Straight Edge

[UrbanNokizaru]

Is anyone on here straight edge, I was introduced to the subculture through the book Evasion and the guy is vegan straight edged punk. I don't drink or smoke or touch drugs but I do have sex not sure if that counts as straight edge or not. I wanna know if anyone else is straight edge and why.
Personally I am for a few reasons;
I'm afraid if I get intoxicated in anyway, I'll try some parkour and get hurt.
Friends from middle school started drink and smoking at a young age and fell into hard drugs during high school.
I feel it's a sign of disrespect towards your body, like saying "what you offer isn't good enough, I want to experience other things (possibly at your expense)".
I'm already having a good time without taking anything or drinking.
I haven't tasted an alcoholic drink that I like ('cept girly drinks which are scary because you can't taste the alcohol at all).
I've seen so many of my friends go broke buying whatever.

I'm not the type to judge or any of that I don't really care if you drink or take whatever or smoke (I live with two roomies who drink and smoke and take all kindsa stuff all the time). I'm just curious to see the turnout here.

 

[informationsniper]

if you dont drink or do drugs, more power to ya haha

 

[wartomods]

I like your avatar

 

[veggieguy12]

I was sXe for 28 years, but I realized that it was mostly a reaction to the stupidity I saw in high school. That, and, I hate the enormous profits those evil corporations haul in on the poisons they pump out. And I knew kids who'd just get wasted all the time, and I thought "that is totally unsustainable", because either it kills them by 45 or they give it up to continue living and working or raise their kid(s) or whatever.

However, in the last year or so I realized that being intoxicated is a very human thing - I mean that over our existence as a species, various people (probably all the tribes scattered around the globe) have sought MANY ways to have altered-state experiences. These people I'm thinking of are the kind of humans most in harmony with all life on this planet. They don't have Xbox, or film, or church or Internet, they have dance and custom and communication with the Earth and all animals in the region they reside, and usually their intoxicants are the means by which they connect to and interact with these other spirits. I would rather see that than any of the cheap, shallow substitutes that we have in Civilization.

So, I guess I just lost my feeling that it really was an 'edge' to be constantly sober, and I think that it's actually quite good to be a bit "out of it" on occasion. Of course, some people can't keep it in check and always go overboard with certain substances, and some things are just horrible: addiction makes slaves, obviously that's not good.

I guess I think that it's recommendable that someone on occasion get high on marijuana or trip on peyote or psilocybin or get a bit tipsy on some wine or beer. Not all the time, not to be dependent on these things, but sometimes, a minority of times, to give us that glimpse to the other side of living in this world. Also, I met some really pompous Vegan Straight Edge boys and I thought "holy shit, I hope I was never like these kids".

 

[bote]

moderation in everything, everything in moderation is what my moms used to say.

 

[smellyskelly]

moderation indeed. i get annoyed with some of my friends who are wasted 24/7, i don't see the point.

 

[Beegod Santana]

Let me first say that I have no problem w/ sober people. I do however have a bit of a problem with the whole straight edge identity. Straight edge kids in my experience almost always approach me with a holier than thou attitude, and as far as I can tell, their whole little scene is just another herd letting other people think for them. Anyone who says they don't take drugs is ultimately confused to what a drug is. A drug is any substance that you can consume that will alter the mechanics of your mind and body. FOOD is the #1 drug anyone consumes in their life time. Vegan straight edge kids are altering the way their body functions through their choice in life style just as much (if not more) as I am by smoking a j and eating a burger. Everyone's body reacts differently to substances and I wholely encourage people to figure out what works for them. My drug / food diet would wreck a lot of people I know, but so far its been working pretty good for me. I've also tried the vegan sobriety thing and it really didn't work for me (I felt weak, spent too much time trying to find protien rich foods ect..). If you've had bad experiences with hard drugs or have a addictive personality, then by all means stay away. However don't just do it to find acceptance in a subculture. As someone who's been working in music venues for the past 5 years I can't tell you how many times I've seen people w/ straight edge tats getting wasted or smoking weed, it seems that 22 is around the time most of em say "fuck this!"

 

[veggieguy12]

Beegod, I don't think food can be called a drug, though I understand the point you're making there. It's just a stretch. By your logic, we are all drug addicts because we cannot stop eating foods. C'mon.
But I do think it's a bit funny to see people wearing their regrets in the form of sXe tattoos on the hand holding their beer and cigs.

 

[Beegod Santana]

eh, the whole "food is a drug" thing goes back to what they taught me in high school and I see why its a little extreme. However, high cholesterol was responsible for 1 in 5 american deaths last year so I don't think its took much of a strech.

