(from the English straight edge - a straight line, a line; abbreviated as sXe) - 1) a youth movement that arose among punks, but opposed their way of life and behavior, a call to abandon habits that destroy a person physically and spiritually; 2) the subculture of youth, built on the denial of the use of any alcoholic beverages, tobacco, as well as any other drugs in general. In some cases, this includes maintaining a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, avoiding the use of caffeinated products, medications, and promiscuity.

The emergence of the stretager subculture is associated with the songs of the Minor Threat group of the early 1980s, one of which is the eponymous "Straight Edge". Other examples of similar sentiments include the song "Keep It Clean" by English first wave punk band The Vibrators, and "I'm Straight" from the Troublemakers compilation (1980) by musician Jonathan Richman's The Modern Lovers, in which renunciation of drugs. The closest genre associated with straight edge music was punk rock. Members of the straight edge movement of this period often supported the original ideas of punk, such as individualism, disdain for work and study, and views like "live in the moment" (O "Hara, 2001).

This subculture became most widespread in the early 1990s. in the USA and Canada. The subculture was originally based on the ideal of a person who will directly express his thoughts, will not be shackled by norms, lack of tolerance, up to the manifestation of aggression. Examples of such attitudes were the rejection of those outside the movement, a more conspicuous pride in one's views, and a willingness to use violence to promote a "virtuous lifestyle".

Straight edge is a subculture that does not involve self-promotion or the imposition of the sXe lifestyle on others, so the supporters of the movement do not have any preferences in clothing, hairstyle, etc. However, this does not mean the complete absence of signs of belonging to the group, the movement is used as a symbol "X" sign. The symbol "X" is the most famous symbol straight edge and is often applied to the back of the hand, although there are exceptions. Some straight edge followers also wear appropriately marked clothing and badges. The cross is drawn or stuffed on the back of the hand. This symbol in the late 1970s. security guards in clubs in England played into the hands of underage visitors going to concerts. In the presence of a cross, the bartender did not have the right to pour alcohol to a teenager. The same cross, but already voluntarily, was drawn by adherents of Straight edge. One cross can be replaced by three - XXX - a symbol of three NOT: DO NOT drink, DO NOT smoke, DO NOT take drugs. DRUG FREE ("drug free") or POISON FREE ("poison free") is often used on clothing.

Straight edge ideas in the early 1990s picked up by various socio-political organizations and subcultures. This is how Hardline Straight Edge (radical), Straight edge skinheads, MILITANT PRO-Life Straight Edge (militarized) and NS / WP Straight Edge (national socialist) appeared.

Hardline Straight Edge. This is a radical branch of the subculture. Her followers do not use not only alcohol and nicotine, but also refused to use caffeine, theine, as well as medicines without a strong need for them. In addition, they do not eat meat and do not wear fur and leather products. The movement's original emblem was an "X" (the symbol most commonly associated with the straight edge movement). Crossed M16 rifles were also often depicted.

Straight edge skinheads (sXe Skinheads) are skinheads who sympathize with the Straight edge movement and share some of its aspects. These people formed, in fact, an independent movement, containing elements of traditional sXe and Hardline sXe.

The vision of NS/WP Straight Edge is to recognize certain elements of the traditional sXe and Hardline as vital to the preservation of the nation and race, as well as a real weapon in the struggle to preserve them. The rejection of weaknesses is another step on the path to perfection, to the superman. In addition, these straight edgers are supporters of racial segregation.

MILITANT PRO-Life Straight Edge. Representatives of Militant adhere to the position that Straight Edge is the only correct ideology and it must be forcibly instilled in the whole society. The main slogan: "Who is not with us is against us!".

It is noted that straight taggers often experience a superiority complex, expressed in the most rude form. Straight tagers can be overly aggressive, although this happens mostly on the dance floor. They are characterized by a love for physical violence, but usually expressed in dance (lam and mosh dances).

Interestingly, in the dance steps, the instinctive inclination of the straight taggers is successfully combined with their innate desire to mark themselves with certain symbols. The researchers even highlight a list of the favorite movements of the straighteners in the dance:

- "Mill". Outwardly, this process is similar to children's attempts to fight, waving their fists wide. The arms here rotate along the body, like the blades of a mill, the fists are clenched.

