Pragmatism is beautiful.
I’ve met a lot of new people lately (now that I actually go out in public semi-often), and I’ve also heard tons of new ideas in the past few months. For some reason, though, I still get annoyed with how most of the general population views… well… the general population.
This is what I think, and this is what I think I know. I’ll warn you, though. Sometimes I don’t know what I think.
1. No matter what you do, who you’re seen with, where you go, what you wear, and how you change your demeanor, you will never shed your insecurities without facing them down.
Even then, it’s still hard. You might wrestle with them for days, maybe even years. And then, one moment, when you’re impossibly helpless, impossibly happy, or impossibly old, you will realize that most of your insecurities are only there because of other people telling you bullshit about how you should be.
2. The “scene?” What?
Maybe I’m oblivious or out of touch, but this whole concept just seems stupid. There’s nothing wrong with culture, but when I went to my friend’s show, asshole with a foot-long mohawk said, “This ain’t your scene, sugar. Go home, and let us punks enjoy the music.”
What, can’t I just go somewhere and do what I feel like?
Way to be open-minded, Mr. Vegan-collective-anarchist-revolutionary-intellectual-activist.
I always see these “punk” kids flapping their pierced lips to everyone about how to conduct yourself in a righteous manor. How to look, what NOT to buy, which dumpsters to eat out of, which cigarettes to smoke (or which arm they’re going to break because you DO smoke), and on, and on. Kinda reminds me of the Bible Belt… and leaves the same bad taste in my mouth, too.
I just think to myself:
These people are calling themselves youth revolution? They think they’re different from every other stereotypical young person trying to fit in with a crowd? You hate me for having long hair, jeans, and a t-shirt? What do you DO all day? Complain? Why don’t you actually go out and change what you think is wrong?
Oh, and also, I’ll bet you spent 3 hours this morning spiking up that pretty mohawk, you stupid motherf***er. Don’t tell me what being “punk” means.
3. There is no real right or wrong. Morality is relative.
4. STOP trying to force everyone into what you think is right (this one goes for EVERYONE). Example:
A friend of mine recently went straight-edge, so I though I would actually look up what some of the ideology behind it was. I didn’t want to make any wrongful assumptions about “straight-edge.”
I was hoping to gain some perspective… but all it did was validate what I already thought (at least in general). Most of the popular publications, blogs, videos, sites, and manifestos I found were full of hate towards people who use recreational substances. Yet, ironically, all of the straight-edge people I’ve ever met used to be drug users, drinkers, or tobacco smokers. I know a few alcoholics who used to be straight-edge, as well. All of them claim to be extremely open-minded, and are usually preaching freedom as well as pursuit of happiness.
I’ve found way too many negative things about this subculture for it to be alright with me. Violence, intolerance, hate, and general bad taste have led me to ask this question to all straight-edgers.
(Keep in mind, there are always exceptions. Being straight-edge doesn’t make you a bad person, obviously.)
What makes you better or different than every other “scene?”
What justifies your intolerance of people who are different than you?
I have a hell of a lot more to say on these matters, but I have like 10 followers who probably don’t pay much attention to Tumblr anyway.
Cheers kids - and keep on coexisting!
Dear Quackery- I’m sorry that your bad run-ins have left you with a sour image of the straight edge culture. But permit me to attempt to help you to understand a different side of straight edge.
While I am not straight edge, I have many good friends who are; and while I never “claimed edge”, for a long time, my values coincided precisely with those of the straight edge community, with one exception: while the straight edge kids I knew seemed quite comfortable intermixing with drinkers and drug-users and never used their abstinence from intoxication as a power grab, I myself felt a deep and abiding abhorrence for drinking and drugs, and took it as a strike against a person when they engaged in such behaviors. It was actually getting to understand the straight edge culture which helped me to understand the injustice that I was doing others by acting in this hurtful way.
As my good friend veganterrorist put it, there are indeed bigoted, violent straight edgers. But there are also bigoted, violent white people. Does that mean all white people are bigoted and violent? It is irrational to judge a diverse group by the standard of only a sector of this group, as irrational as to say that all Muslims are terrorists simply because there are Muslim extremists who go to violent ends.
Unfortunately, some individuals who call themselves “straight edge” don’t really understand what it means to claim edge. The song “Out Of Step”, by Minor Threat essentially was the encapsulation of the ethos of Straight Edge-
“Listen this is no set of rules. I’m not telling you what to do, all I’m saying is I’m bringing up 3 things that are like so important to the whole world… I don’t happen to find much importance in”
Despite these words, which demonstrate (to me at least, I’m not sure how you would take them) that the basis of Straight Edge is the personal choice, there arose in the 90s a strain of militant straight edgers who believed that it was not enough to allow others to choose whether or not to abstain from drugs and alcohol. This unfortunate group of idiots have since gone about giving Straight Edge a bad name everywhere; and because Straight Edge is often an ideology which opposes the establishment, it is in the establishment’s best interest to let Straight Edge be perceived by the majority as a violent and hateful sub-culture (OOH BE AFRAID SCARY PEOPLE WHO AREN’T LIKE YOU). This is what you percieve today in the gutters of the internet.
I guess if you really want to understand Straight Edge, though, you need look no further than your Straight Edge friend. Spend some time with this friend, and just ask them about their choice. Get to know their reasons. I think if you allow yourself to gain some time and experience with the Straight Edge lifestyle, you will find that it’s not what it has seemed to be.
