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Straight Edge
Resistance in a time of mass self-destruction
Makes the few who walk the straight edge
A growing force of change
Straight Edge, often abbreviated as sXe, X, or XXX, is a subculture with the central tenet of abstaining from drugs, tobacco, and alcohol that originated from punk subculture. Much of punk music and ideology developed out of rock and roll into its own distinct identity. The claims made by rockers saying that they were non-conformist were not bought by the punks, with punks accusing rockers of being too much a part of the establishment (Grossman 1996). Punks created separation through their more “extreme” ideology, style, and music. Punk subculture took the basics of rock and roll and amplified them, being sonically simpler, louder, faster, and more distorted. The anti-mainstream ideologies of rock evolved and went more “extreme” with punk, in which ideas of anti-capitalism, political activism, and feminism spilled into the music and styles that punks were incorporating into their lives. As one of the many acts of rebellion against the mainstream oppressive forces of society, drug and alcohol use was commonplace for many punks. Faced with a seemingly insurmountable opposition, the nihilistic viewpoint of punks became the driving force for actions done by members with the belief that there wasn’t a future for them.
This is the point of divide for punks and straight edgers. Whereas the punk lifestyle burned bright and hot, incapable of providing real change to important causes in the eyes of some punk peers, straight edge formed with the intention of living clean as a means to generate meaningful resistance. Minus the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, straight edgers took on many of the same ideologies of rebellion and DIY from the punk subculture (Haenfler 2006). The straight edge aesthetic, style, and music were all still very based in the hardcore punk subculture. The effect of rejecting the nihilistic ideology that circulated through the punk subculture created a more unified, positive force dedicated to targeting the systems they opposed (Rhine 2021). While there were punks in the scene following these tenants, the straight edge subculture didn’t get its’ name until the song “Straight Edge” by Minor Threat, a D.C. based hardcore punk band, released it in 1981. Minor Threat was one of many bands engaging in the small, independent, underground punk scene in D.C., fostering a growing community through the DIY elements of music production and distribution. The eventual success of these groups and the national tours that followed, along with the formation of Dischord Records- a record label formed by members of Teen Idles that focused on music distribution rather than profit- propelled the straight edge subculture to a global level (Rhine 2021). The growing community of straight edge members were tightly connected through the music scene. This unity is seen in the lyrics of some of the early works from straight edge bands, in which deliberate word choice of “family” or “brotherhood” are used to convey the connections formed by sharing the same values and music. Unity is also seen in the live performances, in which the bands were often engaging the audience, blurring the lines of performer and audience as the individuals listening also formed a large part of the music experience. From the collective agreement on these certain tenants, the straight edge subculture lacked structural hierarchies and chose for everyone to be on equal ground, much like their performances (Stewart 2011).
As mentioned, straight edge spread to a global stage in the ‘1980s, attracting many different people with various experiences. But in the U.S., the main demographic committing to straight edge mainly young, white, middle-class men (Haenfler 2004). This is reflected in the popular straight edge bands of the time, consisting of the aforementioned Minor Threat, Have Heart, Youth of Today, and Earth Crisis. However, homogeneity is not the entire story of bands in the scene, and an overview of the straight edge scene would be remiss to neglect the impact of Bad Brains, an all-black band that is often credited with pioneering hardcore punk (Rapport 2020). Bad Brains’ presence in D.C. at the time certainly played into the sound of the many straight edge hardcorepunk bands that originated in D.C. and the east coast.
