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Wasted? Not Me


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They don't drink, don't smoke and don't take drugs. Most are under 25. And, strangely, this is not a load of geeks, these are hardcore music fans.

It started with a bunch of punk style bands. 'Minor Threat' wrote this song and a name was given to what would become a movement.

"I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I've got the straight edge"

They didn't know what they were doing. They just knew they didn't like what was going on around them - and the kids followed in droves.

We meet 3 straight edgers in the UK to find out what it's all about and why - at a time when binge drinking and drug use is at an all time high - they've got the straight edge.
Nerina

19 responses // Wasted? Not Me

  • I think the keyword here should be moderation. You can use alcohol without having to get totally smashed. I'm a punk, and I have the discipline to use alcohol in moderation. I do respect the straight-edge punks' mentality and beliefs, but I hate to see the punk scene split down the middle over things like this.
    LJR
    • LJR
    • 2 months ago
  • - Straight edge wouldn't exist in a less oppressive and more free society because it would be a non issue. To drink or not drink shouldn't be an important question, but it is today, and that is why I think straight edge exists.

    - One of the people in the video talked about the peer pressure he has to deal with when he goes to a bar. What about the peer pressure within the straight edge community of dressing, looking, or passing for straight edge?

    - And on a side note, it was frustrating to see the woman at the end of the segment cut off by her friend. It probably isn't a big deal, but I think it speaks volumes to a western norm or meme of how white men are supposed to act.
    mikeywally
  • Good stuff! What next? Meditating punks!
    Merge9
    1 response to this
  • i admire your willpower and decisiveness. in fact, i think im a bit envious // hats off to you guys.
    Mr_Costello
  • @LJR - The term moderation is something some people fail to comprehend...

    Still hats off to those that dont drink, smoke or do drugs
    mellowmuppet
  • I used to know a crews of straight edge kids in Boston, Jersey, and Tampa that they too followed the protocol. Didn't break edge. But they sure can be an angry crowd. I once was at a tavern in FL, where a fight started between a couple of frat boy types. They were then escorted out front where they would be greeted by four straight edge kids that were looking to fight. In the end, two people were hospitalized and the sober, straight-edge kids skipped away after causing a violent mess. That was 3 years ago. I'll paste a Wikipedia excerpt from the original straight edge movement...

    "By the early 1990s, militant straight edge was a well-known presence in the straight edge music scene. The term militant described someone who was dedicated and outspoken, but also believed to be narrow-minded, judgmental, and potentially violent. The Militant straight edger was characterized by the following: less tolerant of non-straight edge people, more outward pride in being straight edge, more outspoken, and believed that violence was a necessary method to promote clean living."

    My take on most of the current straight edge movement is that it came back together through the union of a small amount of hardcore, straight edge musicians that were of legal drinking age and their loyal, high school aged fans that Myspace had been flooded with in 2004-2005.

    That's been my observation. Can't say I'm part of the movement, but so long as the violence doesn't continue, then keep on being clean.
    Kent
  • What would the Sex Pistols say.

    Tisk tisk.
    amypoo
  • There are a couple groups of militant straight edgers around Lafayette (Purdue campus area) one group jumped a local punk band and there was basically a retaliation by local punks with the band about a week later.
    LJR
    • LJR
    • 2 months ago
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGijtpSID3k
    I remember the days of my straight edge(ing)! I give respect to those who choose to stay sober!

    An aspect of Straight Edge that has died is the vegetarians and vegans....
    Audiogeek
  • i have total respect for these guys. it's ironic that being straight edge is the against-the-flow thing to do and that getting wasted on drugs and alcohol is seen as normal, that's really sad
    thwayne92
  • I was sxe for a month. Boy was I bored.
    littlesparrow
  • "Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do" as Adam Ant once sang.

    I use to know a couple of people that were straight edge, they now drink, and drink quite a lot.
    Ben_Traffic_UK
  • fact for you, Minor Threat famously drank A LOT of Coca Cola. Caffeine addicts!!! How straight edge is that!?
    Ben_Traffic_UK
  • I'm glad to say I am not addicted to anything...

    couple of drinks when i feel like it
    i can't stand beer
    nor cigarrettes
    i don't drink coffee
    i don't like soda
    no drugs

    although i'm curious about mushrooms

    marihuana is ok, but not for me anyway at least not frequently
    sometimes it's fine, it is not addictive

    my diet includes as little meat as possible

    and i'm the craziest and most uninhibited person my friends know...

    I'm always there for the party!!
    jade_azul16
  • Straight Edge - isn't this just the invention of another form of social discrimination?
    EclecticBadger
    1 response to this
  • yep been there , but beer is good once in a while
    freelance
  • i was targeted, as a smoker, by the straight edgers at a particular location. i was outside a coffee shop in portland, and i was asked by a straight-edger to put out my cigarette. i told him that i have a right to smoke there. he slapped it out of my hand, even though i was being respectful, smoking away from others, and was in a perfectly legal area to smoke.

    if they're all about 'not being a slave to drugs, drinking, cigs, sex' then that's wonderful. i think we could all learn from them. but the instant they oppress my personal rights, i'll come down on them with a vengeance.
    edbr

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