- "Boxing with the floor." Downward movements of the hands; also reminiscent of washing clothes.

- Wall of Death. Mosh command element: a row of stright taggers with clasped hands moves as a single organism (Straight taggers, Electronic resource).

Thus, straight tagers are a subculture closely associated with the musical genre and club practices of youth, while it relies on a set of value orientations, which in turn are a protest against the social vices of society. In general, culture involves aggressive behavior towards people who are not part of it, but at the same time does not turn directly into violence.

Lit.: Lukov, V. A. (2012) Theories of youth: an interdisciplinary analysis. M. : "Kanon +" ROOI "Rehabilitation". 528 p.; Novak, M. V., Ignatov, M. A. (2014) Subcultures in modern Russia and visual consumption: regional aspect // Scientific Bulletin of the Belgorod State University. Ser.: Philosophy. Sociology. Right. Issue. No. 9 (180). T. 28. S. 144–152; Straitagers // [Electronic resource] Website for the study of youth subcultures "Hipsters.ru" URL: http://hipsterstyle.ru/ (accessed 12.12.2015); O "Hara, C. (2001) The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise. / AK Press. 172 p .; Straight Edge: sober look on punk culture // [Electronic resource] Redbull news site URL: http://www.redbull.com/ru/ru/music/stories/1331632869590/straight-edge$ (accessed 12.12.2015).

A clear line separates
Existence and life
From what makes you weak
Refuse quickly.

Straight edge translates as a clear line, a straight line. The line - here is the division between health and degradation - the line beyond which the vices of mankind are located. SXE originated in America and was part of the punk culture. In America, the straight age has remained a subculture for the most part.

NS straight edge - an ideology where straight edge and national socialism are one. The ideology is widespread in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The mouthpiece of NS SXE can rightfully be considered the site of Russian straightagers:

• Internet site www.rustraightedge.com.
• Group in Vkontakte Positive Youth Blog.

Hardline straight edge

The most radical trend is the straight edge, along with the militant straight edge. Hardline Straight Edge is the choice of real ascetics: a vegan diet, avoiding leather products and caffeine. Hardliners oppose abortion, I apologise for the pro-life position.

In Russia, the main center for the development of the hardline movement was the site of the Hardline Center movement, supported by activists from Vyatka. But later, the main steering movements decided to change the emphasis in their activities and, without abandoning the hardline postulates, began to engage in political activities.

The most radical course of straight edge, along with militant straight edge

straight edge tattoo

Ideology is primarily in you, and not in the tattoos with which you decorate your body. Pictures are just an addition to the shell - strong body. A sound mind inside strong spirit, desire to act. However, in any subculture, tattoos have their place. The main insignia of straiters are the inscriptions True Till Death, XXX, Straight Edge, Promises are kept, band names and others. Oldschool style tattoos are very popular: swallows, billiard balls, stars, scrolls with inscriptions.

Ideology is primarily in you, and not in the tattoos with which you decorate your body. Pictures are just an addition to the shell - a strong body. Inside there is a sound mind, a strong spirit, a desire to act. Till True Death.

Hardcore and hatecore - straight edge music

Radical ideology presupposes radical music. Among the well-known sXe bands are the Belarusians Kamaejitsu, Wehrwolf and Down the Tyrant, the Russians Death Penalty, Headshot, Right Choice, Terror Wave, Shoot on Sight, Surround Enemies, SVD, Nuchtern Reich, Ukrainians from 9 Val, Boris Razor, 3 hills city , Time For Action, Out of Control.

Music is an integral part of the movement and the basis for its development. It allows not only to attract neophytes to the movement, but also to self-organize like-minded people for further activism.

Vegan straight edge

Strategger vegans are the few who completely reject the exploitation of animals. Do not eat meat, fish, dairy products and all other products of animal origin.

