Josh Highland’s Blog

This was originally written by Josh Giese (Josh Highland), in March of 2000

I wrote the following in march of 2000 during a very difficult time of my life. I had recently lost some friends, and a long term relationship because of my commitment to straight edge. No one that was close to me was straight edge. I felt alone. I wrote this as a manifesto of my beliefs, and to affirm what I believed in.

It is currently November of 2005, and I am reposting what I wrote back in 2000. I am still straight edge. I still believe in straight edge, and am trying giving back to the community that has helped kept me strong for the last 10+ years. Since 2000, I have learned many things, things that I wasnt aware of 5 years ago. In 2002, I became a Christian. Straight Edge is awesome, but I believe that nothing is greater then the strength and safety that Jesus Christ can provide. Most people long to have a friend that would be willing to die for them. For me, Jesus is that friend, and he has already died for me, and for you. If you would like to know more, please email me josh{at}notpopular{dot}com

A lot of people don’t know what “Straight Edge” is or understand what Straight Edge kids stand for. I wanted to write a little something to help clear things up, and to let people better understand where I am coming from by giving you some insight into something that has molded me into the person I am today, and will continue to drive me for the rest of my life.

The whole straight edge movement can be traced back to the early 1980’s in Washington DC where there was a strong Punk Rock scene. Early punk rockers were extreme social deviants and deviated from the social norm in every way shape and form. Along with this also came a strong drug and alcohol connection to early punk rock.

For some, the political, musical, and theological points were what brought them into punk rock, not the drug scene. One such group of people were the members of the Washington DC band, “Minor Threat”.

Minor Threat has been credited for most of the ground work that has made straight edge movement was it is today.

The term “Straight Edge” was first popularized in the early 1980’s by Minor Threat with their 45 second song, “Straight Edge”

Straight Edge
by Minor Threat, 1981

I’m a person just like you
But I’ve got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I don’t even think about speed
That’s something I just don’t need

I’ve got the straight edge

I’m a person just like you
But I’ve got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
‘Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch

I’ve got the straight edge

According to legend, the drummer for Minor Threat [Jeff Nelson], was drawing a poster for a show using a wood ruler. He commented to his band mates that the ruler’s straight edge was a metaphor for their lifestyle.

The singer for Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye, has been credited with not only establishing the term straight edge, but also establishing the belief system that is the backbone of sXe with the song “Out Of Step”, which promotes the core believes of sXe…. no drink, no smoke, and no fuck

Out of Step (with the world)
by Minor Threat, 1981

I Don’t smoke
Don’t drink
Don’t fuck
At least I can fucking think

I can’t keep up
Can’t keep up
Can’t keep up
Out of step with the world

As Minor Threat started to make a name for themselves in the Punk scene, they would be asked to play with other punk bands, but because the Punk movement was so small at the time, most shows were held in small bars. Because of their young age, not only could they not buy a drink if they wanted, but it was hard for them to see, or play with other punk bands because you had to be of drinking age to enter the bars. The band tried to get shows any place they could and finally landed some shows in California.

One of the stops was a small club/bar in San Francisco. At the club they were asked if the were going to be drinking. Naturally the band said no. The Doorman placed a big thick dark black X on the back of each of their hands with a permanent marker. The Doorman was doing it to all of the kids who were underage. This allowed for a younger crowd at the show… the bartender wouldn’t sell any beer to someone with an x on their hand, and if someone with an x was seen drinking, they were kicked out of the club.

When the band returned back home to Washington DC, they confronted several club owners about what they had seen experienced in San Francisco. The club owners went for it. The band was allowed to play more shows, but only if they wore their x’s and the under age kids did also.

This concept became standard practice at shows in DC, and soon spread to other areas that the band played. Soon those who were of drinking age, but preferred not to drink started x’ing their hands as a way to symbolize that they wouldn’t by beer at the show even if they could. Soon the X became known as a sign of a person that followed the “don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t fuck” ideology of the band, and this ideology became known as “Straight Edge”, after like the bands infamous song.

Why does sXe mean straight edge? As mentioned above, the X has become the universal symbol of straight edge, S and E are the first letters of the words, and the X is thrown in just for good measure, thus making sXe. sXe is still pronounced “straight edge” and does not mean “sexy”, seeing people online who put sxe in their profile as a cool and interesting way to sexy are just retarded.

a lot of you by now are probably wondering what the whole “don’t fuck” thing is all about. It doesn’t mean that all sXe kids are celibate and never have sex. “don’t fuck” refers to random sex like one-night stands and sleeping around, which contributes to the spread of disease and all other kinds of nastiness that will fuck up you life just as fast as drugs and liquor. So when is sex not random you say? For me and many other straight edge kids, sex is ok when it’s inside a solid relationship that is well established. For some this means marriage, for myself it does not, this is an area that each sXe person decides for themselves.

