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April 24, 2008

Straight Edge Merch

Here's a list of some SxE Merch websites i've found, some I've bought stuff from, some I haven't. If you like stuff from these shops or hate their designs comment here. If you know of other's I've missed as well, let me know and I'll update this list.

StraightEdge Merch, Clothing, T-Shirts, Hoodies, Books, Videos, Music:
Victory Records : Music & shirts
1981 Records : Shirts, hoodies & music
Until Industries : Until's main site, they have some cool drug free designs
Until on merchnow.com : Until's merchnow site
merchnow.com : merchnow.com clothing
Bridge Nine : Great music & shirts
Living on the Straight Edge ~ Clothing : My own straight edge clothing designs on cafepress
Gruesome Graphics Straight Edge Store : A nice cafepress shop
Living on the Straight Edge ~ Media : Music, dvds, books about Straight Edge and Hardcore
24 Clothing : Nice SxE clothing line
District Lines : Shirts, some are pretty ugly

April 12, 2008

Straight Edge is NOT a Gang

Overall the NGC documentary "Inside Straight Edge" tried to show multiple angles of our community, but I felt that despite the varying views the concentration still leaned towards the idea that Straight Edge is a gang. I understand that the documentarians didn't specify that it was specifically, but they gave focus to those that said that it was, or was becoming that.

Sure, there are those that are Straight Edge and are violent, but pretty much they only beat up drug dealers, drunks and those that start fights with them. I bet that some start fights, and probably do stupid things, most kids do stupid things (like get drunk and do drugs.) But most Straight Edge people are positive and that is the kind of focus that the documentary should have taken. Interview people that are SxE and do great things for our world. Talk about what it's like to be a part of the SxE world, how do girls feel about the community, talk to SxE kids that start drug-free programs for their schools, or SxE kids that grow up into adults that have families and love being Straight Edge.

They put a lot of emphasis on a single murder of a gang (not that I believe that any murder even just one is allowable) that didn't have to confront SxE kids that were saying stupid things. I'm sure that the gang he belonged to killed people and sold drugs.

One thing I thought was very thought provoking was the idea that there are college fraternities that are full of organized people that do very harmful things (not all, but some as in SxE and everything else.) I've read many stories about frats that gang rape women, sell drugs, commit crimes. Shouldn't frats now be targeted as gangs? Anyone with greek letters should be stopped by police and searched for drug paraphenalia. SxE kids don't drink underage or do drugs, but I know that frats give alchohol to underage kids and smoke pot. But I guess since it's done while at an institution of higher learning it's okay and everyone knows that a little drug and alchohol abuse is fine, look at our fearless Commander in Theif as a prime example of what good comes of cocaine and alcohol.

I guess it would be very fair to do a documentary that starts with the tagline "Christianity, has it gone too far? Some have now formed gangs like the KKK, and then there are those church going Catholic mobsters in New Jersey, the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, look at how many people have died at the hands of the Christian Gang!"