im new

[bloomietheelfy]

hey. im new to this whole straight-edge thing. i wanted to become apart of it bcuz i agree with the beliefes to be drug/alchol/casual sex free. but i hav some questions;

1) is it no alcohal or no getting drunk?

2)can u stop at 21?

3)do u hav to like hardcore music?

4)can u wear clothes w/ alcohol brands on them?

id really like some awnsers, thnx

[xsecx]

1) is it no alcohal or no getting drunk?


no drugs, no alcohol



2)can u stop at 21?


I don't know why if you're against drinking alcohol that would change based on drinking being legal. Straight edge is an extreme stance. It's a lifestyle in direct and active opposition to what most people think is right and useful.



3)do u hav to like hardcore music?

Straight edge is as much about the music as it the message. The music has a very profound relationship to the movement. To understand what straight edge is, you'd have to listen to and enjoy the musical aspect of it.



4)can u wear clothes w/ alcohol brands on them?

I don't know why you'd want to support alcohol companies for any reason.

[bloomietheelfy]

i see what u mean by the other questions but y do i need to like the music. i like the message and i like the lyrics, im just not fond of how theyr sang. i also respect that this began w. harcore music, but must it stay in that group?

[xsecx]

i see what u mean by the other questions but y do i need to like the music. i like the message and i like the lyrics, im just not fond of how theyr sang. i also respect that this began w. harcore music, but must it stay in that group?

there's a whole active subculture going on around the music though. It's what makes straight edge what it is. It isn't just the lyrics, or just the music or just the beliefs or just the symbolism, it's all of it together. The beliefs on their own is just a commitment to being drugfree, which is an awesome thing to be, but what makes straight edge different and unique is the music.

[bloomietheelfy]

what if the music was different. say minor threat sang the straightedge slow, or with a southern drawl? would that make everyone who was sXe need to like country or emo music or something like that?i mean i think its dumb how u hav to like how the song is being sung to actually call urself sXe

[xsecx]

what if the music was different. say minor threat sang the straightedge slow, or with a southern drawl? would that make everyone who was sXe need to like country or emo music or something like that?i mean i think its dumb how u hav to like how the song is being sung to actually call urself sXe

if the music was different the whole thing would be different too. There's tons of straight edge hardcore and not all of it sounds like minor threat. Are you famiiar at all with other music based subcultures like what punk was in the 70s and 80s and the skinheads of about the same era? these are groups defined much in the same way that straight edge is, with beliefs and music and lifestyle all connected. to really understand straight edge you have to understand the music, I don't see how that's dumb at all. Why would the term straight edge mean anything to someone who didn't like and thus relate to the music, since if you look at the history of straight edge and even the lyrics to the song it's all coming from a subculture centered around music. Why would you want to call yourself something that only partially describe you? It's a term that talks about a very specific person and I don't understand how you could be that person without liking hardcore? How is what you're describing anything different from being drug free?

"so you're straight edge?" "yeah" "oh cool, are you excited for the new verse record" "oh well, i don't really like hardcore" "oh, uh, I thought you said you were straight edge?"

[bloomietheelfy]

w.e. i still think thats dumb, but ill look to see if i can find a band i like. but if i dont i still say im straight edge, i like the lyrics, respect the bands, but just dont like the way there sang. and i read on a straight edge site that straight edge was created also to make it easier to b drug free. like insted of saying i dont drink, i dont smoke, and i dont do drugs, you could just say im sXe.

[xsecx]

w.e. i still think thats dumb, but ill look to see if i can find a band i like. but if i dont i still say im straight edge, i like the lyrics, respect the bands, but just dont like the way there sang. and i read on a straight edge site that straight edge was created also to make it easier to b drug free. like insted of saying i dont drink, i dont smoke, and i dont do drugs, you could just say im sXe.

It shouldn't be about trying to hold onto a label. Or trying to change it around so it fits you. Straight edge has a really long history at this point. Saying your straight edge has connotations way beyond simply not smoking, drinking or doing drugs. this is especially hard to get if your only connection to straight edge has been through the internet. there are thousands of kids across the world who are straight edge and to each of them the label straight edge means more to them than just shorthand for I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't do drugs. I don't know any better way to explain it to you than that. It's like being a skinhead but having hair and hating oi. Sure you can like being working class and admire getting drunk and getting into fights, but it's not the same as active participation in the real actual community.

I'd suggest reading this http://www.straightedge.com/whatissxe.html and trying to find some of the bands on there and maybe going to a show. Meet some other edge kids around you, talk to them. some will be cool, some will be dicks, but they'll all be edge.

[Raven Among Doves]

w.e. i still think thats dumb, but ill look to see if i can find a band i like. but if i dont i still say im straight edge, i like the lyrics, respect the bands, but just dont like the way there sang. and i read on a straight edge site that straight edge was created also to make it easier to b drug free. like insted of saying i dont drink, i dont smoke, and i dont do drugs, you could just say im sXe.I'm sure that you can learn to love the screaming... If they were just lightly singing it, think of how much power it would loose. When someone yells something, chances are, they REALLY mean it. Gotta' love that devotion.

[xvunderx]

Thing is, if you aren't part of the subculture, why would you want to claim to be?

If you don't like the music and don't want to be a part of that, then what's wrong with being Drug free? At the end of the day, if you're proud of your lifestyle, why not be proud of it under a different label? The choices are still as commendable, and your pride in them should still be as strong.