i'm staight edge, and ride my fix, but it isn't a big deal to me i have a bunch of hommies who ride fixed gear bikes and smoke/drink whatever....but yea i kinda know what you mean, but in my opinion being vegan comes to mind when i think of people who ride, i think it's because the majority of people who ride fixes are relatively slim in figure, thus look'n kinda similar to vegans.

are straight edgers religious?

There are religious straight edge people, but straight edge is not a religious thing.

i was straight edge for a very long time until about two years ago. for that matter, i was also a fundamentalist christian. definitely on the left wing of that crowd, what with the veganism and anti-militarism, etc., but christian all the same.

and let me say, as a person who is very clearly prone to extremism (one could argue that having anarchist tendencies w/in christianity is quite extreme), i can't believe anyone would be so shallow as to say that being straightedge and hanging out with kids who drink doesn't work.

but then i remember those kids. they were the straightedge kids that i didn't hang out with. instead, i was going to the bloomington house and hanging out with all the dirtbags, drinking rootbeer and watching them get drunk on mint juleps of squirt and listerine. i remember one kid in particular telling me that he believed that he was better than someone who drinks. i was straightedge then, but that was about the time i wrote that kid off as an idiot.

i have friends who have family histories, biological tendencies, and very real issues around alcohol and substance. for them, i don't blame them. straightedge makes sense to them, and it's a personal decision that is very positive for them. those are the kids i still hang out with even though i drink now, because they'll give me the time of day and they're worth being around.

at the end of the day, people are people. when we start drawing lines in the sand and say what kinds of people we will and won't hang out with, we miss out on really valuable and educational human experiences. that doesn't mean that i ever want to drink one of those homemade mint juleps, but i do want to try and be a friend to as many people as i can regardless of the things they do that i don't do.

and i like my brake. i'm kind of absent minded sometimes, so it comes in handy.

This thread reminds me of a job I had when I was about 19 years old. I worked at a burrito shop in Boston called Big Burrito which, for some strange reason, employed an interesting mix of "punks" and hardcore kids. Dudes would spend entire shifts having the same kind of exchange. I've heard this debate so many times I shudder at the thought.

My point is, after a while we all had to let it go because there was no end to it. I know I will never understand sXe because it simply is not for me. I do know that it is something that you have to WANT to do and if you don't want to do then you probably will never understand it (same with being a vegan/ vegetarian and being keen on Jesus). If you think to yourself, "why would anyone ever do that?" then just give up right there, it's not worth it. On the flip(/flop- somewhat fixie content!) I think the same can go for a lot of sXe kids too(but it sure seems a lot of them end up on the dark side with the rest of us).

As far as Edge fixie riders in Boston go, I can't really think of many( but I'm old now so I may be out of the loop). Most of 'em that I know ride BMX for some reason.

is that the place that used to be owned or managed or something by that guy from daltonic and doc hopper? (daltonic played at my house once or twice, i remember him talking about it)

You must be talking about Greg. He used to be one of the managers back in the day. Definitely fits in the non straight edge contingent of the Burrito crew.

That place was pretty crazy with the bands. At one point I think there were kids from over 15 bands working there between the two restaurants(we even put out a comp but it was awful). Some pretty popular bands too Cave-In, Piebald, F-Minus, The Unseen, etc.

Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum,
What might be right for you, may not be right for some.
A man is born, he's a man of means.
Then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans.

But they got, Diff'rent Strokes.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

Everybody's got a special kind of story
Everybody finds a way to shine,
It don't matter that you got not alot
So what,
They'll have theirs, and you'll have yours, and I'll have mine.
And together we'll be fine....

