What is Straight Edge?

Within the last 20 years or so, one loosely organized group of people known as Straight Edge have been increasing their numbers. Straight Edge is believed to have started in the earlier 1980s with a song by the group Minor Threat. The song is about having better things to do than drugs and sex. With this belief, Straight Edgers live a life free from drug addiction, smoking, alcohol or sexual promiscuity. They tend to listen to punk rock and some are even vegetarian. Some members of Straight Edge proclaim themselves as atheist while others are followers of one religion or another. The atheistic members look as religion as something that acts on the mind like drugs. The symbols of Straight Edge are sXe or xXx and some people display their allegiance by placing a large X on the back of their hands.

Those Straight Edge members who are Christian often believe that their dedication to keeping free of mind altering substances and keeping their bodies pure brings them closer to spirituality. Those who are atheistic don't follow any belief of a divine being and think that their own sense of self is greater than any organized religion. Straight Edge also has a subgroup within the philosophical group known as Hardline. This group follows the same basic principles, except they are more outgoing and militant, and were even involved in physical fights during the 80s and 90s. This, unfortunately, tainted the image of Straight Edge and even made the police departments designate the group as a gang.

Even though the Straight Edgers are proud of their beliefs, they are sometimes made fun of by the hardcore punk rockers for their anti-drug and anti-sex sentiments and the Hardliners have given the whole group a bad name. But nonetheless, the Straight Edgers stick to their beliefs and live a good life of high morals. They are strong enough in their mindset not to let others influence them and being Straight Edge, and following its precepts, is a conscious and personal decision.

Straight Edge is very popular in some high schools, with many teens following the clean living ideals. Some Straight Edge teens go to the extreme and act superior or elitist, causing other groups or other teenagers to avoid them or taunt them. But, since teenage drug use and premarital sex is almost to epidemic proportions these days, if some teenagers avoid these things, it can only be looked at in a positive light.