If you are referring to straight edge, it's far from balanced, it's a complete rejection of a culture considered the norm.

I'm not by any stretch a straightedge, but I can understand why people wouldn't want to binge drink and do drugs all the time.

The level of rejection varies from person to person, and the straight edgers always respect that persons viewpoint. For example, some edgers drink. Some edgers engage in casual sex.

If some people don't want to get laid, do drugs and get wasted then they're missing out. Who cares? I think a lot of kids become "straight edge" because they're too scared to get involved in illicit substances or too self-conscious/ugly/stupid/fat to get laid, so they're glad there's some social group they can join where they don't have to test their own courage and are encouraged to pass moral judgement. Sounds like a religion to me.

That said, I have respect for people who take it seriously as a philosophy without preaching it, especially if they had experience with drugs/sex/drinking beforehand. I think it's pretty stupid, but who am I to judge. Ian Mackaye is legit.

Ever since I lost my virginity I realized this is absolutely an excuse for wimps with too much estrogen. I used to be one.

Surprise surprise, an arrogant newbie :(

Like I said before this isn't a set of rules, it's based on principals of living a clean lifestyle. It was started so kids could enjoy punk rock music and not die at age 20, is it really that bad? Not everyone who is a virgin claims to be straight edge and those who do are obviously just posing. Living a clean lifestyle is just the movement that he started, and if kids don't want to do drugs or have sex until they are ready while doing the stuff that really matters (making and listening to great music), then there is nothing wrong with that.

That's basically what I used to think when I was in high school. There's a shred of truth in it because there are kids in the edge scene who join up out of a fear of the unknown, which I see as total compliance with accepting the limitations of what somebody else doesn't want them to do. Yeah, its like a religion.

But that is a very general statement. In my opinion, people who get high, **** and drink every week are missing out as well. Because that too is an acceptable societal norm for the high school and college crowd. It seems that most American kids are expected to be total idiots until they're 30, college is supposed to be nothing more than a place to learn how to drink and ****, and you're not really supposed to go there to learn anything to make you smarter. And its just like going along with something out of fear for sticking out. Much like the edge kids who join out of the same fear. That is what they call a catch 22.

But most of the edge kids that I know are totally respectful of other people's choices. And I am totally respectful of theirs. If it helps people treat each other with respect and dignity, what does it matter?

Two of my favorite hardcore punk bands were straight-edge. Gorilla Biscuits and Minor Threat.

Don't really care personally what lifestyle people choose to live.


I drink, on occasion, but have never done drugs or smoke and I chose to remain a virgin until the age of 20, when I met my current husband. I just don't feel the need to go throwing open my legs to just anyone.

Everyone chooses their own path and I will never understand why people have problems with how OTHER people live. If someone wants to be straight edge, who cares? If someone wants to be stoned and drunk every single day, who cares? If someone wants to open up/shove it in to anyone and everyone, who cares? All of these people will learn from their mistakes. My main concern is my own life and how I live it.

I also don't see a problem with people sharing their opinion to perhaps help a person see things in another light but no one has the right to go telling anyone else how to live their life.

I was being somewhat tongue in cheek. Then again, I fail to see how spending a lot of time posting on this messageboard really gives you a position of authority or judgement over me. :finger:

You need a movement in order to live a clean lifestyle? Why can't you just say "no thanks"? I don't think it was some kind of drug abstinence program designed to lengthen the lives of punk kids. If it's nothing more than a lifestyle then it doesn't need a name or the movement or a tattoo or anything anymore than vegetarianism does. If it has to be cool to be edge before it's acceptable to say no to drugs then that says more about the moral turpitude of edgers than the heathen morality of everyone else. This is perfectly demonstrated in how you think people who aren't virgins that claim to be edge are "just posers". Comments like this undermine your argument that it's a passive way of life and just go to illustrate how it's really a way for people to deem themselves morally superior to others.

I was reading the wikipedia article on this and came across this line: "The militant straight edger was characterized by... the willingness to resort to violence in order to promote clean living." Obviously not all edge people are militant but that line is ridiculous enough.