Labeling Yourself Straightedge
Hey, I have respect for you "straightedgers" but I have always wondered why do you call yourself straightedgers? To me it's just putting a label on yourself. Hey, I'm against drugs and drinking but if someone wants to have sex before marriage than that is their own business a lot of my friends are "straightedge" and yes I listen to straightedge music such as Botch, Ten Yard Fight, Earth Crisis, Snapcase and others but why give yourself a name?
To answer your question about labeling one's self
"straightedge," I would first ask you to consider the purpose of any label. For instance, why do some people call themselves Christians, and others Muslims, and others Jews, etc.? The answer is that those labels tell you about a person's beliefs. If I say I am Christian, you automatically know that I believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and that I believe in his teachings. I don't have to explain to you that I believe these things. You know them already because you know what being a Christian entails. Now apply this to the label
"straightedge." If I tell you I am straightedge, you automatically know that I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or have promiscuous sex. I don't have to explain to you that I abstain from these things. The label tells you that. So when you get right down to it, labeling one's self
straightedge is a matter of convenience. It's a quick and simple label that explains to you some things about my lifestyle. There's nothing wrong with such a label. It just makes things a little easier, that's all.
I hope this answers your question.
