Straight edge is basically living a clean life without drugs, drinking and casual sex. It's living a poison free and keeping yourself safe. It is a choice and it does not make you better or worse than anyone. We all make choices and some choose to be straight edge and some don't. Yes, it's true that some people will stop being sXe when they turn 21 but that is just another choice. Straight Edge is a way of life but has now been formed into a trend. Out there, there are true edgers.
1)no drugs
2)no alcohol
3)no promiscuous sex
4) Yes, we do have fun
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Originated from the punkrock/hardcore scene. The philosophy/life-choice that humans should have strength, pride, dignity, honor, and self respect; that they shouldn't engage in activities that are a disgrace to their minds and bodies. (such as ingesting and/or becoming addicted to harmful substances for fun, lying and/or being two-faced, and sharing your body sexually with another person when there isn't even a true emotional bond there)
I'm straight edge you fuck, so no I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs.
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A board, or piece of wood or metal, having one edge perfectly straight, used to ascertain whether a line is straight or a surface even, and for drawing straight lines.
"Are you straight edge?"
"Did you just call me a fucking ruler?"
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The term originates from a song by "Minor Threat" putting forth the value of a clear mind and a healthy body.
Times as they are, there are now three kinds of sXe'rs.
1. Those who understand what it means. People who value clarity and wish to avoid altered states of perception, poisoning the body, or unsettling the mind. No drugs, some even avoid medicinal drugs as these can alter state of mind. No drinking to excess, as this can alter the mind and poison the body. No promiscuous sex, you got me on this one. These people are, 99% of the time, decent people who see their choices for what they are, choices, nothing more, nothing less.
2. Insecure gits. People who wish to place themselves on a self appointedly superior moral platform, then proceed to brag about how much better they are than everyone else. No drugs. No drink. No Promiscuous sex. No meat. No/very few friends, as few other than those who share their views can stand to be around them for more than ten minutes without driving a lit candle, wick first, into their eye, and injecting them with lighter fluid through the ear.
3. Hardliners. All the stupidity of number two, with knuckledusters. No drugs. No drink. No promiscuous sex. No meat 9 times out of ten. All the clarity with none of the intelligence.
1. I chose not to do drugs, you chose otherwise. *shrugs*
2. Stop poisoning my air you arrogant ignorant smokers!
3. *thwap*
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If you're really straight edge, you don't need to go telling everyone about it, it's something you do for YOURSELF. 99% of the morons with X's on their hands are posers/scenesters obsessed with fashioncore.
Example: A lot of the girls on the "girls gone wild" commercials have big black X's on their hand but they're taking off their clothes for cash. How is that respecting their bodies?
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This covers a broad range of people, all of whom voluntarily choose not to take drugs, drink or engage in promiscuous sexual behavior. Other options include abstaining from caffeine, meat, etc. There are a few kinds of sXe'rs in my opinion.
1) Committed people honestly dedicated to keeping their body clean of all toxins for life. While I couldn't live your extremely pure lifestyle, I fully respect your choice to do so, more power to you.
2) Scenester kids who think because sXe is underground it automatically becomes "cool" and start wearing bandannas and the "X" on their hands. Even though I'm not sXe personally, speaking on behalf of friends who are, when you don't make a commitment to the philosophy, you just seem foolish.
3) Hardliners, the people who follow the philosophy to the letter, but more importantly will engage in mass ass-kicking of anyone who doesn't. Now, here's where my disagreement comes into play towards the hardliners. If you want to stay pure as possible, good for you, but for you to harass or assault anyone having a beer responsibly or eating a hamburger for pete's sake, you're a fucking idiot. Case closed.
4) Elitists, the people who honestly believe that because they are sXe, they are automatically better than people who aren't. Listen up elitist fools, (and especially the one who called me evil this past weekend for having 1 beer at a restaurant) whether you want to believe it or not, you're human just as we all are, and just because you keep yourself pure does NOT make you "better" than other people. Real sXe'rs dislike you because your high and mighty attitude discredits their philosophy, as well they should.
Real sXer: "I don't drink, smoke or take drugs."
Scenester: "sXe is cool, yeah!"
Hardliner: "How dare you drink a beer! I'll kick your ass!"
Elitist: "Being straight edge means I'm better than you!"
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As said previously, this is an idea mainly thought to be coined by Minor Threat (thus being an offshoot of punk/hardcore).
Their song Straight Edge outlines their lifestyle that they choose to live... I've been told it was their drummer who was using a ruler to draw a poster and noted that the ruler's straight edge was a metaphor for their lifestyles...
The basic outline of straight edge is, as said before, not wanting to or taking part in:
Drinking (or any mind effecting drugs)
Smoking
Casual sex (without a loving relationship)
This is just a simple guideline of what the LIFESTYLE of an edge person is. It can be built upon with vegan/vegetarianism, no caffeine and other choices that keep your body poison free.
An X can be worn on the hands of people who are edge, along with stating poison free, straight edge can be abbreviated to sXe. The X on the hand is because at punk/hardcore gigs, an X was drawn on the hands of minors so that they would not get served at the bar. With this movement people started putting Xs on their hands to show that they did not want to drink.
The idea of straight edge is not to poison the mind and body with anything that is bad for it, this, to me includes being a general bastard to peopleโฆ For me its being the best person you can be.
We are not boring people, I choose not to drink, it doesn't mean I canโt have fun, or go to parties, I just have fun while knowing what Iโm doing and remembering.
Straight edge should unite people and not turn into a gang who discriminate against people who do poison their bodies... It's their choice, let them live with it, I donโt look down on people who arenโt edge.
Two good examples are:
Davey Havok (AFI)
Justin Sane (Anti-flag)
... These guys are modern day saints in my opinion
non sXe: do you want a drink/joint/smoke/one night standโฆ etc.?
sXe: No thanks, I donโt want to do that
(Straight edge is not a reason not to drink, smoke etc. A straight edge person will have their own reasons; straight edge is just a way of showing their lifestyle.)
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