Because it takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.
Yes it does.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

i'm coming in late on this discussion, but i thought that i ought to contribute my $0.02. i've been straight edge for about 4 years now, and vegan for almost a year. everyone has their own interpretations for different "movements", but the basic guidelines are no drinking, smoking, or drugs. people also add on not having promiscuous sex, eating meat, taking medication, etc. i think that having sex is a big deal; and that personally, i don't want to just do it with any alright looking girl i talk to at the local coffee shop/show/whatever. i'm vegan because i don't agree with the practices of the meat and dairy industries, but that's completely unrelated to being straight edge. i try to avoid relying on medication as a crutch, but if i'm in serious pain, i have no objections to taking an ibuprofen for my headache or whatever. as long as you stick to not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs; you are straight edge by definition.

as far as the whole violence thing goes, i avoid it at all costs. i actually have very few straight edge friends compared to all of my other friends, and try to get along with everyone no matter what their beliefs are. i think the golden rule still applies to everyday life: treat others the way that you'd like to be treated. it's as simple as that. it's really sad that people associate being straight edge with being violent, and often "gang-like activity". in fact, i'm pretty sure that in salt lake city, the entire straight edge movement is labelled as a gang. it really only takes a few bad seeds to turn a respectable group in our eyes, into a violent gang to joe schmo.

so i'm not really sure what the point of this was, i just got off on a tangent. basically, treat me with respect, and i'll treat you with respect. everyone's entitled to their own beliefs, and do whatever you feel is best for yourself...

Sounds to me like this 'Straight edge' thing is just another social group, no different to the skaters, punks, homeys or whatever. I see some positive aspects to what's being described, but generally it seems pretty extremist and reactionary to me. There's no point in any sort of abstinence for it's own sake, and of course, going around beating up drunk people is just pure cowardice. Describing the way that you live your life, and the things that you do as 'practical' and giving that a label, is hardly a philosophy either.

i'm straight edge and vegan and all that stuff because the only thing you have power over is yourself.

i'm going to speak in snippets because i'm sick of the paragraphs in this thread.

be the change you want to see in the world.

you can't change anyone's mind.

self-denial is the only way to make the things you do meaningful.

self-denial is the only way to make the things you do meaningful.

think of it like cycling in the winter time. much harder. you only go places you really need to go. when you get there, the trip meant something.

i don't think that most vegan/straight people feel the way i do. asceticism is important, and if you need to go look that word up, i suggest you do, because it doesn't exist in the 'states.

and i apologize for the sociopolitical nature of the thread. i just wanted to know who and how many.

ok, if you're going to talk about philosophy, then here:

pragmatism is a philosophy, and it provides the rationale for why i don't smoke, drink, dope, etc. it's about recognizing the state of mind/being in which you want to be making the decisions to get there. drinking does not serve a valuable purpose for me; ergo, i don't do it. same with smoking. same with doping. sex does serve a valuable purpose for me; ergo, i do it. if you want to drink, smoke, whatever, go ahead; it probably serves a valuable purpose for you.

yes, for some, it has much to do with social grouping, but for those of us who have been doing this for years, the social part is much less important that how we want to feel, be, live, etc.

as the pragmatist william james said, "to attain perfect clearness in our thoughts of an object, then, we need only consider what conceivable effects of a practical kind the object may involve - what sensations we are to expect from it, and what reactions we must prepare."

i am shuddering. talking about straightedge is duller than dull. and cut.

Sounds to me like you don't know enough about the topic to put it down.. I do know that you said its positive.. but that isnt arguable. And no one said its a philospphy. It was started by minor threat in the 80s... I dont think their goal was to creat a philosophy.

no philosophy, being straight edge is ****ing simple to me. it is about being true to yourself, not giving into the pressures of doing drugs/alcohol. i'm in high school and i see so many kids talking about how cool it is when they smoke hella weed, or get all **** faced and i can see that to him and all his friends (and most of the kids at my school) doing drugs or drinking alcohol is glamorized. most of these kids do it to buy acceptance of their fellow peers, but what they don't see is that if their friendship is based solely on **** like getting ****ed up then their lies no friend their at all. don't get me wrong i have hommies who drink and what not, but they aren't trying to do it to be cool or anything.




be true and keep **** real

You know it occurs to me that all y'all want to do is talk about your selfes straight edge or not. Rules for this life rules for that. Don't forget you all will rot in the ground when it's done. So wtf? Live and let live or die. Oh yea on topic ride your fixie and hey for that matter if you ride with a gears or brakes lets go!

