Talk:Straight edge

There are some real NPOV problems with the straight edge page.

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Perhaps you could outline them? --cprompt

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The following was moved from the Minor Threat page, but is way, way too non-NPOV to be part of an article: This 'movement' was never advocated by singer Ian Mackaye, who thought of it as more the personal choices that he had made in his life than a worldwide revolution.

Unfortunately, the movement suffered from subversion in later years, with tales (not always true - as with most secondary sources) of "straightedgers" beating up people for smoking. Straight edgers - or sXer's - were characterised by black crosses on their hands, which was customary in West America underage punk shows to differentiate those allowed to buy alchohol, and those too young. It was taken on by sXer's as a subversive way of "sticking it to the man" so to speak - subverting the mainstream for their own gain.

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I'll see if I can find a way to gracefully put them in, but it seems like the following should be mentioned:

• Ian MacKaye's later denunciation of the straight edge scene he largely spawned.
• Youth of Today's role as a major 1980s straightedge hardcore band.

Delirium 19:46 28 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Sex

Most straight-edgers today do not refrain from sex; many of them are quite promiscuous (I must say I am in a minority among straight-edgers in liking the sexual abstinence aspect). In any case, I'm removing the bit about sexual abstinence from the four main points.--XmarkX 07:36, 8 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Well, it's definitionally part of the concept, since Minor Threat coined the concept with "don't smoke, don't drink, don't fuck", and I know at least a few people who consider it part of the lifestyle, so I added it back in. It seems to be somewhat of a controversy in at least some areas—some people actually consider the promiscuous people (the ones you describe) as being as bad as drug addicts (basically "sex addicts"), part of the hedonistic lifestyle that's essentially the antithesis of the straightedge lifestyle. --Delirium 06:54, Jun 9, 2004 (UTC)

I resally diasagree. The sex rule is ommitted by most Sxers, not just 'sometiems'. The connection between Ian MacKaye and straight edge is not that significant - MacKaye himself was not straight edge, nor was Minor Threat. Having a foundational influence on a movement does not mean that what you say dictates how the movement works. Minor Threat's songs are not an SXe bible. They are one of many influences on straight edge. Most straight-edgers are not anti-promiscuity, and to say they are on this page promotes a misconception. Many straight-edgers consider eating meat as bad as taking drugs, and many consider those who do not to be straight-edge. In contrast, I have never heard of a straight-edger who didn't consider someone straight-edge because of their sexual behaviour.

There really is a serious problem encountered by straight-edgers that so many people who are not sXe, even in punk circles, assume that straight-edgers are anti-promiscuity, or vegan or Christian. This encyclopedia should be about providing accurate information.--XmarkX 09:51, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I suppose it must depend on what circles you travel in—most sXers I know are anti-promiscuity, but not anti-meat-eating, and base much of their lifestyle on Minor Threat and a few other bands, like Youth of Today (in addition to having Minor Threat patches on their jackets and whatnot). Perhaps this differs by region? --Delirium 17:13, Jun 9, 2004 (UTC)

Hmm, another thought I had—what age people are the ones you're talking about? The sXers I know are mostly mid-20s or older, so this might differ amongst the current teenage crowd, with whom I'm not familiar. --Delirium 17:19, Jun 9, 2004 (UTC)

It's true that the region I'm in, Australia, is probably not that representative. However, I'm basing my view also on the current stances of straight-edge bands and zines, from Europe and the US, which uniformly are interested in veganism and not sex. I refer you to very popular current sXe bands like Good Clean Fun and Rambo. People I am talking about range from 14 to 30, same trends among all of them.--XmarkX 01:35, 10 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I googled and found this:

From a Minor Threat interview in Touch & Go zine: "Ian: Like Straight Edge, people have taken it to an extreme...as far

   as i'm concerned all we did was put out an idea... if people wanna 
   hear it as preaching if that's what they want.  Straight edge to me
   is someone who is alert enough to benefit from what he or she is 
   doing...

   "Lyle: the drug and alcohol is only one side of it anyway, it's alot
   more than that, there are other things that can sidetrack you...

   "Ian: That's what "don't Fuck" means... alot of people think that to 
   be straight edge you can't drink, smoke, or have sex and that's 
   silly... what the don't fuck thing is that the whole getting laid 
   and getting head thing 

   "Lyle: living for sex

   "Ian: following your penis around is fucking people up more than 
   anything"

at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/cultures/straight-edge-faq/section-8.html

While modern straight edgers seem to have decided that it really does mean you can't drink or smoke, a lot of them hold the same position on sex as Mackaye did. Hope that helps.