I'm going to start this off by letting you know that no, I"m not trying to insult anyone, it's just something that I realized. A couple days ago a guy sat down on a pool table infront of me. He was wearing a over sized black sweater with 'Drug Free' written on the front and 'sXe' writtenon the back. So, it was pretty obvious that he was straight edge. Of course, I don't have a problem with anyone that is sXe, they're making good choices, keeping themselves clean... why would I have a problem? But I did have a problem with two things about him. Looking at his ears, they were gauged, stretched to have a hole about 1/2inch wide. All right, I can deal with that. But what really got me annoyed was when he rolled up his sweater's sleeve to show off his new tattoo; covering most of his forarm. Now, this is what's been bothering me, to most/some people, being straight edge is all about keeping your body clean... staying pure... what I'd like to know, is how is shoving a 1/2inch plug into your ear, keeping your body clean? how is that respecting your body, something that apparently most sXe people are about. Not only that, but the tattoo... getting ink injected into your skin for hours on end can't be staying too pure... you can't be respecting your body too much...call it art? I'm thinking something more along the lines of graffiti. One of my favourite oxymorons is an 'Edge Tattoo' kinda defeating the purpose of staying clean, aren't ch'yea? I mean, ya sure in the "rules" it's no drugs, no drinking, and to some, no sex before marriage... but to others it's all about keeping the body clean, making sure your body's clean... well, in a sense, isn't a tattoo or a piercing disrespecting it... I mean, poking holes, and injecting ink into your self is pretty much graffiti, tell me... how isn't it? Don't people get arrested for making holes in buildings and painting them? Ya, building and bodies aren't the same.... but isn't a temple a building? And aren't you supposed to treat your body like a temple? /end rant