Subculture STRAIGHT EDGE: life without vices

A.A. Breshin

The article presents the results of a field study of the youth subculture Straight edge, conducted in autumn 2008 in Moscow. The aim of the project is to characterize the presented subculture, its behavioral aspects, culture, value system, language, symbols. The objectives of the study can be divided into two blocks: epistemological and axiological. The first block includes a description of the subculture, its historical dynamics, as well as the identification of how the subculture exists today in the context of a modern metropolis. The second block of tasks includes the analysis of the problem of choosing and determining the system of values ​​of representatives of the subculture. The methods of participant observation, in-depth interviews and document analysis were used. When the observation was turned on, the facts and results of the observation were recorded in the journal as field notes. This method was chosen as the main one due to the specifics of the studied audience - many of the representatives of the subculture refused to participate in surveys and were reluctant to make contact when answering questions related to activities in the subculture. To understand what the Straight edge subculture is from the inside and describe this phenomenon, we used theoretical basis the sociology of everyday life and understanding sociology, according to which, for a detailed study of the subculture, trusting relationships with its representatives were gradually built.

History of occurrence

Modern youth subcultures are a motley fan of sociocultural opportunities that have not fallen into the field of official culture, but live and develop their own unique life within youth formations. To each cultural period correspond to their subcultural tendencies, images, ideals. This is a natural process that is included in sociocultural dynamics society. After all, youth subculture is a social phenomenon, a reaction to the development public relations, institutions and processes. In this article, we will not consider the causes and history of the development of youth subcultures, we will only note that the mid- and late 1980s had a tremendous impact on the youth of that time.

With the advent of punk rock in the minds of American and British youth, a radical upheaval took place. One of the brightest and, at the same time, ambivalent formations of the punk rock scene of that time was the Straight edge subculture (English "clear edge", abbreviated as sXe). IN spoken language this expression means "checking line". This is a philosophical offshoot of punk culture, a political and ideological movement, characteristic features which are complete abstinence from drugs (including legal alcohol and tobacco), intelligibility in sexual relations, as well as Political Views characteristic of the entire punk movement.

Initially arose among American punk rock artists as a call against the popularization of the image of "dirty, never-drying punk", Straight edge quickly turned into an ethical and ideological movement that puts the idea of ​​self-control and personal freedom in the first place: in the early 1980s, it became quite common among American anti-fascist punks, especially in Washington and Boston, where very powerful hardcore scenes formed. Music that, in the opinion of the strategiers, should be a protest against violence (mainly against fascism, sexism and age discrimination), pollution environment, Not healthy lifestyle life is hardcore music. Hardcore is a branch of punk rock, the main features of which are: short and fast (1–1.5 minutes) songs, social lyrics, deliberate non-melodiousness. How musical genre hardcore originated in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Paradoxically, the sXe subculture, which is, in fact, the successors of punk rock culture, is its complete opposite. The Straight edge ideology denies the use of any illegal or legal drugs, including alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and psychoactive substances for non-medical purposes. Among other things, promiscuity is forbidden, and in the most radical offshoots of sXe, such as Hardline PRO-LIFE and Militant (which will be mentioned below), sexual relations are generally prohibited before marriage.

One of the symbols of the Straight edge movement was the oblique cross. That is why it is present in the abbreviation "sXe". The history of this cross goes back to two points. Firstly, at the entrance to nightclubs for punk concerts, the guards put a cross on the hand of minors with paint that was difficult to wash off. In the presence of a cross, the bartender did not have the right to pour alcohol to a teenager. Secondly, the group Minor Threat, one of the founders of the sXe movement, had an influence. In 1981, in the album of this group, the song Straight edge was first heard, revealing the meaning of this direction. And on the cover of the same album, a man was depicted with his arms crossed on his chest, on which crosses were drawn with a black marker. In the likeness of the founding fathers - Minor Threat - the Straitagers began to tattoo a cross on their hands to show that they consciously refuse alcohol and further - symbolically - everything that can destroy the body, soul or consciousness. Straitagers drew a cross on the back of their hand at concerts as a sign that they did not want to put up with the presence of drinking and smoking youth. Modern supporters of the ideas of sXe use the cross even in virtual communication on the network, for example: x_BOB, x_No_name_x, x-Link.

Straight Edge: the focus of the protest

Straight edge positions itself as a protest, but not a countercultural movement. If punk rock is a protest against society, its rules and norms, then Straight edge is a protest against the industrialization of society and the unhealthy behavior of young people in this society.

“We all came to this way of life out of protest, out of dissatisfaction with the destructive behavior of people: the use of drugs, alcohol, discrimination based on sex, religion, age, etc. signs” [Dmitry].

