Ethos: straight edge

[chalst]

As pioneered by Ian MacKaye: abstention from alcohol, drugs, sex; self-reliance; healthy mind and healthy body; vegetarianism, etc.

[Redline]

Not Crap in a "be responsible" way, but Crap in a preachy way. I may as well have The Man pointing his plastic finger at me.

[patrick md]

As a dear friend of mine once said, "Stright edge until you're 21, then it's stright to the edge of the bar!"

I've never been edge, but as a 24 year old, this statement has been 99 percent true with people I know that were edge as we enter our mid 20s.

And for that, untimately straight edge is crap.

[kerble]

I was a teetotaler until I turned 18 and picked up all of my vices, but I've never had a problem with those "nailed to the X" unless they spouted the same brand of self-righteous bullshit that I lump in with militant vegans and republicans.

Bonus points go to the 'edgers that have sXeXy tatoos, but have changed their minds and now hoist beers. Way to think it through, hombre.

No sex? Fuck that.

Crap with a waffle factor of X.

Faiz

[chet]

I was a teetotaler until I turned 18 and picked up all of my vices, but I've never had a problem with those "nailed to the X" unless they spouted the same brand of self-righteous bullshit that I lump in with militant vegans and republicans.

My friends were in a Bold tribute band called "XNailedToTheAwesomeX".

Thats the kind of stuff you come up with when your brain's on drugs!

[chalst]

patrick md:

And for that, untimately straight edge is crap

Yep. There has to be some waffle factor here: there's some important message about integrity in the straight edge message, but the preachiness goes to the root of stright edge: if there's a crap side to MacKaye, it's the fact the the finger wagging preacher was there from the very beginning with his ideas about straight edge, together with the be like this, so you're not a loser pothead. And there's some vaguely fascist modes of thought lurking inside a lot of the straight edge movement.

[Angry_Dragon]

NOT CRAP because anything and I mean anything is way cooler than goth.

[wiggins]

ive always wanted to know what mr. mckaye thinks about how straight edge is now.

something particularly stands out from the instrument dvd:
"you do not beat up people period"

in atlanta, (at least a year or two ago, i dont know about now as much)you'd get the shit kicked out of you by a gang of skinny white kids if you expressed even the slightest dissent publicly. i had a friend of mine actually get death threats for talking shit about 'the edge' at a show, to one of his friends. not anyone in general, just the concept of 'straight edge' and this fucker wanted to kill him.

i have an extraordinary amount of disdain for straight edge, and i cant wait for the day when i can go to a show and not run the risk of getting kicked in the head, jumped on by a scronny, naked 18 year old with a bad attitude, or have to wait for the bathroom because there was a line to use the mirror.

i dont see any distinction between these people and people that blow up abortion clinics.

i know a couple of kids that gave me a new hope in straightedge, and everyone should have held them in high regard as an example, but they're drunks now, so it doesnt matter.

crap with a miniscule waffle.

yeah and ive yet to hear a 'straight edge' band since minor threat that wasnt a piece of dysentery-grade shit.

[Jon]

straight edge is just a bullshit social crutch for little kiddies to fit in with. linguistic games, that's all.

[Severance Package]

I respect Ian's original idea, but all the people who followed in his path have turned straight-edge into uber-crap. People should follow their own path rather than going with a group mentality.

Don't some of those guys go around smacking cigarettes and meat out of people's hands?

[Maurice]

NOT CRAP because anything and I mean anything is way cooler than goth.

Even, say, Furries? I'd think that goth has the advantage there.

[Angry_Dragon]

NOT CRAP because anything and I mean anything is way cooler than goth.

Even, say, Furries? I'd think that goth has the advantage there.

As in the people who have sex in animal costumes or the band Super Furry Animals? I actually have a SFA t-shirt that just says FURRIES on it.

[Maurice]

NOT CRAP because anything and I mean anything is way cooler than goth.

Even, say, Furries? I'd think that goth has the advantage there.

As in the people who have sex in animal costumes or the band Super Furry Animals?

That'd be a) the people who have sex in animal costumes. I'm having trouble seeing them as being cooler than goths.

[Angry_Dragon]

Of course they're cooler than goths. I bet that most Furries don't mope around and wear all black. i bet they also don't write bad poetry or post on bulletin boards about how gray skys make them comfortable. While what they do is kinda creepy, it's harmless and seems somewhat good-natured.

[horsewhip]

I have friends who are straight edge. The unspoken rule is that I don't care if they're straight edge as long as they don't care that I'm not. That seems to work out just fine.

Not Crap for them. Crap for the militant, preachy assholes. Most of the straight edge kids I know would vote crap, too.

[Maurice]

While what they do is kinda creepy, it's harmless and seems somewhat good-natured.

OK, granted. But what about straight-edge goth furries?

[Angry_Dragon]

While what they do is kinda creepy, it's harmless and seems somewhat good-natured.

OK, granted. But what about straight-edge goth furries?

I'd pay good money to see this.

[gio]

i respect straight edge as an ethos, in theory, which is the title of the poll, so i would vote not crap.

in practice, I have witnessed the bad side of straight edge, but as with any ethos, one could argue that such people are not in tune with the "true spirit of the endeavor."

In my opinion, using violent straight edge kids as paradigms of the ideal is analagous to using militant suicide bombers as paradigms of Islam. It's a case where an ethos is appropriated to make an excuse for severe fucked-uppedness that is rooted in other causes. I'm aware this is a vague response, but I believe it's true.

It's interesting to think of Mackaye as a mythic figure whose words of wisdom are misappropriated. (No, he's not Jesus. That would requre a few thousand years and the proliferation of DIY rock to world-order status).

[BenjieLoveless]

Any rigid absolute personal philosophy is CRAP. Especiallly a preachy skinhead shit that says kids shouldnt fuck. How the hell else are you gonna be able to fuck good as an adult if you don't fuck bada few times as a teen?

[Johnny 13]

Not crap if you don't bring it up.