This node title is inaccurate in that this has to do with "straight edge", but has little to do with punk. There are a lot of straight edge types who don't consider themselves punks or feel they have anything to do with punk culture.

One thing I cannot understand at all is where sex got introduced to the concept of straight edge. I've heard plenty of straight edge bands and read plenty of straight edge essays and none of them mention sex one way or the other. The Minor Threat song mentions nothing about it. As far as I can tell, the current definition is "no drugs".

Thanks to fondue for clearing up some of what chaosape said, but your writeup contains even more problems. Who are you to say that straight edgers are slightly boring people, or that they are in need of attention (who isn't, anyway?), or that a lot of them have too much money? There is absolutely nothing about being straight edge that involves money in the slightest. In fact, considering how expensive most narcotics are, I'd imagine any extra income they appear to have comes from not spending 50% of their paychecks on beer every week.

Straight edgers don't listen to "quasi-commercial metal" by any definition I know. You seem to be describing a very small portion of people who seem to be more suburbanites by my understanding. Also, in regards to your "don't try to be clever" advice, I can't say that cleverness has anything to do with straight edge culture, but I'm certainly not ready to tell any culture to stop trying to be clever.

macjedi, Mike isn't straight edge. He drank a lot of beer in that movie. Alcohol is a drug. Looking like a nerd and being "hardcore" does not make you straight edge.

That sign on straight edger's hands is the letter X, not a cross, though there are some religious straght edge groups. These groups are one of the examples why the 2002 Olympic Committee has "Straight Edge Groups" as one of the possible terrorist groups in the Salt Lake City area. Certain groups in that area take straight edge very seriously and have been known to seriously injure people for not putting cigarettes out when asked. THESE PEOPLE ARE IN A VERY SMALL MINORITY OF STRAIGHT EDGE CULTURE. Very few people who fit a straight edge definition are at all violent.

I myself have never used narcotic drugs, including alcohol and I don't even call myself straight edge. I go to shows and never pick fights. If people smoke around me, I move away and rarely ask someone to blow their smoke away. I know plenty of people who totally fit into this category and don't go out of their way to label themselves one way or the other. I also know a good number of people who call themselves straight edge and none of them are at all violent.

From what I can tell, straight edge is about regretting the early age at which most people decided to get high or get into drugs.