Over time, participants took the tenets of straight edge and formed them into different ideologies and lifestyles, creating their own subcultures from straight edge. One such notable divergence is hardline. While the main focus of straight edge is an adherence to abstaining from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, other ideas like veganism, avoiding casual sex, and animal/human rights permeated the general straight edge collective. Hardliners are generally concerned more so with these beliefs than most straight edgers, while still maintaining the abstinence principle (Pike 2017). However, the extent to which some hardliners go to reaches far beyond protecting animal life and arrives at a near-vigilante state, in which some members believe in taking action to stop or harm those who they deem to be challenging their sense of purity (Foster 2001). This exemplifies a trouble found in the straight edge scene: militancy. While much of the straight edge movement focused on personal positive action and way of life, there existed members who lacked tolerance for drinkers, drug users, and non-vegans. And as years passed and new members joined without the context of straight edge as a positive counter movement to punk’s doomed outlook, the scene became progressively more militant- less tolerant, more outspoken, more judgmental, more masculine and homophobic, and potentially violent (Haenfler 2004).
Although violence against non-straight edgers wasn’t common, it didn’t take much for a media panic (old Fox News segment) towards the entire straight edge subculture to arise after reports of violence in Utah in the 1990s. An overwhelming response to stomp out the militant straight edgers came quickly after the height of the hardline moment, urging to stay in the positive space that straight edge originated out of. Soon after, the hardliners were hardly present in the scene, but their impacts through media sensationalization and panic were felt by many members who felt fear of being associated with the now negative straight edge subculture (Haenfler 2006) .
A smaller offshoot of straight edge came from the same desire to emphasize animal rights and veganism, but interestingly chose to frame their stance in the basis of Hindu religion and traditions. Named “Krishnacore”, this group fought for animal rights using a spiritual framework. Given punk’s general antiestablishment and antireligious attitudes this evolution may seem surprising, but members saw engagement with a spiritual force as an opportunity to spread more positivity, which can be seen as a step closer to the straight edge goal of countering punk’s nihilism (Pike 2017).
Despite the divergences and moral panics around some of the straight edge subculture, straight edge has transformed into a well known and established idea and group of people. With the popularization of punk and metal through the 1980’s and 1990’s, straight edge became more noticed and slightly more accepted, and with that, the core values started to reach more people (Haenfler 2006). Now, individuals at the top of their industries claim the straight edge identity for their fans to acknowledge, which further spreads straight edge ideology. The incredibly popular artist Tyler, The Creator openly voices his experience and stance on drugs and alcohol in an interview, challenging the idea that celebrities live lives filled with vices. Other artists like Billie Eilish, Lil Yachty, and many more musicians claim straight edge and expose their fanbase to a viewpoint they may have not known otherwise. Outside of artists, professional athletes, authors, businesspeople, and activists engage in the straight edge ideology and subculture. Explore more famous straight edgers here to grasp the reaches of straight edge in the mainstream.
As mentioned before, straight edge has been at a global level for quite some time at this point. As a result of this expansion, unique scenes of straight edge form based off the conditions of their environment, seeing different principles and ways of engaging emphasized as a result of the larger space they occupy.
In Israel, the straight edge scene is closely connected with political activism, particularly that of supporting Palestine. This politically active group of straight edgers is consistent with punk ideologies, concerning themselves with the most relevant issues regarding rights, colonialism, and anti-mainstream thought in the environment they occupy. Mirroring Israel’s active political scene in straight edge is Poland, in which members were engaged in antifascism in response to the Nazi presence in Poland around the 1990s.
Swedish straight edge formed a particularly strong vegan straight edge scene in the 1990s. The politics of Sweden at large and the lifestyles of rural northern Swedes -the location for the heart of the movement- played roles in fostering the vegan movement as an extension of Swedish life styles and beliefs. In response to a commercialization boom, many Swedes saw the exploitation involved and acted to subvert it, and turned vegan. Similarly, once problems with drinking in the Polish punk scene and in larger society were recognized, individuals were drawn to straight edge (Kuhn 2010).