The protest character of punk is taken as the basis, however, punk itself is criticized:

“Punk rock was originally a protest, it carried a very destructive charge, and, in addition, it soon turned from a spontaneous uprising against society into the same mainstream society” [Victor].

"If punk has always been associated with downtrodden teen drug addicts, then hardcore (and, as a result, sXe) has been associated with a healthy lifestyle."

An integral element of this subculture is a healthy lifestyle and sports, in particular extreme sports (skateboard, snowboard, BMX, etc.).

“Skating on the board fit well into the doctrine of a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle ... in general, a sport that develops a will in a person and a positive outlook on things has great importance for strategers".

Straight Edge Currents and Branches

It should be noted that the sXe movement began to decline in the late 1980s. However, already in the early 1990s, Straight edge was revived, but in slightly different interpretations. The Straight edge subculture split into several strands: the more radical Hardline and Militant Pro-Life Straight Edge (or paramilitary straight edge) and the more liberal Softline. At the same time, Softline is the predominant direction, there is a point of view that Softline is the essence of Straight edge, is identified with it.

The radicalism of the former was expressed both in music (the vocals became more hysterical, the lyrics became even more politicized and socially colored), and in the social position. According to the ideology of hardliners (from the English. Hardline - a hard line), abortion, vivisection, sex and age discrimination are vices that destroy the modern world. All representatives of this trend share pro-life beliefs (from the English Pro-Life, i.e. the position of preserving life in its original form), act with harsh criticism of racism, nationalism, and also fight against environmental pollution. Hardline followers recognize sex only as a means of reproduction of the human race, and pornography, in their opinion, is a product that corrupts the minds of people, it should be destroyed. For their struggle, they create groups of like-minded people, called "chapters" ("cells"). These groups aim to promote Hardline ideas and organize a resistance movement. Their activities do not end with the simple promotion of Straight edge ideas. It is the "cells" that carry out various actions: pogroms of shops with alcohol, pornography, furs and leather goods, pogroms of coffee shops, i.e. stores selling legal drugs, vandalizing the offices of companies that experiment on animals. But the actions of hardliners are not always violent. Often, members of the Hardline direction arrange lectures and concerts dedicated to the topics of veganism.

Most hardliners are vegans (Vegan sXe) - supporters of veganism, one of the radical offshoots of vegetarianism, characterized, in particular, by the rejection of the use of products containing leather, fur, silk, wool. Vegans also avoid honey, caffeine, products containing ingredients derived from animal products (eg, gelatin, glycerin), and products that have been tested on animals (eg, cosmetics).

Straight edge has several currents that have mutated in an extremely radical direction. Such, for example, is the Ultra Militant Straight Edge movement - these are militant straightedgers who are engaged in the struggle for a healthy lifestyle by violent means. They may approach a smoker on the street or drinking alcohol to a person and start a fight, citing the fact that the sight of a drunk negatively affects others and sets a bad example young generation. However, there are very few representatives of this movement. One of the centers of the Ultra Militant Straight Edge is Boston, where hardliners are closely monitored by a special police department for youth groups. According to a National Geographic study, creative Group which she filmed in 2007 documentary about Straight edge, many supporters of such radical offshoots leave the movement over time and become just vegans or straightedgers. This is usually due to the split of the movement into small groups, as well as the lack of leaders (often they are simply imprisoned for attacks or disturbing the order). It is known that in the United States, adherents of the Ultra Militant Straight Edge, after the collapse of their movements, turned into drug addicts and drunkards a year later, which emphasizes the pseudo-ideological nature of this movement.

If Hardline and Militant Pro-Life claimed that there is only one objective truth in this world - this is the teachings of Straight Edge, then Softline supporters say that this is everyone's personal choice.

Straight Edge today

Currently, the Straight edge subculture is very common in the West and in Russia. The most popular among young supporters of a healthy lifestyle is the Softline sXe movement (from the English "soft line" or "non-strict course"). This current does not support methods of struggle associated with violence or are illegal.

Softliners, as they say themselves, do not try to stand in opposition to hardliners:

"Softline formulates new concept struggle, non-aggressive and not accepting violence in any of its manifestations, but firmly supporting the position of sXe ”[Roman].

