I only have 7 days left of class. And...I don't know how many days until I leave to go to Kansas/Colorado.
My bed is calling me by name...
Essay: Persuasive Essay on why one shouldn't be 'sXe'.
People write song lyrics and listen to music every day. Rarely do the words that are heard cause a social movement. Songwriters tend to compose these songs to convey their feelings and to allow others to experience and relate to these words. However, in the 1980�s, a punk rock band by the name of Minor Threat wrote a song titled �Straight Edge� which changed the lives of many individuals across the world. The Straight Edge Movement, which originated out of the hardcore and punk scene, began in the eighties and continues today. �Straight edgers�, as straight edge believers are commonly known as, strongly reject mind altering substances, promiscuous sex, the consumption of meat, and are actively involved in political and environmental issues. However, being straight edge can actually be a very dangerous lifestyle because people do not know how to deal with �breaking their edge� and the group�s actions have often been labeled as militant and violent.
Almost everyone is aware of the harmful effects of any mind altering substance, the use of tobacco products, and having promiscuous sex. Also, when properly educated, vegetarianism tends to be a healthier lifestyle than that of a person who eats red meat. With this knowledge, a person can view the way straight edgers live and realize the health benefits. However, if a person does not wish to eat red meat nor does he or she have the desire to use drugs or drink, he or she should, as the slogan says, �Just Say No.�
Yet straight edgers feel the need to label themselves and draw a distinct line between them and those who do not agree with the straight edge philosophy. Those who are straight edge activists tend to wear clothing that promotes a drug free lifestyle and they adorn themselves with tattoos, such as the letter X. This symbol, which stands for �edge�, originated when all age venues would mark the hands of underage teens to let other know they should not receive alcohol. The letter X has now been accepted as a straight edge symbol. It is symbols like the letter X which separate straight edgers from others. These lines that are drawn form barriers which fuel hatred. Through out the last twenty years, the media has often called the �straight edge� the �hate edge� because of the violent acts that have occurred surrounding this group.
In 1988, a group of straight edge teens stabbed a fifteen-year old boy to death in Salt Lake City, Utah. In Dayton, Ohio, witness saw a group set fire to a young man attending a concert because his tee shirt adorned a marijuana leaf. All across the country, this militant group of teens and young adults have a history of standing up for what they believe in and not backing down � no matter what this entails. Martin Weiland, a Columbus College of Art and Design student, warned that, �Straight edge can be scary. If I see people wearing straight edge shirts, I�ll stay away. Do the wrong thing, and they jump on you.�
At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake officials put straight edgers on the list of possible terrorists. After the killing in 1988 of the young man in Salt Lake City and another brutal straight edge killing in the same city ten years later, Salt Lake officials saw the need to be on alert for these groups. As Brad Harmon, a detective with the Salt Lake City sheriff�s office said, �...When you start getting into a cause and there�s friction against the cause, something�s got to give.� Also, in an interview with 20/20 correspondent, John Quinones, Harmon was quoted as saying, �Straight Edgers are nothing more than suburban terrorists, rebels with passionate causes.� The violence that surrounds the straight edge group, rather than diminishing, only seems to be intensifying.
Another problem that surrounds straight edgers deals with those who �break their edge�. Breaking one�s edge simply means that a person has made the decision to no longer abstain from drugs and alcohol. Often times, this occurs because of factors such as peer pressure and every day influences. When a straight edger decides to stray away from their previous lifestyle, the effects tend to be dangerous. Having once been friends with many straight edge kids and knowing people who are in that scene, I have both witnessed and heard stories of kids who have broken their edge and then not been able to control themselves and deal with the daily temptations.
These young men and women who break their edge are going from a world of absolutely no substances to a completely different world: a world full of choices and decisions dealing with these substances. When a person is not influenced by drugs, he or she tends to have a very balanced life. A person such as this does not have to cope with learning to find how to achieve the balance between being sober and being under the influence. Therefore, when a person breaks their edge, he or she has not yet learned how to live a balanced life. A person such as this then has to deal with not only being in a new scene and attempting to make new friends, but he or she must also learn where his or her balance is.
Although the straight edge philosophy is a healthy one, the label of straight edge and a lot of their group activities are not. A person should decide on a day to day basis whether or not his or her convictions have changed, rather than putting themselves under a title and denouncing anything else. The militant actions of straight edgers have been noticeably dangerous and are only becoming increasingly so. Also, finding the correct balance in life is an important step that should not be overlooked, whereas many who break their edge tend to do. Rather than tattooing X�s on one�s hand, he or she should remember to �Just say no.