitude makes it very hard to actually learn just what hardliners build their principals on, so most of the info here is second hand info. Because of that i have no idea how accurate it is in an over all sense. But to the best of my knowledge it is accurate, but then iam not an active hardliner so i don't know for sure.

DESCRIPTION

The overall difference between a hardliner and those who are sometimes called hardedge (a vegan straight edge) is that more extreme ethics. All hardliners are totally vegan, most are straight edge, some also do not ingest processed sugars or processed flours. They hold strong beliefs in pro life ethics, which include strong support for animal rights, human rights, animal liberation and anti abortion. Hardliners are also anti pornography, they believe that it has a bad affect on society and the way men treat women. Hardliners hold strong beliefs on promiscuous sex, they believe that sex is only for procreation. Overall, hardliners just like animal liberationist only want peace, health and extended environmental life for this planet.

   First of all, one of the biggest misconceptions about hardliners is that the movement is a form of extreme militant straight edge. The hardline ethic is based on an extreme vegan lifestyle, hardliners are pro life so they are usually straight edge, but it is not an extenuation on the straight edge lifestyle.

   Similar to the straight edge movment, hardliners create groups, were as straight edge groups are refered to as "crews" hardline groups are known as "chapters". A chapter may consist of just one member, the purpose of a chapter is to promote ethics within the community. Chapters usually become active in protesting for all kinds of causes mainly including animal and environmental issues. They also get behind anti abortion movements, hardliners associate all forms of direct death caused by humans as completely un nesacary. They are pro social equality, protesting against racism and sexism issues in society. Hardliners are completely against the exploitation of our environmental resources for our (human) own use. They combat this via extreme measures, another duty of a chapter.

Alot of hardliners are hated by people who don't share their views because they are best known for choosing the extreme approach to getting their message across. This may come in the form of physically liberating animals, using grass root terrorist tactics against animal exploitation industries. For instance causing physical damage to a Mc Donald's franchise, these attacks are usually based on A.L.F related tactics. There are also rumours of hardliners physically abusing people for consuming alcohol or using illegal drugs, this is totally untrue. Hardliners are in effect pro peace and equality for all living things by using whatever means required. They are not an ultra militant straight edge gang.

Hardline actions are not always based on extreme measures, alot of their time is spent educating people on the benefits of the vegan lifestyle and how animals need rights. They may become involved in forms of protesting or handing out of pamphlets, these kinds of tactics are used by all means of animal rights activists. Hardliners may also become involved in religions that promote self bettering, such as islamic religions.

Because the hardline lifestyle is taken to such an extreme level of self control an discipline, alot of hardliners dont stay hardline for their entire life. In turn this discourages other hardliners from their ethics, over all this brings the population of hardliners in society to a small level. The ethic will no doubt grow in popularity as poeple begin to realise that if something for the environment is not dont then there is no hope for the planet. As more and more poeple become vegans, more and more poeple will seek out a more extremer aproach. This always seems to be the way movments work, poeple who start out straight edge will eventualy find their way to veganism, and as more poeple become vegan, more support for the lifestyle comes. So in short hardline ethics i personaly dont feel will die all together, but at the moment they seem only for the most extreme of the vegan movement.

As far as the overall logo's of the hardline ethic goes, there is one recognised logo. In a sense it is reflective of the cross's of the straight edge ethic, but there is no link between the two what so ever apart from that. The logo consists of primarily two semi-automatic rifles in a cross, in a whole i have no idea what it signifies apart from a hardline reference. Possibly the protection of earth and all its creatures by any means necessary, but i dont know for sure.

HARDLINE MANIFESTO

   This is the text which has been said to be responsable for starting the hardline movment. This text is simply cut and pasted from an online resource, it is totaly un-changed as i orginaly found it.

   The time has come for an ideology and for a movement that is both physically and morally strong enough to do battle against the forces of evil that are destroying the earth (and all life upon it). One that cannot be bought, nor led astray by temptation. A movement free of the vices that sedate the mind and weaken the body. An ideology that is pure and righteous, without contradictions or inconsistencies. One that judges all things by one standard and emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability above all else. An overall view on life that not only deals with the external, but also the internal -- realizing that a
physical entity of oppression, such as the capitalist system (where all life is deemed an expendable resource), is merely an outward manifestation of the warped values held by the people who run the institutions that control our lives, influence our culture and destroy the earth.