Softline combines the ethic of the traditional sXe with some features of the Hardline ethic. Softliners do not smoke, use drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and do not have casual or promiscuous sex. In addition, softliners fight against discrimination based on race, nationality, gender or age. They act in defense of animal rights, holding various actions and pickets. Softliners are often either vegetarian or vegan.

According to many straightagers, propaganda is of a violent nature, so it is carried out through special publications - the so-called "zines" (abbreviated from the English magazine, i.e. magazine). "Zines" are published in the DIY format (do it yourself - "do it yourself") and are non-commercial, self-published illustrated magazines. The topics of these magazines are devoted to hardcore music, the fight against fascism, concerts and protests. Also, a large part is given to the theoretical part of the Straight edge flow. The most popular Moscow magazines are Armatura, IMHO; any representative of the sXe movement can print in them.

It should be noted that the DIY format, which originally originated in the punk environment, is typical for the Straight edge subculture as a whole. This is also manifested in music, clothing. If you are a musician, you should not be released on commercial labels and recorded on expensive recording studios. Everything that generates commerce corrupts people's minds and distances you from "real" art. Therefore, by collecting small halls of clubs and recording their music in garages and basements, the straight-agers do it primarily for themselves and their like-minded people.

The Moscow club of Jerry Ruben is very popular among the participants of the subculture, defining its activity as creative association aimed at environmental education of youth. There are often concerts of leading teams - supporters of the ideas of Straight edge.

Actions are organized to boycott the products of companies associated with the exploitation of animals, their killing, etc.; these actions often resemble those of the Green Peace movement. However, they hallmark is that Green Peace has long been perceived as a political organization, while the sXe movement is opposed to politics.

One of the most common practices carried out by sXe supporters is the “Food Not Bombs” or “Food Not Bombs” campaigns. Similar actions originated in the United States, but have found their distribution in Europe and Russia.

“Food Not Bombs” is an informal self-organizing initiative: groups of people prepare vegetarian and, most often, vegan (without the use of any animal-derived products) food and give it to those who want to eat - mostly homeless and simply poor people, but sometimes at concerts street parties, rallies, collecting money and products to help.

It is interesting to note that the principles of the action are very similar to the principles of flash mob actions, that is, they are self-organizing and informal in nature. Actions are not planned from a certain "single center", since it simply does not exist.

“Each group and each participant in the Food speaks for itself instead of bombs. If some group or member speaks for someone else, he/she/they know what they are doing. We do not have a "main" and there is no single "control center". Different people V different groups see and do everything differently, although we share general principles such as cooking vegetarian food, being non-hierarchical, etc.” .

This fact emphasizes once again the thesis that modern youth subcultures do not protest against the socio-cultural system, but develop it in alternative ways.

Conducting participant observation among Moscow straight-agers, we tried to define the portrait of a modern straight-ager. This is a young man aged approximately 18 to 30 years old, living in a large city or metropolis: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg. As a rule, straight tagers receive higher education by combining study with work. Straight edge for them is a way of life and a way of thinking, and the music they play (hardcore) is more of a hobby than an ideology. Outside of work and study, they make music, arranging concerts. Many of them are engaged in anti-fascist activities, distributing leaflets, holding antifa-actions in the form of demonstrations and pickets. As a rule, these actions are legal and non-political in nature. Many Moscow Straitagers are hunted by fascist groups, which is why the names in this work have been changed. However, this does not stop supporters of a healthy lifestyle from waging an anti-fascist struggle. As one of them said, “anti-fascism is not a movement ... it’s just that people are already tired of these racial oppressions by Caucasians, non-Caucasians, Russians, etc., this is the reaction of a certain group of people to what is happening in society today” [ Novel].

Vasily M., Straitager (feature)

One of our informants, Vasily M., or Vasya Gig, as they call him in the soft-line get-together, is a young man of 20 years old; studies at the geographical faculty of one of the Moscow universities. Today he has a day off and instead of going to a music store as usual, where he works as a salesman in his free time, Vasily goes to the “turnip”, i.e. to the band rehearsal. Vasya lives with his parents, who, according to him, did not manage to explain the meaning of the path he chose not the first time.

