the.com/straightedge
Punk rock's answer to vice: no drugs, no booze, maximum moral high ground.
means A lifestyle and subculture, rooted in punk/hardcore, built around abstaining from alcohol, drugs, and sometimes other indulgences like casual sex or caffeine.
from Borrowed straight from the tool — the metal ruler used to draw a perfectly straight line. The term jumped into music via the 1981 Minor Threat song 'Straight Edge,' where Ian MacKaye used it as a metaphor for living a clean, disciplined life without chemical crutches. The song named the movement after itself, and fans adopted the black 'X' marked on hands (originally a club-entry marker for underage kids who couldn't drink) as the subculture's badge.
- origin
- Named after a 1981 Minor Threat song
- symbol
- Black X drawn on hands, once anti-drinking marker
- irony
- Rebellion defined entirely by abstaining, not indulging
- militant wing
- Some chapters add veganism and violence to the code