 

[finn]

I have a friend who's straightedge, though I'm not, but I'd like to point out that it's not the same as being drugfree because of its association with the hardcore/punk scene. I don't have a problem with anyone who isn't hardline h8edge, but I do notice if they break edge, they usually do it to an extreme- which is more sad than funny.

 

[oldmanLee]

Urbannokizaru,Mushashi himself said that the Way is in study and contemplation.SxS is one path,and itmay be valid and useful to you.The striving of perfection in iado,the path to mastery of Open On All Eight Sides,the truth in pen and sword in accord need not be debated.Each choses his or her own way,and what we become is the thing that is important.Revel in the truth you find now,but always be open to change.
oldmanLee,student of shikomijitsu

 

[wartomods]

just dont reverse the coin, sometimes is harder to keep the two extremes separated.

 

[UrbanNokizaru]

I get the point about the whole "high horse" thing that seems to come from some vegan straight edge kids. I personally made the choice on my own and found out it was called straight edge later. I'm not the type to tell people what's best for them or how to live their life etc. I guess I'm more drug and alcohol free than straight edge because I don't really associate with the culture as much as just not taking stuff.

 

[connerR]

The straight edge kids I've run across are some of the most pompous idiots I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. That being said, being straight edge doesn't hurt me, so I really can't be concerned with whether a person drinks or not. I've seen some straight edge kids get marauded at parties by the pseudomacho "why aren't you drinking, you some kind of *typical insult*" kind of people.

 

[Birdy]

I'm not straight edge by any means, but some of them do suck. A lot of them around here are Straight Edge God Calling creeps. In my eyes anyways. I have no problems with the life choices people make, but please, don't stop me from having my fun.

 

[veggieguy12]

I get your point, Widerstand, and it is valid, but whattayagonnado?
"Straight Edge" like "atheist" comes from a reaction, defining the (perceived) minority group; Richard Dawkins and Jonathan Miller have noted the unfortunate situation that the term atheist even exists, given that - by comparison - nobody has to define themselves as people who don't believe in Paul Bunyan or Peter Pan. But theists are the majority, and Straight Edge came in the punk scene where the majority was abusing alcohol, with many using heroin. Therefore, the abstainers labeled themselves with an edge above the rest for being 'straight'/sober. Defining themselves against the majority by what they refuse to do.
Interestingly, I caught Michael Pollan pointing out that we do this on a species level with foods, as nearly every culture of people define themselves by what they won't eat, and/or how they eat. On that note, if veganism isn't defined by what one doesn't eat (and a lot of vegans sure make it seem so), then how would you define it?

 

[hassysmacker]

i agree primarily with what veggie has says, but anyone who reads places where we both post wouldn't be surprised by that!


myself, i 've finally learned moderation through addiction, largely in the last couple years. hell, i used to be strung out on heroin and smoking crack, now i mostly just drink, smoke pot, and dabble here and there with other intoxicants. i do a lot of silly things but happily not addicted to anything but nicotine.

 

[xDaveyXGloryx]

I Xed up because I wanted something more out of my life and was tired of seeing friends strung out on dope and booze. Also I'm sXe for political reasons. The Capitalist system is always telling us we need to drink, take pharmaceuticals, and have lots of sex to be happy to the point where if you don't drink, do drugs, or have allot of sex you face a considerable amount of ridicule from your peers. Furthermore, drugs were the down fall of allot of modern revolutionary movements. Also just to clarify there is nothing wrong with sex if its done with a partner or partners you have an emotional connection with them.

 

[churl]

Lots of people feel the need to belong to a group, or a need to identify with a group. It kinda gives one a since of a place in a big world. It could make one feel a little less lonely. And hey, a ton of instant friends! That's hard to not jump into. Is there anything wrong with doing that? I'd say no, (cause saying human behaviour is wrong is kinda silly ).
I'd like to one day identify with a group, but it always seems that some dumb ass sub-group of a few kids are screwing up and misrepresenting the whole group. This bothers me and stretches even to groups that I can not deny that I would fall into. End result, I can't bear to label myself anything, even thought it would make conversation simpler if I was to say that I was into the (___) scene, (____) music, and enjoyed drinking (____) drinks. Yay semantics!

 

[genghis braun]

I used to be edge, but then I found that pot was one hell of a cure for depression, so now I smoke cigs, pot, drink on occasion, and experiment with psychedelics. that being said, I don't have any beef with sXe kids, so long as they're not hatedgers or just plain pompous assholes.