There are no religious connotations involved with the movement, sXe is not a religion and is not bound to any specific religion. Many religious groups like Mormons, 7th day Adventist, and Krishna followers already follow the 3 steps of straight edge, but that does not mean that all Mormons, 7th day Adventists, and Krishna followers are sXe. You become sXe the day you realize that the world has a problem with substances like booze, cigarettes, drugs, and random sex, and you decide that from that moment forth to NEVER participate in the promotion, use or act of those items, then you become Straight Edge. No religion can make you sXe, it’s a choice you must make on your own!

Its called straight edge for a reason, either you are or you aren’t. Its a fine line that a person has to walk everyday. It is possible for someone to “lose their edge” and stray from being sXe. But at the same time it is also possible for a person to “gain their edge” again. This doesn’t mean you can be sXe only while you don’t have a beer in your hand. What I mean is that no one is perfect, and in some cases its like riding a bike, if you fall you have to pick yourself up and do it again until you get to the point where you Don’t fall anymore.

Their is an offshoot if the Straight Edge movement however that does not believe this, those people are called “Hardline”. A Hardliner is a sXe person that takes their believes to extremes. They are very similar to Muslim extremists that blow up innocent people in the name of Allah. Hardline kids believe that straight edge should follow the rule, “if your not now, then you never were”. These are also the boneheads that give sXe kids bad names. They are the ones that beat the shit out of random people for smoking, drinking, and doing drugs. They not only believe that they should be drug free, but the rest of the world should be also. They preach and force their ways on others who aren’t like them…. I can think of another group that fought for a world that would be 100% like them, these people were called Nazis (as you can tell, I have no love for Hardline kids). I can understand their motives and why they beleve the way they do, but i dont think that brute force is the way to make someone straight edge. I know there is a saying, “scared straight”, but I dont think that it should apply in this situation. I like to think that I have chosen this path, Not to fit a mold, Not to join a trend, and not to follow a crowd, but because its right for me. If you dont think that being Straight Edge is right for you, then dont be what your not. Be true to yourself always.

A question that gets asked alot has to do with being Vegetarians or Vegan (consume no animal products at all). Some people think that these are believes that follow the sXe movement. Its true that a very high percentage of sXe people are also Vegetarians (like myself) or Vegan. Veggie/Veganism has little to do with sXe pure life ideals. People generally aren’t addicted to animal products. But it seems logical to look at everything you put into your body once you start examining external factors, and so many sXe kids logically choose to adopt a veggie/vegan life style.

I guess a way to sum this all up is by saying that straight edge is not just marking x’s on your hand and saying that you are str8 edge. sXe is a battle, a struggle that is fought 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in your own body. Take a look around and look at the amount of people who have drank themselves to where they are now, or died due to drugs or sexual related diseases. I am Straight Edge because I enjoy learning. I value my brains above everything else. Why would I want to jeopardize what I have worked all my life to achieve? For what,a few moments of so-called fun that could cost me everything? I don’t need that to get through life, I’m happy with who I am. I also believe that I better know who I am because I am constantly asking myself, “Is this right for me?” and I am constantly running down the LONG list reasons that I keep in my head that keep me on a straight path, and because of this, I know what drives me.

a lot of people out there just follow what the crowd does, and the average person drinks and tries smoking in their lifetime. Is that punk rock? I thought that punk rock was about rebelling against society’s norms in order to find yourself and others like you. In this case, wouldn’t being sXe be a Punker thing to do than get drunk and faded? a lot of young people while growing up, rebel against their parents. What I don’t understand are these kids that hate everything about their parents, and want to do anything to be different from them, so they go out and start drinking or smoking to rebel against their parents. How is that a rebellion? Wouldn’t that be more like buying into your parent’s weaknesses and repeating their cycle? Then again it’s not my place to question the motives of others, all I know is that I am who I am,…….. and I am Straight Edge. (I think that this would be an appropriate place to insert the lyrics of the song, “Gomorrah’s Season Ends”, by the straight edge band, “Earth Crisis”)

Gomorrah’s Season Ends
by Earth Crisis

From the core of my being comes this promise to myself that I won’t break, my honor before all. A one-way mission through life, I won’t change my course! There’s far too much to experience and accomplish to waste a precious second drunk or hazed. An effective revolutionary through the clarity of mind that I’ve attained. I see it all for what it is as Gommorah’s Season Ends in the grave. So many have become demoralized that now a change must be forced or all will perish in the lunacy once it befalls. Parasites gnaw at the basis, their vulgar ways bring pointless ends. Perpetuating the degeneration. In this self is all I need with this oath that keeps me free. To this I am forever true. I am straight edge. I am straight edge. I am straight edge. I AM STRAIGHT EDGE!