Presentor

Miguel Alcaraz

Sociology 142

Rethinking Subcultural Resistance: Core Values of the Straight Edge Movement

 

Ross Haenfler emphasizes the core values of the subculture movement by stating the experiences and witnesses he has encountered. The sXers, which is short for straight edge, derive from a punk organization, which promotes abstinence to sex, alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs. The movement is mainly composed of teenagers and young adults. The X is symbol that unites and promotes their willingness to stay together has been the key of the foundation.  Many of the followers of the sXers admit that resisting to the bad habits of society encourages them to focus on other important issues like the environment and animal rights. One way the straight edger's fight for a cause is by wearing shirts or inking their body with logos that say, "It's OK Not to Drink" or "True till Death". Overall the straight edge subculture message is to get young people to think clearly without any use of a substance and for people to use their intelligence to make a difference.

 

Free Spaces, Collective Identity, and the Persisence of U.S. White Power Activism.

 

The article adopts three type of free space ideologies which trigger the movement of the white power movement (WPM) and they are indigenous, transmovement and prefigurative. When the WPM are able to get together and deliberately express their rituals and practices it is known as prefigurative. The WPM wants to be able to express the same freedoms that others have. Several branches of the WPM evoke the practice of homeschooling and other small gatherings because this enables them to spread and strengthen their beliefs. By gathering and strengthening within the circle it creates for the development of indigenous. The third ideology is transmovement and involves the whole WPM branches to get together in a huge reunion, which makes each individual realize that they are not alone, and to keep being loyal to the movement. The WPM want to reinforce their movement in anyway possible in order to get there message to their peers. Overall the key components of article are prefigurative, transmovement, and indigenous.