“Yes, there were many conflicts and many misunderstandings. Parents, seeing, on the one hand, positive aspects of my choice, they were still treated with a great deal of distrust in the music that I play, in my friends, in the concerts that we arrange. They thought it was some kind of sect that I was accidentally drawn into. To tell the truth, I don't expect them to ever understand the meaning of our actions. The generation brought up in Soviet times is simply not given. Yes, now they have come to terms with the lifestyle that I have chosen, because I managed to prove with my actions and my perseverance that this is my choice. When you choose the path of sXe, you must be prepared to fight and defend your choice. These are the rules of the game. And the sXe path is very hard way V modern world with such colossal propaganda of violence, intolerance and vices that society cultivates; it's not mainstream."

The band, in which Vasya is a guitarist, plays rather hard hardcore with highly politicized lyrics. Main themes: the fight against the fascist youth, the fight against the consumer society. It should be noted that such a set is quite typical for straight-age teams. Only four participants - except for Vasya school friend Vova (soloist of the group), two more young people - Ilya (bass guitar) and Kirill (drummer). They joined Vasya's group quite recently and are not straight tagers.

“We write all the texts together with Vova,” says Vasya. The guys like it, although they do not share our beliefs.

They drink, and Ilyukha generally smokes. Of course, we are against this, but we are also well aware that this is the choice of each of us. It's the same choice as becoming a straight tager, so we don't judge anyone."

Vasya and Vova are zealous anti-fascists. During the period of included observation, no anti-fascist actions were carried out. However, Vasya admitted that in several actions he was not only a participant, but also an organizer. In his opinion,

“A real straight tager is a fighter for equality in all its manifestations, and fascism is its complete opposite. Therefore, a person who chooses the sXe path cannot be a nationalist, a fascist, etc.”

This idea was expressed when discussing the fact that in Moscow, in addition to supporters of the soft-line direction, there are a sufficient number of right-wing stagers. They are sXe hardline followers and preach abstaining from drugs, alcohol and tobacco, mixing it with National Socialism. Vasya says that this is pseudo-straight,

“some kind of fake [fake - approx. author], replacing the concepts of the struggle for freedom of speech, skin color, race and nationality. (...) Modern culture sXe simply abounds in various variations and manifestations: here you have skinhead straight-agers, and religious sXe parties, etc. and so on. But all of them are, to one degree or another, radicals who have chosen the principles of straightage as a basis, but preach their own views, often contradicting the foundations of straightage. In a word, a bunch of half-wits who do not understand anything about the ethics of sXe.

When one of his comrades died a year ago after a concert in one of the Moscow clubs, who was attacked by six skinheads, Gig and several of his associates, representing the backbone of the soft-line movement in Moscow, staged a picket not far from Red Square. Then several hundred people gathered, chanting "no to fascism" and "we are for a world without war." This incident aroused a very aggressive mood in Vasya's company. When you talk with him on the topic of fascism for more than five minutes, it becomes clear that this topic for him "sick". His mood becomes very aggressive, and he constantly repeats that if he ever meets a skin on the street, he will certainly approach him with any question, without hiding that he is a straight tager. In other words, provoke him into a fight or simply “lower” him. It should be said that straightage is not a pacifist subculture at all. And Vasya himself had to participate in fights and brawls:

“After the concerts at Tochka, Vova and I got hit in the neck a couple of times by skins, but we never had to humiliate ourselves in front of them. When a year ago we arranged a concert for our friends in "Relax", at the exit after the concert a dozen skins were waiting for us; there were twelve of us. The condition for leaving the club was that we must kiss the grinder [skinhead shoes - approx. author] their leader. Of course, the guys who were with me were very scared, it was understandable, since they had never encountered skins on the street, who came specifically to put us down. But we did not let ourselves be offended. I and a few guys - Vova, Misha and Oleg - immediately attacked the first two standing skins. A scuffle ensued. One of the skins took out a knife and cut my friend's jacket. Thank God, there were no injuries - the valiant police arrived in time and scared the Nazis away. In the mentovka, too, had a hard time. After such attacks, the police take away not only skins, but also our ages, because. takes them for punks, hippies, etc. They don't care, they see some incomprehensible crosses on clothes, tattoos, informal clothes and think that they are punk. And punk is always against society, this is the social stereotype.”