Identity and identity expression is a large component of a subculturists’ experience and involvement in the subculture. This is especially true for straight edgers. Because straight edge is largely centered around a moral stance, that being against drug and alcohol use, many members are bonded to that identity with great commitment and enthusiasm. This commitment is largely viewed as one that is lifelong, which also contributes to the passion with which members go to claim this identity through their stylistic choices of including “X” on their bodies or through representations of themselves (Haenfler 2004). But even within the restrictive set of rules that needed to be upheld to be considered straight edge, there are levels of engagement that are utilized by members. As referenced above, many hardliners were vegan and thus incorporated those beliefs into their identity, which could be seen through deviation in style away from leather products.
Identity also plays a role in community structuring and determining who is welcome. Despite originating from punk, there are individuals who claim the straight edge identity without a connection to the hardcore music scene and individuals who reject them for missing that criterion (Williams 2005). This plays into broader questions of authenticity and how it is constructed by the members of a given subculture. Connecting to the previous sections, we see how authenticity fluctuates as a result of being situational, from members of straight edge adhering to a stricter lifestyle/engaging in more militant movements (seen in hardline) being seen as straight edge to having their authenticity revoked as the larger subculture desired to move away from that approach and return to a more positive movement.
Below are key bands in the straight edge subculture along with some of their biggest hits, with some live performances linked to give insight into a central aspect of the straight edge subculture.
Straight Edge – Minor Threat
The song in which the Straight Edge subculture got its name.
Bostons – Have Heart
Firestorm/Forged In The Flames – Earth Crisis
The Way It Is – Vegan Reich
We Gotta Know – Cro Mags
Explore digitalized ‘zines, catalogues of punk and straight edge ‘zines, and other blog posts!
Foster, Erin. 2001. “Don’t Smoke, Don’t Drink, Don’t Fuck: Towards a Theory of Straight-Edge Culture”. Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies 20(1): 93-103. https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-569X.1362
Grossman, Perry. 1996. “Identity Crisis: The Dialectics of Rock, Punk, and Grunge”. Berkeley Journal of Sociology41:19–40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41035517
Haenfler, Ross. 2004. “Collective Identity in the Straight Edge Movement: How Diffuse Movements Foster Commitment, Encourage Individualized Participation, and Promote Cultural Change”. The Sociological Quarterly, 45(4), 785–805. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4121210
Haenfler, Ross. 2006. “STRAIGHT EDGE 101”. In Straight Edge: Clean-Living Youth, Hardcore Punk, and Social Change (pp. 1–101). Rutgers University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hj2jk.4
Kuhn, Gabriel. 2010. “Sober Living For The Revolution: Hardcore punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics”. PM Press, 110-149. https://rojen.uk/doc/sober-living-for-the-revolution-hardcore-punk-straight-edge-and-radical-politics.pdf
Martin-Iverson, Sean. 2017. “‘Life in the positive way’: Indonesian straight edge and the limits of lifestyle politics”. Punk & Post-Punk 6(2): 233-261. https://doi.org/10.1386/punk.6.2.233_1
Pike, Sarah. 2017. “‘Liberation’s Crusade Has Begun’: Hare Krishna Hardcore Youth and Animal Rights Activism.” In For the Wild: Ritual and Commitment in Radical Eco-Activism, 1st ed., 137–61. University of California Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1tqx754.9
Rapport, Evan. 2020. “Intro: The Meanings of a Musical Style”. In Damaged: Musicality and Race in Early American Punk (pp. 3–26). University Press of Mississippi. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1985wft.4
Rhine, JR. 2021. “The Free Space: Ian MacKaye and DC’s Hardcore, Straight Edge Scene”. Washington History, 33(2): 54–66. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48631728
Stewart, Francis. 2011. “Punk Rock Is My Religion: An Exploration of Straight Edge punk as a Surrogate of Religion”. [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Stirling]. https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/3441/1/phd%20complete.pdf
Williams, J.P. and Copes, H. 2005. “How Edge Are You?” Constructing Authentic Identities and Subcultural Boundaries in a Straightedge Internet Forum. Symbolic Interaction, 28: 67-89. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2005.28.1.67