When STRAIGHT EDGE Walked The Earth
So sxe has all but died out in Europe and is it any wonder? Its
popularity was established as a trend rather than as a movement
and so of course people are going to find it difficult to hold
on to something so superficial. Maybe we need to be reminded
that straight edge ethics are actually very radical,
revolutionary and progressive. Being straight edge means I am
saying no to some of the most manipulative devices that the
Powers use to keep us from being free individuals. They want to
drug us into ignorance and passivity. They want us to have
artificially constructed desires and to make us forget our
desire for freedom. They want to make money from these
constructed desires.

All the above things concern me of course but lately I have been
becoming more and more conscious of STRAIGHT EDGE AS A FEMINST
CHOICE. The feminist aspect is mostly about alcohol but I will
mention the ëdonít fuckí aspect very quickly first. 



DONíT FUCK
When I first heard Ian MacKayeís lyrics I really was impressed
to hear a man talking about sexuality in a responsible way for a
change. The truth is that men are taught to be consumers of
sexuality and consumers of women in the same way as they are
taught to consume everything else in capitalist society. More
recently of course women have been brainwashed the same way. We
do not learn how to interact with other human beings, we learn
how to use peopleís bodies and forget that those bodies are part
of a complete individual. Men with this attitude behave
hatefully toward women and occasionally they need to have their
behaviour pointed out to them if they are ever going to try to
behave differently. Sexual consumerism poisons all interactions
between women and men. It is also another way men gain power
over women in our patriarchal society.

NB. The purpose of this article is to put forward my belief that
alcohol is solely destructive. I am not advocating any kind of a
ban on alcohol.



DONíT DRINK
Alcohol has one purpose. A friend of mine recently pointed out
the one possibly positive aspect of intoxication ‚ the fact that
we all occasionally need to temporarily escape from ourselves to
stay sane in our mad world. The way I see it though, we have
healthier ways of doing this and at any rate I cannot think of a
single person I have come across who has a moderate approach to
using alcohol as a temporary escape in this way. I have however
come across many forms of alcoholism.



VOMIT ON THE STREETS OF LONDON
I live in an alcoholic society. Sometimes I think that almost
everyone in Britain is alcoholic. The whole of working class
culture is built on having a drink in the pub in the evening.
Pubs are not for meeting people or spending time with friends.
In a pub or bar one is constantly pressured to drink alcohol and
to have more and more of it. Living in Britain is very expensive
yet people spend huge proportions of their income on drink.
Often of course they are getting drunk because they are
depressed about their financial problems! 



VIOLENCE ON THE STREETS OF LONDON
For the record, I do know that alcohol does not create violence.
Alcohol simply brings out the truth; it uncovers the emotions we
usually keep under controls. Some people are jolly drunks, some
are affectionate drunks, some are loud & obnoxious drunks, some
are sad drunks. The most visible drunkenness for most of us
though is probably violent drunkenness. Every Saturday night on
every high street in Britain there are men of various ages whose
lives are full of repressed fury. They have been raised to live
down to masculine stereotypes of toughness and power-seeking.
All their artificial desires are constantly frustrated (as they
are supposed to be if we are to continue to spend money on
satisfying them). The only emotions they have learned to express
are destructive ones. So obviously the problem goes deeper than
just alcohol, but as long as people use alcohol as a crutch, an
outlet, and an escape they will never find constructive,
positive solutions to their problems. 



PROFITING FROM MISERY AND VIOLENCE
Most of us have probably had bad or even horrible experiences
with drunk people. Some of you may have even been raised by one
or more alcoholics and lived in constant dread of what happens
when a family member starts drinking. Drinking drains family
incomes. Drinking turns people we love into violent monsters
beyond the reach of reason or sense. Drinking is a huge factor
in peopleís (letís be honest; usually menís) violence against
their partners and children. Alcohol is the number one drug used
by men to date rape women. The manufacturers of alcohol know all
of this. They really do not care.



PROFITING FROM RAPE
The definition of ërapeí should be made clear before we go any
further. Many people still do not know what rape is. Rape is
when someone manipulates or forces someone to have sex without
their full consent. Rape can happen even when the rapist
believes that the other person has consented. Everyone has the
responsibility to clarify their sexual boundaries and their
partnerís sexual boundaries. If one partner wants to limit the
sexual boundaries at any point the other person must respect
this; no exceptions. Being drunk is not an excuse for crossing
someoneís boundaries. 

I see the production of alcoholic drinks as overall an evil and
unethical industry. Alcohol capitalists make their profits by
selling something which is chemically a poison. This poison is
used by people to make themselves insensible and while they are
drunk this generally prevents them from taking a positive role
in the world. A drunk person is at best a passive consumer and
at worst a thug, rapist and committer of domestic violence.
Alcohol advertising revels in sexism and misogyny. Drinking will
make you more feminine and more masculine. Drinking will enhance
your ability to be a sexual consumer. Alcohol will get you laid.
Alcohol companies are perfectly aware of the use of alcohol as a
date rape drug and they market their product to men with the
promise of sexual results. 

Personally I find it shocking that so few campaigns exist to
inform women of the dangers of drinking. Right now there is a
pretty good poster campaign in bars in London warning women
about accepting drinks from strange men or leaving their drinks
unattended because of the use of drugs like Rohipnol. Men
drugging women however is relatively rare. Men using alcohol as
a date rape drug is common and accepted because of course no one
acknowledges that this is what is happening. The only campaign I
have ever heard of about this was by the Womenís Campaign of the
National Union of Students in the UK. New students at UK
Universities are constantly pushed to drink when they first
arrive and most end up drinking to excess. Many women end up
having drunken sex in this situation which often is not safe
and/or fully consensual. Unfortunately the NUS Womenís Campaign
attempts could never achieve a very high profile in the face of
all the pro-drinking propaganda. Many studentís unions only
survive on the profits from the alcohol in their bars. 



THINK ABOUT IT
Every alcohol manufacturer in the world
Every bar in the world 
Every bar employee in the world

Ömust get some percentage of their profits from the use of
alcohol to rape women.
Ömust get some percentage of their profits from people who beat
up their partners and children while under the influence.
Ömust get some percentage of their profits from alcoholics who
drink themselves to death.

This is the industry you are supporting when you buy alcohol. 

I do not feel smug to be straight edge. I feel sad and
frustrated about the effects that intoxication has had on the
world and has every day. I also feel afraid for my own safety
when I walk streets where drunk people are likely to lash out
with violence against me or my friends at any time. 



IN A WORLD WITHOUT ALCOHOL
There would be one less excuse for rape.
There would be one less tool for rapists.
Many more people would be forced to confront their demons. 
Just think of the relative peace in our streets and homesÖ