Straight Edgere fers to a lifestyle, a personal commitment, a philosophy, and a subculture that is closely associated with hardcore punk music. Straight edgers abstain from recreational drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. Some followers of the straight-edge philosophy also abstain from promiscuous sex, the regular use of painkillers, and the intake of caffeine. Some also practice vegetarianism or veganism.
Originally inspired by the hardcore punk community that came together at punk/HC shows such as that of the bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, straight edge has spread around the world, but is most popular in more economically developed nations. Although straight edgers do not necessarily identify with a particular world view on social or political issues, straight edge is sometimes associated with the precepts of anarchism, socialism, and atheism.
Overview
There are various reasons why people may choose to be straight edge, and there are various interpretations of the practice and various applications of the precepts.
Some use the lifestyle as a 'stepping stone' because they believe it will allow them to be more involved with their own mental and physical health. For many, straight edge involves refraining from promiscuous sexual activity. Rather than promoting strict abstinence, many straight edge persons believe in sex within caring relationships rather than one-night stands.
The appeal of straight edge has broadened beyond the initial scope of punk culture and has appealed to youth of many cultures who eschew recreational drug use. Many people who are straight edge became attracted to it as a counterculture option to what they see as a widespread drug culture.
Straight edge is considered to be a choice by many of its followers. In this sense, no one is born straight edge or has been straight edge their entire lives. Labeling oneself straight edge is a conscious decision that someone makes for themselves and is generally not seen as a label that is obtained by default. One is not straight edge simply because they don't drink, smoke, or do drugs; it requires an active decision and participation in a subculture.
Attitudes towards spirituality
Straight edge is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Some straight edgers feel that having a clear mind is a better way to approach life and/or spirituality. Many are atheist, or agnostic, often believing in personal responsibility and rejecting the idea of a deity or any divine moral law. However, there are those who consider Christianity a very important addition to their sXe life. In many circles, the lifestyle has associations with spirituality—there were at one time significant Hare Krishna straight edge movements.
Christians involved in the punk/hardcore subculture sometimes consider themselves straight edge; indeed, the rejection of illicit substances, alcohol consumption (particularly underage) and premarital sex is commonly encouraged by many mainstream churches and their youth groups. It should not be assumed, however, that the self-identification as straight edge is a casual replacement of one label with another. Prominent self-identified Christian straight edgers include the ex-bassist of Throwdown, at least one member of Comeback Kid, and at least one member of Stretch Arm Strong. There has also been criticism of Christians being involved within the straight edge community—reflected in songs such as "This Ain't No Cross On My Hand" by Limp Wrist, "Real Edgemen Hate Jesus" by XfilesX, and "Straight Edge Punks Not Christian ****s" by Crucial Attack.
The 'X'
At punk rock shows, it became common practice to mark an X on the hands of under-aged concert goers to ensure that the bouncers would recognize a minor attempting to drink alcohol. This association with not drinking has led an "X" on the hand to become a symbol for straight-edge philosophies. Some people interpret this as a symbol of Ian MacKaye's "don't smoke, don't drink, don't ****" ethos.
Many adopters of the "straight edge" lifestyle voluntarily marked their hands in the same way to show their commitment to alcohol abstinence. Also widespread is the tattooing of the X symbol on other parts of the body or wearing it on clothing, pins, et cetera. Three Xs (XXX) have their origin in artwork created by Minor Threat's drummer, Jeff Nelson, in which he replaced the three stars in the band's hometown Washington D.C. flag with Xs.
The X is considered both a mark of negation and a mark of identity. Attaching the X to one's name or band name is common practice for straight edgers. For example, 'John Doe' would become 'johnXdoe', or 'xjohnx'. "Straight edge" is sometimes abbreviated sXe(es-ex-ee) following much the same logic by which hardcore is sometimes abbreviated "hXc".
Pro wrestler CM Punk regularly displays 2 X's on his hands during wrestling matches. His wrestling gimmick is that of a straight edger and outside of wrestling he also follows the straight edge lifestyle.
Backlash and criticisms
A subset of straight edge— hardline— has a more militant mentality and has been involved in physical assaults in the United States during the 1980s and up to the mid 1990s.
Police in some communities—such as Salt Lake City and Reno—have classified straight edge as a gang due to violence associated with militant straight edge groups in these cities.
Straight edgers sometimes encounter mockery from others within the punk scene for various reasons, including their perceived elitism, uptightness, or naïveté around substance use. The actions and attitudes of militant members of the straight edge scene also draw heavy criticism, including from more tolerant straight edgers.