As for clothing, everyone in Vasya's party is dressed approximately the same, emphasizing their belonging to an aggressive genre of music and aggressive sports. Of the ten people who attended the "turnip" in the basement on the outskirts of Moscow, all wore wide trousers, snowboarding jackets, sweaters with a hood ("kenguryatka"). Preference is given to skating companies specializing in clothing for extreme sports. Shoes - special sneakers (sneakers) for a skateboard. Almost all of them have “tunnel” piercings in their ears (large earrings that are inserted into a hole in their ears, stretching it). Many have tattoos with the sXe emblem on their bodies. Figure 45 shows the most common tattoo templates (photos from http://bmezine.com). Straitagers wear DRUG FREE or POISON FREE on their T-shirts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be said that straightage is a subculture that fights the vices of humanity in open and active ways. Their message to society can be expressed in one phrase: man is the crown of creation, man with capital letter"Ch", a beautiful, harmonious creature, but only when his mind is not clouded by drugs, depression, laziness and false theories.

A person who stopped drinking and smoking

acquires that mental clarity and calmness of sight,

which from a new true side illuminates for him all the phenomena of life.

L. Tolstoy

History and definition

(from English - "clear line", abbreviated as sXe) - an offshoot of the hardcore subculture that arose as a reaction to the sexual revolution, excessive hedonism and other lack of restraint associated with punk rock.

Like most subcultures, sXe emerged as an emanation of a musical genre. Punk rock, which became almost the embodiment of filth and vice in America in the seventies, suddenly acquired a counter-movement, which after a while was called straight edge.

Origin of the name and symbolism

The phrase (consisting of “straight”, i.e. “straight”, and “edge”, i.e. “edge”, “line”) can be translated as “straight line”, but in everyday life this expression means a ruler . Roughly speaking, becoming a straightedger, a person tests the strength of his beliefs.

One of the symbols of the Straight Edge movement was the cross (X). Initially, at the entrance to the clubs, the guards put a cross on the hand of minors with paint that was difficult to wash off. In the presence of a cross, the bartender did not have the right to sell alcohol to a teenager. So straightedgers began to get tattoos in the form of crosses on their hands to show that they deliberately refuse alcohol.

What's the point

Straightedge- this is something like a well-known healthy lifestyle, however, sXe aims not only to keep their body healthy, but also believe that the rejection of alcohol, drugs and promiscuity will protect not only the body from decay, but also the spirit and consciousness. In which they are infinitely right. Only freedom from addiction can make a person really a person, and not a slave to his desires. When you are free from drugs (including nicotine, alcohol and caffeine), you do not have chains that keep you in the kennel of capitalism, you are freer financially and freer morally. This means that global social upheavals are much easier to endure, you are more resilient, you will never find yourself in a situation where you will suffer from the impossibility of access to such substances. Ridding oneself of the simplest physical way of escaping, a person is permanently in reality and learns to solve problems rationally, without resorting to alcohol and drugs. Desire to get rid of your consciousness, to return to the soft and simple bosom of nature, to become back a beast, not thinking, indifferent, not constrained public laws and morality, the inability to show their emotions - one of the reasons why we have such phenomena as alcoholism and drug addiction.

Subculture and veganism

It is believed that veganism and vegetarianism are part of the straight edge ideology. Actually it is not. The rejection of ASF and the protection of animal rights is just an ideology that runs in parallel. A lot of straight tagers are vegans, however, unfortunately, not every person has the will and enough compassion. For if giving up drugs is a selfish act, merely ridding oneself of obvious illnesses and clouding the mind, then the desire not to be involved in violence against other beings, not to sponsor a murder, to know that you do not have blood on your hands is a thing that is reflected only on the conscience and humanity of man.

Subculture and religion

It is also worth dispelling the opinion that straight edge is certainly atheism. This subculture is tolerant of all religions and does not condemn any of them.

However, no matter how harmless and immaculate the sXe subculture may seem, in the nineties, at the zenith of its development, it turned into an aggressive, persecuting dissident movement of people who considered the absence of their slavery to a couple of addictions the greatest virtue - hardliners (hardliners)