Straight Edge Gang: Teenagers With A Philosophy Of Clean Living

By Andrew Peterson

All around the world, teenagers of all races and backgrounds are organizing themselves into groups, all with a single creed—abstinence, no promiscuous sex, no drugs, no smoking, and no drinking. Sounds like an episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, doesn’t it? Well, it’s real life, and it’s the clean-living philosophy espoused by members of the Straight Edge Gang.

The name "Straight Edge" refers to a philosophy that most importantly promotes a drug-free lifestyle, in contrast to many troubled teens today. It developed as an offshoot of the punk rock and hardcore scenes of the early 1980s. Ian Mackaye, the lead singer of the hardcore band Minor Threat, is said to have coined the phrase when writing the song, "Out of Step (with the world)." In the 12 years since Minor Threat broke up, the simple beliefs preached by Mackaye’s song have taken hold and transformed the mindsets of millions of teens worldwide, even those who have never heard of Mackaye or Minor Threat.

Young men and women who have become increasingly disenchanted with society because of increasing levels of violence and despair have adopted the Straight Edge doctrine as a blueprint for their lives. They seek to use the philosophy first to better themselves, and then to better the world in which they live. Although the original definition of the Straight Edge philosophy included only the rejection of mind-altering substances and promiscuous sex, the philosophy has evolved in some camps to also include a vegetarian or vegan diet, as well as awareness of and involvement in environmental, societal, and political issues.

Since the realm of music gave birth to the Straight Edge philosophy, music is obviously of great importance to the movement. As the straight-edge movement has grown, hundreds of bands have labeled themselves as straight-edge bands, especially in the greater metropolitan area of New York City. But in the mid- to late-80s, as many bands began to popularize the straight-edge philosophy, they also contributed to its close-minded and antagonistic attitudes, creating divisiveness and an adversarial tone toward the rest of the music world. Some bands adopted mantras such as, "The positive youth crew versus people who drink, smoke, and/or do drugs." Because of such intolerant, arrogant viewpoints, many people grew to dislike straight-edge and its adherents. Police in Reno, Nevada officially classified Straight Edge as a street gang, when some members began targeting smokers, drinkers, and drug users in several cases where people who refused to stop their behavior were attacked. According to Lt. Doug Cardwell of the Reno Police Gang Unit, "There is always a single victim, there are always numerous Straight Edge members, and the Straight Edge members use weapons—-pepper spray, brass knuckles, clubs of various types—and they beat these people."

But the majority of Straight Edge members stress that violence has no place in the positive lifestyle they promote. They believe the media unfairly attribute to them the actions of a few vigilantes calling themselves Straight Edge, when those people actually have their own agenda that has nothing to do with Straight Edge. Chris McClendon, a Straight Edge member, says, "I think the thing that people don’t realize is that kids do get into fights; there are kids that are going to get in fights anyway. They’re not getting in fights because they’re Straight Edge; they’re getting in fights because they’re teenagers—they’re bored."

Reno officials acknowledge that it’s just 10 to 15 out of several hundred Straight Edge members who are responsible for the violence that has resulted in the group being labeled a street gang by police. These rogue members are viewed as bullies, but they and other thugs like them have forced Salt Lake City to label Straight Edge with gang status also. However, police say there is a difference between Straight Edge thugs and regular street gangsters, and the difference is their backgrounds. Straight Edge members are usually middle- or upper-class white kids, not underprivileged kids from lower socioeconomic areas.

Despite the bad publicity resulting from the actions of a few handfuls of misguided teens who are completely missing the point of the Straight Edge philosophy, the movement is still growing. The Straight Edge lifestyle, centered around personal development and well being, gives teens a core mission to pursue together, which encourages togetherness in a fun and healthy atmosphere. Straight Edge isn’t just for anti-drug punk music fans; the philosophy goes much deeper, hoping to attract teenagers away from lives that are centered around any kind of dependency. They do not dictate a lifestyle or preach an ideology, and there are no hard rules to follow—those are for teenagers themselves to decide. If teenagers can take charge of their own lives, free themselves of dependency, embrace a healthy lifestyle, and join together with other teens who share the same values, then the future of the world may not be so bleak after all.