My speech today stems out of my personal protest against some of the frequently asked questions that is always directed to me. Questions such as “Do you drink alcohol?”, “ Do you smoke?” etc, etc.
So in line with that, my topic for today is “I’ve got the Straight Edge!”. Now let me ask the audience a question, how many of you know or heard of Straight Edge before?
I know many people actually assume that Straight Edge is related to a person’s sexual orientation but let me clear up your perception – Straight Edge is not what the majority think it is. Straight Edge is a lifestyle of choice. This movement exploded in 1980s as a protest against the experimenting and hippie movements of 1960s and 1970s, when the band Minor Threat, led by Ian MacKaye actually put out a track called “Straight Edge” in 1981. It was very straightforward and had its roots to the hardcore punk rock scene while maintaining self-control and conservative values. The song only lasted for 46 seconds but it was the inspiration for the subculture movement. It is based on simple rules – don’t drink alcohol, don’t do drugs, no promiscuous sex and don’t smoke. It’s a reaction to perceived out of control world, against the modern culture of pushing alcohol, tobacco and drugs to a person. This is not an organization – you just have to live it, a way of life. Ian Mackaye once told this about Straight Edge:
"I don't accept straight edge as a movement. Doesn't mean people who do are wrong or dumb. I see people as people. In my mind, celebration of an individual's right to choose his or her of like way of living. The problem with movements is that it movements starts to lose I think quite often sight of humanity or individual or human being."
And I totally agree with him 100%!
As the movement grew, it incorporated many other beliefs and ideas such as vegetarianism, religion aspects, anti-racism and the more militant stance through groups like Friends Stand United (FSU) and Courage Crew, known for their violence against drug dealers and members of anti-Straight Edge movement.
Personally, I came across this movement through punk rock music. When I was younger, I really loved punk and grunge music and like any other young adult in this room, Kurt Cobain was my hero. I listened to a lot of punk bands such as The Offspring, Green Day, Rancid, Blink-182, Sum 41 and Billy Talent. Let me clear one thing – Simple Plan and Bowling For Soup are not punk bands, they’re just lame. As I did more research on punk rock music, I realized that there was a movement which holds on to the beliefs that I hold on to yet it is really relevant at the current modern age. I first came across the term Straight Edge when I was 18 years old but didn’t really pay attention to it. However, about 2 years ago I decided that Straight Edge is definitely the lifestyle for me.
I’ve been asked why Straight Edge? Firstly because I wanted to be part of Straight Edge of its positive values – values like self-respect, loyalty and love. You can enjoy music and modern world while sticking to your moral values. I just wanted a normal life cause I knew I will not fit in the so-called party scene due to my background, culture and belief. I was not thought of these things, be it in my family, school or church.
Secondly, I realized all these influences were getting people into trouble and personally for me, I didn't have look far to get convinced. Some of the incidents that happened to my close ones were enough to get me in line. The first one would be the death of my grandfather due to lung cancer because he was a chain smoker - which was a big impact because he died at my family's place and practically me and my dad took care of him till his death. Then I had two my best friends who got into drunk-driving accidents - one guy is now permanently disabled while the other is dead. I've also had two family members who are part of the prison system due to murder cases and guess what? They were either high on drugs or drunk when they committed these human less acts. It gives me the motivation not to throw away my life by being a wash-out or druggie. We have seen how successful people, be it artist, businessman and sportsman getting involved with drugs and alcohol or drugs, which destroyed their career. Examples would be my hero, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Diego Maradona, Janis Joplin and Jimie Hendrix.
Thirdly is because I believe the current lifestyle that we have is bad enough. With all the pollution around us – the air that we breath, the water that we drink, the food that we eat and just the way our daily we live our life is unhealthy enough. I believe that I don’t need to add more misery to what is actually at its lowest compared to the earlier generation. And personally, with the current situation I’m in, overweight and a heavy eater – it’s just a matter of time before I get some kind of diseases. And I don’t want to fast forward the whole process by indulging into unhealthy activities further.
The fourth point why I chose Straight Edge is because I feel getting involved those activities burns quite a big hole in your pocket. Well, let’s do a simple maths equation – an average smoker buys 1 box of cigarettes per day, times that with 30 days in a month. That’s RM300.00 per month! Now when it comes to alcohol, all I can say is the costs is definitely higher – but to some, it provides a higher level of happiness. Personally, I would rather spend that amount of money on something else, be it on outdoor activities, music, movies, charities or travelling, rather than for a short-lived joy or satisfaction.
The last reason why I chose Straight Edge is very straight forward and simple – I just want to be different! I want to live a lifestyle which is different than 90% of the youths or young working adults out there… and at the same time be different than some who think that they are forced to stay away from such activities or products due to their religion or teaching. Yes, I admit, my religion and background is definitely a pillar in my life. But I made this conscious decision stay away from all these. I made the decision. Trust me, it’s not easy to stay this way. You must have a very strong willpower - especially when you’re around my age. You turn up to any event and 99% chances are you are going to find alcohol at the event. But this is the challenge I’ve prepared to face and I’m pretty much enjoying it.
So after all said and done, I'm not saying I'm better than anyone in this room. My conclusion is don't judge a book by its cover. Just because someone looks a certain way or is from a certain background, that doesn't mean they do what the rest does. At the end of the day, every book has its own storyline. And before I go, I would like to end my speech by reading out a quote from Straight Edge poster boy, Mr. Ian MacKaye himself:
"You just think about it. I don't actually question why, I might say why not? Give me a reason. All that matters really is what I do. Now if you're doing something self-destructive, I would step out of concern. But it's not for me to decide what people should do beyond that."
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