Straight Edge Life

I received an email this morning from “a worried mom”, a straight edge life visitor. She’s digs the idea of straight edge but is a bit concerned about the whole tattoo thing. What follows is my response. Almost verbatim… I thought you might be interested.

There’s a pretty big difference between the straight edge scene and the straight edge philosophy. The scene comes with all the typical earmarks that help a kid who hasn’t found their own identity “define” themselves. The tattoos, the music, even the typical clothing uniform of punk and hardcore music fans. But the philosophy itself isn’t tied to those things. The philosophy is about living a clean life and keeping your head, body and soul free of intoxicants. Healthy.

It might be worth trying to explain the difference to your kid. But it’s worth considering other aspects of the scene first… The music, although loud, hard and fast is surprisingly positive. The clothing, although ugly at times, is a fad and harmless. The hair… well, it will grow back and change back to it’s natural color eventually. So I wouldn’t bug your kid about those. No matter how much they don’t fit your taste. But about tattoos… it’s easier to see that as a line in the sand. They are permanent.

I don’t have tattoos, not because of any philosophical opposition to them, just because. The only complaint I hear about them from many of my friends who do have them is that you have to be really careful about where you get them on your body. It IS actually harder to get jobs with visible tattoos. Becoming a part straight edge shouldn’t hamper your future financial stability. But like I said, it’s a placement issue. Tattoos certainly aren’t a requisite for the straight edge scene and definitely not if you simply subscribe to the philosophy alone. Personally I feel like the strength and personal identity that the straight edge philosophy gives you makes the scene of straight edge itself irrelevant. Does that make sense? When you are strong and clean and smart you don’t need a scene. And that’s what straight edge is about. Strength.