Straight Edge

"A group of fags who want the look of hardcore kids, but dont [sic]have the balls to do anything fun. So they put X's on their hands to show everyone that they truely[sic], [sic]do, in-fact[sic], need to die."
- Sam Elwood

This is most people's view on what straight edge(hereby referred to as sxe) is. They think that sxe kids are either good churchgoing kids trying to impress their parents, or they are jealous that they aren't old enough to partake in alcohol/other shit, or they just "don't know how to have fun." In fact, I used to think pretty much all of the above. "Why would anybody be sxe?" I often found myself asking. "Drugs and shit are just plain fun. What, do they hate fun?"

But over time, I began having less fun. When I went to parties, I frequently refused alcohol. I spent less time with kids who were always fucked up. I began to see drugs and alcohol as a detriment, rather than a benefit. And that's when I started to consider becoming sxe. It was by no means a quick journey. It took years for me to finally understand what sxe truly was and why people would make it a part of their lives. And (maybe not so) coincidentally, that was around the same time that I started listening to hardcore a lot more. But I did get it eventually, and when I finally became sxe, I found out that it was a lot different than I had thought.

I realized that sxe wasn't about being a "good kid," or staying away from fun things. It was about respect for your body and mind. It was about trying to keep your independence from things that only hurt you in the end. It was about not clouding your judgement with useless trash.

And yes, there are those hardliners that will misinterpret sxe. They hate anyone who isn't sxe and judge everyone. They see sxe as a way to be better than everyone else. And there will be the kids who do it for the image. They'll put X's on their hands and tell everyone about how they are choosing a better path. They want people to like them, or be impressed with them, or some other stupid reason.

But the true sxe kids are the one you don't expect. They don't need to impress anyone and don't need to piss anyone off. They don't do it for the image or anything else. They don't push their views on others and they don't judge you for living differently. Their choice is purely a personal one, done simply because they wish to live a better life.

So no, sxe isn't gay or stupid. It's a lifestyle choice, and if you don't like it, then don't associate with it.

Hardcore: What It Means to Me

Now, let me start off by saying hardcore is certainly not the only genre I like. My tastes in music are not really tied to one specific sound; if I like it, I'll listen to it. Pop, classical, metal, punk, IDM, whatever. But there will always be a special place in my heart for hardcore, and I'd like to try and explain why.

Hardcore is such a widely defined genre that nobody who actively listens to it will like all of it. In fact, usually the opposite. People say they like hardcore, but have to name off a few bands to show what constitutes hardcore to them. There are so many bands out there that define themselves as "hardcore" that sometimes I find myself questioning what true hardcore is(Of course, a quick listen to Violence Violence by Ceremony always reminds me). And although the mainstream will always try to hijack, dilute, and rape it for all it's worth, I feel like they will never succeed.

MTV and VH1 will always ruin people's fun. They played Blink-182 and called it punk. Suddenly, everyone wanted piercings and patches. Job For A Cowboy came along and metal was all the rage. Bands like My Chemical Romance and Forever The Sickest Kids hijacked the "emo" name and created something completely different,something that suburban kids thought they could "relate to." Now, while all these genres have been defiled by numerous bands, I feel like hardcore can't be touched. No matter how many kids listen to H2O or Set Your Goals and call themselves hardcore, I feel like that can't affect me. When I liked punk and people shouted, "OMG Good Charlotte!" I was pissed. I ranted about how if they wanted punk, they should shove a Dead Kennedys album up their ass. When people heard In Flames and started throwing their horns incorrectly (A VERY dangerous thing to do), I nearly shit myself my anger. But I feel like the media can try as it might to take hardcore away from me, but it can never succeed.

Hardcore, for me, was always more about the music. Punks could keep their mohawks and peircings, metalheads had their crazy shows with lights and Pope blood. But we didn't need that. All we needed was a few guitars, a drumkit, and mic, and some seriously pissed off people. People who shouted lyrics that had changed their lives, lyrics that gave them something to believe in, something to fight for. Lyrics that wouldn't forgive and wouldn't forget. Lyrics that cut like barbed wire and smashed into your skull like a foot in a stage dive. Hardcore was not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for the heartless. No, my friends. Hardcore was it. Hardcore the last, best hope of humanity during times of desperation and oppression. Hardcore was us.

And no matter how hard the mainstream tries, no matter how many shit bands they manufacture, they can never take hardcore away from us. Because we won't let them. We don't follow the trends, but we do know this: Other people could never understand what hardcore is to us. And that's why we'll always win.

Why I Hate Christianity And Religion In General

I guess I should start off my blog with something controversial. Something that matters.

"What's wrong with religion? Why are you so hostile?"

It seems that a lot of people I know would not classify themselves as "religious." They don't believe in a God. They don't believe in heaven, hell, or purgatory. They don't go to church and they certainly don't live their lives according to a thousand-year-old book. And while they don't believe in any of these things, they have no problem with those people that do. Live and let live, right?

NO.

The mass-delusion of a God has been a serious detriment to humanity. Religion is perhaps the most effective and long-term inhibition of a species that desperately needs to progress in order to save itself. We are in more danger of destroying our planet than ever before. We cannot afford to live by the superstitions of the past anymore. Global climate change is very dire threat to our planet. Unnecessary wars frequently occur with devastating results. The rich continue to oppress in their disgustingly lavish situations while millions fall to the ground in starvation, never to rise again. The world is in a bad way.

"But this is not all religion's fault."

I agree. While it has certainly started many tragedies, religion is not always the culprit. But what it has done is justified these atrocities. Climate change? "We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming [of Christ] is at hand." (James Watt)Why worry about the polar ice caps melting when Jesus will save us all? Well, what about wars? It is a commonly known fact that religion has started and justified numerous wars. In fact, many religions even encourage its followers to commit horrible acts against non-believers and sinners. 9/11 was not the first religion-inspired tragedy, nor will it be the last. And as far as wealth goes? Well, why do you think that early slave owners in the South forced their slaves to attend church on a regular basis? Because they knew religion sedated them. Religion teaches you to accept your circumstances, no matter how bad they are. Instead of trying to improve life for you and your children, put your faith in God. He will make everything right in due time. Religion pacifies the ignorant and uneducated, and people in power know this.

This is why I am a serious opponent to Christianity, Islam, and any other religion that fosters hatred, blind worship, and praise of ignorance. Until humanity can shed its ridiculous superstitions and fear of the unknown, we will never truly progress. And we have never needed to progress like we do now. If religion continues to infect people's minds and destroy their sense of logic and reason, then the world's situation will only get worse.