Felt like they were on the rage as I was finishing high school, but now they’re nowhere to be seen.

I’d wager most of you haven’t even heard the term ‘straight-edge’ in months, or possibly years.

  • blarghly@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    I mean, I never really heard about straight edge anyway. It was something someone would talk about every once in a while 15 years ago. My guess, though -

    Straight edge started off as a cool way to say “I’m a drug addict in recovery”, which was cloaked in a thin veil of justification about how taking care of your mind and body was the first best step towards dismantling oppressive systems of power.

    But pretty quickly, the term got co-opted by teens who were scared to drink at parties because their mom might get mad, and/or Tumblr-style online activists who base their whole identity around vices they don’t engage in. Which kinda kills any amount of cool the term had to begin with.

    And of course, there is the very obvious fact that billions of people around the world regularly consume moderate amounts of drugs and alcohol on a reasonable schedule, while continuing to function in their roles as workers, hobbyists, friends, partners, parents, and yes, activists. Having a couple beers every other Saturday isn’t the reason Trump won the election. And even if you don’t like the hangover - or just don’t like alcohol - there are plenty of other drugs you can take recreationally with the same or different effects which give you less of a hangover.

    Finally, it just isn’t that hard to say “nah, I’m good” when someone offers you a beer or whatever. You don’t need to come up with a special word, make it part of your identity, or get tattoos about it. Outside of a social scene where intentionally self-destructing is seen as virtuous, everyone understands that some people sometimes just don’t want to indulge for any number of reasons.

    • spizzat2@lemmy.zip
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      3 hours ago

      by teens who were scared to drink at parties because their mom might get mad

      I’ve never felt so seen (scene?).

      Seriously, though, I fell victim to a lot of DARE propaganda, and I avoided alcohol (and other drugs) for a looong time. I never considered myself “straight edge” because it sounds so cringe, but I guess I fit the definition at the time.

      Now, I partake in moderation, and it’s not really a problem.