I wouldn't say I try to fit into a "straight-edge" clique or stereotype or anything, but there are definitely things I stay away from. I know a few straightedge kids, they are religious and aren't violent. I've actually never heard of the violence/straightedge connection...but thats probably because everything I know about straightedge I know from them.

I don't smoke, and don't like being around smokers just because I'm into biking and running...I need my lungs for that. That and when people smoke, it fills the air, and therefore effects not only the smoker (who chooses to smoke) but also those around them (who don't necessarily choose to smoke). There are considerate smokers who realize that their actions affect others and act accordingly, and inconsiderate smokers who just don't care if their smoking affects other people. I prefer to hang with the considerate ones. This goes for weed too.

I don't drink, partly because I'm not really curious about what it feels like. This whole concept of putting foreign chemicals into my body to get a "buzz" or "high" or whatever doesn't interest me. Seems like an artificial experience, I would much rather DO something fun for a rush and a good time. Since I don't really desire to drink, the only thing I'm "denying myself" of is giving in to peer pressure...I don't think I need to explain that. I've also seen the negative things that alcohol often causes and don't want any part of it. I've been to plenty of parties and keggers and I'm just not impressed, there are other things I would rather be doing.

I'm vegetarian because I think its wrong to mass produce animals and raise them in an inhumane environment just to eat them. Eating meat is totally natural in the wild, but the way modern, industrialized humans do it I consider immoral. If you hunt and kill an animal in the woods or catch a fish the natural way...I have no problem with eating that.

I don't exclude myself from people who drink/smoke etc., but I often find that the lifestyle differences make it difficult to connect with some people. I can be totally cool with someone who drinks and smokes, but chances are they won't like going on a bike ride with me and I won't like going to a kegger with them and watching them smoke and get drunk. Being an ideological minority, a lot of "normal" people just don't understand me when I try to explain my lifestyle to them (but I don't advertise). Try going to party and being social and sober and telling the truth to people, then you will understand.

I'm an atheist, and I also think morals are a pretty universal human thing, not totally based on theism, hence the similarities in morals between religions.

Oh, and I don't ride a fixie but I respect it...seems pretty raw with a minimum of mechanical aid. Maybe I'll try it sometime.

Edger's please post in a few years and let me know how that first beer was and if the s*** you smoked wrapped in chococlate swisher was some of the kindest buds you ever had. And if your in town, i'll buy you a drink but you're packing the first bowl!

And duuude, maybe at the bottom of one of those bowls you'll find the difference between the second person singular possessive pronoun and the contracted form of "you are."

I'm not straight-edge and haven't heard the term since my high school days. Certainly beating people up (or even just being annoying and self-righteous) isn't more virtuous than getting drunk. But any decently sized group of people will have a few miscreants, and they don't necessarily color the whole movement. What strikes me is the barely concealed hostility towards anyone who dares heresy against the dominant dogma of "if it feels good, do it". If straight-edgers are cliquish, so what? They are surrounded by a culture that mocks the value of self-denial, so it would be wise of them to stick together and support one another.

If you have had a personal problem with some straight-edgers and have an axe to grind, fine. But mocking the idea that abstaining from intoxicants might be greatly beneficial betrays significant immaturity.

how is this thread still here, yet mine gets dumped? This place is F-ed.

I guess I am just tired of the obscured dogmatism

no man! its X'ed!

Agreed.

A shame too because, again, the thread was never intended to turn into this by the person that started it.

Can we please respect the people that start these threads and keep our politics/opinions to ourselves?

New terribly worn out discussion:
Punk rock started in the US with the Ramones. Anyone who says otherwise is full of crap. Your thoughts?

Just kidding. Please don't. No really, please.

Punk begins and ends with Green Day.

boo!!!