   It must also recognize the intrinsic flaw of single issue causes, where the concept of justice is always a selective one (with each special interest group fighting for the rights of those that fall under their personal concern, while neglecting, or in some cases, opposing those rights for others) -- moving beyond such failed approaches -- to a logical and all encompassing system of thought and program of action, which can and will succeed.

   That ideology, that movement, is Hardline. A belief system, and a way of life that lives by one ethic -- that all innocent life is sacred, and must have the right to live out it's natural state of existence in peace, without interference, This single ethic ensures that all life, from a foetus, or a grown human (black, white, male or female), to an animal, or it's habitat, is guaranteed equal rights, with liberty for all, regardless of someone's personal bias against them. Under the principals of the Hardline ideology, all shall be permitted to do as they please as long as their actions do not harm, in any way, the rights of others. Any action that
does interfere with such rights shall not be considered a "right" in itself, and therefore shall not be tolerated. Those who hurt or destroy life around them, or create a situation in which that life or the quality of it is threatened shall from then on no longer be considered innocent, and in turn will no long have rights.

   Adherents to the hardline will abide by these principals in daily life. They shall live at one with the laws of nature, and not forsake them for the desire of pleasure -- from deviant sexual acts and/or abortion, to drug use of any kind (and all other cases where ones harms all life around them under the pretext that they are just harming themselves). And, in following with the belief that one shall not infringe on an innocent's life - no animal product shall be consumed (be it flesh, milk or egg). Along with this purity of everyday life, the true hardliner must strive to liberate the rest of the world from it's chains - saving life in some cases, and in others, dealing out justice to those guilty of destroying it.

   Only with this dedication, and conviction -- living a life that is in harmony with our stated goals and beliefs, gaining strength from out purity of body and mind, while actively opposing those who are guilty destroying the world with their poisonous thoughts, deeds and pollution, can we be victorious in the struggle.

For further interest in the hardline ethic, you can find a handfull of hardline websites around, i have made reference to some of which in the links page. But if you really have an interest in the hardline ethic then you will have your work cut out for you trying to find an active hardliner, especially out of cyber space.

HARDLINE HATE

There is not a great deal in the way of online resources for hardliner ethics as far as i know, ive encounted a handful of hardliner sites and hardliner resources. However most straight edge sites refer to hardliners as more of a problem to the straight edge movement rather then an actual movement. So it is not a massive suprise that there isn't  a whole lot of resources for the online portion of the movement, if you know of any hardline sites please email me a link. The hardline site which i have linked in one which was refereed to me from the editor of the Liberation online magazine,  Liberation Online Magazine.

   Hardliners are a movement based on the same ethics as that of animal liberation to an extent, that is using illegal means to bring attention to problems in society. This may seem somewhat extreme at first, but consider how many problems the human society is racing towards as we descend into the 21st century. Lack of land for our populations, environmental demise, the mass loss of natural ecosystems, a base of rare and endangered animals growing smaller and smaller. To simply avoid these problems is simply inane, by being straight edge you are changing this pattern, you are making a change. By causing a change in societies patterns we are conserving what little ethical priorities we hold as humans for our planet. This is what is important, because if you choose to take an interest in your environment now then you are actively saving the planet for your children. If you don't believe that being straight edge or going vegan can conserve environmental resources, please read my vegan and straight edge pages.

   I feel it is important to look at such movements as hardliners and animal liberationists as not a problem but a movement attacking the problem in a different way then legal animal rights activism. It is also a very important to remember to always keep an open mind, that is the greatest tool you can ever have. It is easy to approach social issues with a closed mind but that is not always the best way to approach things. If everyone was totally narrow minded the straight edge movement would never have got this far in society. To simply label hardliners as trouble makers is totally wrong, if you talk to one and debate on their ethical values then you can appreciate what they are about. To judge the whole hardline community on the rumours put forth by others just isn't straight edge. All iam saying is keep that in mind next time someone asks you what a hardliner is or next time you read an essay or page on hardline ethics. Its okay to not support the hardline ethic, or to even totaly hate the ethic it doesnt bother me at all really, just give them a chance and read what you can, learn what you can, and then make up your mind. To simply judge hardliners on what you may have heard or read really sucks.

   The offical hardline page; Hardline this is a really great page, it has a large amount of hardline essays, a hardline chapter list, and also a very detailed links page. Its one of the very rare hardline sites that are still updated on a regular basis.