Straight edge, likewise referred to as sXe, occurs as lifestyle and (counter cultural) subculture, closely associated with punk or hardcore punk music in the United States, which advocates abstinence in relation to tobacco, alcohol and recreational drug use (especially psychoactive and stimulant drug use), and around relation to promiscuous sexual behaviour.

Although straight-edgers don't necessarily identify by using the particular worldview on social or political issues, numerous clean subscribe to precepts associated with anarchism, vegetarianism, socialism, veganism, environmentalism and the ecology movement.

a relationship between straight-edge & punk (& hardcore) music is such that a little minority of disciple hang on to that straight-edge just can't survive individually from either the music scene.

Overview
Straight-edge may be deem a counter culture lifestyle option, or as a yearn term commitment to abstinence from either destruct substances & promiscuous sex & observation of the precepts defined above.

There are various reasons how come population purchase to exist as straight edge. Typically a modus vivendi is utilized as a 'stepping stone' to allow a single to become further positively required using 1's have mental & physical health. A few straight edge people don't utilise caffein, or even it buy to exist as vegetarian or vegan. Straight-edgers might besides keep close at hand reservations all about medication (particularly psychoactive drugs), which they typically eschew. Straight edge tends to require refraining from either casual sex. Like than promoting nonindulgent abstinence, many straight edge souls think within sex within caring relationships.

Numbers of humans world health organization come straight-edge became attracted to that as a counter-culture option of not participating in the typically days dominant drug culture which is prevalent around numbers of youth's lives. A continuing appeal of straight edge has broadened beyond a initial scope of good punk culture, and nowadays appeals to youth of completely subcultures eschewing casual drug utilize.

Attitudes to spirituality
the select few straight-edgers sense that with a clear mind occurs as better way to approach life and/or spirituality. It tend to exist as atheistic or agnostic, often believing around self-responsibility & rejecting the idea of a deity or any divine moral law. Notwithstanding, around several circles a life-style has associations sustaining Christianity, and there were at in one case the important Hare Krishna and Mormon straight-edge movements. There are besides Muslim straight-edgers, especially in Islamic countries, virtually all notably Malaysia.

The 'X'

At punk shows it became most common practice to mark an X on a hands of under-aged concertgoers to assure that the bouncers would recognize a tiddler attempting to ingest alcohol. Early adopters of the "straight-edge" life style voluntarily marked their paws in the equivalent way to show their commitment to refusing alcohol. Likewise far flung is the tattooing of the Ten symbol in more area of the system, or even wearing it in article of clothing, diaper pins, et cetera. 3 Xs (XXX) have their originside in a bit of nontextual matter created by Minor Threat's drummer Jeff Nelson where he replaced the Threesome stars in the band's hometown Washington D.C. flag with Xs. A few population interpret this as a symbol of Ian MacKaye's ''don't smoke, don't drink, don't piece of ass'' ethos. A few population think a leash Xs come short for System, Mind & Soul, although iii Xs develop too been utilized as an abreviation of Hardcore (Straight-Edge). Still, compare likewise a flag of Amsterdam. the X is each the mark of negation & a mark of identity. Attaching a X to a single's title or even band title is most common practice for straightedgers. E.g., 'John Smith' would get 'XjohnXsmithX', or even 'xxxjohnxxx', et cetera. "Straight edge" is for instance abbreviated sXe (S.E. + an X) ensuing very much a equivalent logic. Note that sXe may be pronounced when 'straight edge' or even 's-x-e' however calling it 'sexy' is usually considered wrong.

Backlash and criticisms
Despite apparently dependable intentions, Straight Edge has now and then been mired within argument. These are non rare to underst& numerous modern punks mocking and potentially imitating "SXE" disciple, within an possibly fresh, philosophic approach to indulgence, therein these are justified for what it is. Numerous Anti-SXE or even Anti-Emo shirts can be observed around places & in the internet: When of these lesson, on the submit-&-publish T-shirt internet site [http://www.omgclothing.com OMG Clothing], a single sentence that may be seen is "Straight-edge girls are SXE."

Law inside two or three communities like Salt Lake City, Utah and Reno, Nevada have sometimes classified Straight Edge as a gang, due to violence associated by using a select few Straight Edgers, & due to links occasionally Straight Edgers got using a Animal Liberation Front. Inside Reno, law concede that just the limited subset of Straight Edgers locate inside violence. To a few extent, wherever there is a big SXE contingent there is violence. Crews - essentially informal gangs of SXE youth - are typically formed leading to violence against constituted gangs or even more groups in the area, however typically single against little groups of frat boys, or others world health organization SXE disciple could use at times antecedently felt victimised by. Cities infamous for SXE gang violence include Boston and Richmond, Virginia with many different, oft-rivaling SXE groups. What was when the peaceful movement against drug utilize in the punk scene has often targeted alcohol and drug-using punk rockers, when well as people seen to become "weak" per class action. A music has largely transformed from either its hardcore punk roots into a great deal-harder metal-based music using the super heavy "us against them" attitude & an emphasis in "toughness" & scrap.

Origins
In the book Our Band Could Be Your Life, MacKaye reports that he & friends typically missed musical theater performances by their special groups because it were held about clubs within and around Washington DC that served alcoholic drinks & banned anyone under 21 years old from either typing.

MacKaye's class action, the Teen Idles, processed a brief west-coast tour within 1980. At San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens, club owners were sympathetic to youngsters wanting to underst& musicians perform, and got begun writing the big "X" in stripling paws by having the permanent marker as a warning to bartenders that such persons should non exist as served alcohol.

Upon giving to Washington D.C., MacKaye suggested this same notion to various area club owners as a means to allow teenagers into the clubs, while preventing them from being served alcohol. Many clubs began doing therefore, & a "X" drawn in of these's h& quickly became the symbol of the growing ideologic have against alcohol and doses. A Teen Idles' "Minor Disturbance" EP, freed on the extremely influential DIY label Dischord Records in 1980 featured two X'500 higher paws on the handle. This EP besides marked a beginning of what would turn into a straight edge scene in hardcore & punk.

There are differing views on the origins of the actual term "straight-edge". A common explanation is that it was coined by MacKaye's 2nd hardcore/punk band, Minor Threat, in the early-mid 1980s; the straight-edge modus vivendi that began presently afterward is as a matter of fact largely defined per lyrics to Minor Threat songs, specifically Away from Step & Straight Edge. A 'movement', yet, wwhen never advocated by singer Ian Mackaye, world health organization thought of it as thomas more the private options that he got manufactured within his life than a worldwide revolution.

But, there is grounds to believe that a term "straight-edge" existence wont to imply a vegetarian or even vegan life style dates when far back when the 1900's. Based in data from posts on two BoingBoing [http://www.boingboing.net/2004/01/06/straightedge_ca_1906.html] and Beatrice.com [http://www.beatrice.com/archives/000014.html], there was a vegetarian eating house known as "Straight Edge Kitchen" inside New York City's Greenwich Village at that time, & the placed of illustrations within the 1906 issue of the New York World newspaper shows a class action of "Straight-Edgers" erode the vegetarian eating house. [http://home.gwi.net/~dnb/gallery/vegetarians/vegetarians.htm]

Popular and influential straight-edge groups