Straight edge: A review of a subculture and an examination of its roots in resistance.

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Given arguments that carnivalesque behavior is more a "licensed release" than an attack upon hegemony, the refusal of straight edge youth to participate could form a basis for arguing a position of resistance for the straight edge subculture as a whole. Without giving into the pleasures of the body, the "release of emotions that [makes the population] easier to police in the long term" (Stallybrass et al., 1997, p.296) would be lacking amongst straight edge youth, making them potentially dangerous to the dominant class.

This theory, however, is destroyed by even the most casual of observations into the workings of a straight edge scene -- while the outlet has changed, the release is still there. For most straight edge youths, release occurs through the music that they listen to and through the concerts that they attend. While this release of emotions is less overt than that provided through the traditional, carnivalesque outlet, group activities like moshing and slam dancing provide a safe route for the release of emotions without giving into the pleasures of the body in a more typically carnivalesque way.

A more satisfactory argument for the straight edge subculture's position of resistance involves the concept of the bourgeois body and its "disciplined 'cleanliness'" (Fiske, 1989, p.99). The expropriation of the meanings inherent in this clean and unthreatening "bourgeois sterilized body" is troubling for the dominant class as it is this sterilized body that is "categorically pure enough for it to slip easily into that abstract principle of capital that is itself so uncontaminated as . . . to need no discipline" (Fiske, 1989, p.99). In the same way that "the 'Teddy Boy' expropriation of an upper-class style of dress 'covers' the gap [between classes]" (Clarke et al., 1997, p.104) and is counter-hegemonic in so doing, the expropriation of some of the values of the ideologically dominant transforms them into a counter-hegemonic tool.

It is worth investigating at this point a potential explanation for the rise of the straight edge subculture at this point in history. With obesity and the acceptance of inebriating substances each on the rise (McClam, 2001; Stebbins, 1988, p.133), and with the further normalization of sexual promiscuity, North American culture is moving ever closer to the carnival's "celebration of the grotesque body -- fattening food, intoxicating drink, sexual promiscuity" (Featherstone, 1991, p.79). The grotesque body is in direct opposition with the classical body, and in the formation of the subordinate culture at the time of the original carnivals, the classical body was held up as the ideal while the grotesque body was mostly ignored. This is said to have the effect of transforming "the [body] which is excluded . . . [into] the object of desire" (Featherstone, 1991, p.79) -- effectively, the middle class is attracted to the body whose aspects are unavailable in everyday life. And with everyday life moving closer and closer to a celebration of the grotesque body, more and more people might be expected to possess an attraction toward the classical body, one which places less emphasis on the pleasures of the flesh. This could provide an explanation for the growth of straight edge over the past nineteen years.

Indeed, the rejection of the components of the grotesque body becomes complete with the increasing tendency of those aligning themselves with the straight edge lifestyle to also take on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Almost fifty percent of those interviewed profess to adhere to either vegetarianism or veganism. This being the case, the final pleasure of the grotesque body -- that of fattening foods -- is effectively removed by the dietary choices of many of the subculture's members.

But that is not to say that straight edge is not without its faults -- far from it, in fact. Ian MacKaye has always been quick to acknowledge that straight edge groups are often "extremely 'boy' oriented" (Lahickey, 1997, p.107), and my observations in Ottawa seemed to confirm this statement. The ratio of straight edge males to females in Ottawa was around ten to one, illustrating the increased attraction held by the subculture over males. This disparity between the sexes within the subculture is often attributed to the aggressiveness of the music involved, but it is a disparity that is slowly disappearing. Irwin's analysis of straight edge, for instance, found that at the hardcore concerts he observed, "females and males [were] equally represented in the crowd" (Irwin, 1999, p.367) Also, since moving to Toronto, I have not met many other straight edge youths, but the majority of those that I have met have been female. So perhaps this disparity between the sexes will evolve out of the subculture as it continues to mature.

Also, there is an unfortunate sense of one-upmanship amongst some members of straight edge groups that results in an unfortunate stigma being attached to drug-free youth in general. As a personal example, I was ostracized as a snob by some individuals in my residence after they discovered that I was straight edge. Incidents like this are frequent, and occur largely due to the words and actions of a small minority of straight edge youths who vocally hold themselves above those who use drugs and alcohol. It is also this small minority that is responsible for almost all of the media coverage garnered by the straight edge subculture regarding attacks upon smokers and altercations with members of fraternities. From its beginnings, straight edge was always a matter of personal choice, and, for this reason, those who try to force their views upon others using violence are universally referred to as "hate edge" and are rejected by the rest of the subculture.

In conclusion, through its expropriation of upper-class values, the straight edge subculture blurs the lines between the subordinate and dominant classes to take a place alongside the "Teddy Boys" in a position of counter-hegemonic resistance. In finding a voice within popular culture, there is a hope that "the values promulgated by [the Straight Edge] subculture may subject the larger youth culture to re-evaluation and change" (Irwin, 1997, p.369), and as the subculture continues to grow, it could gain the potential to subject even the mass culture as a whole to similar re-evaluation and change.

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