Ross Haenfler

****I originally wrote this review for Amazon. I've edited it slightly*****

I had high expectations for this one, but I think ultimately, the book fails both in its depiction of the straight edge scene AND as an academic text.

On the academic end of things, Haenfler attempts to analyze straight edge by trying to fit it into the contours of some pretty dubious social theory. However, since he doesn't offer ANY ARGUMENTS for the social theory (which is basically just cribbed from standard sources...Judith Butler...seriously?...this is the kind of thing that makes Choke cry) I have no reason to believe any of it is true.

The author makes large scale social constructivist assumptions about masculinity/femininity but doesn't really attempt to justify or provide reasons for his theoretical apparatus, he just lists some sources.

Maybe they don't demand rigorous argumentation in sociology departments or maybe there's something I'm missing, but it seems like the author's expectation was that readers would share some common set of theoretical underpinnings thus making the need to argue for his theoretical apparatus beside the point.

The end result of all this is this: we learn that straight edge boys are generally "progressive" young men who need to be a little nicer to the girls. If we just made more "protected space" for them at shows they'd be there in droves waiting in line to join us in a rousing chorus of cumbayah.

Now, one might've thought that even if the social theory is bunk there could be some good/veridical historical or exegetical stuff (ala American Hardcore, where, although the author's main thesis is bogus there's some much other cool stuff that the book remains worthwhile).

Well, unfortunately this is not the case. On the more general SEHC history/exegesis, the author basically shows his true colors. He grew up in South Dakota and didn't go to many shows. He didn't really get involved in HC on a serious level until after he was in grad school in the mid 90s. Even then it was in Colorado, which we all know is not exactly a paradigmatic representation of what's generally been a very coastal phenomena. So we get a history lesson from a dude who spent his formative years listening to STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART and the rest of his time in a relatively small, isolated, young scene.
This suggests that Haenfler may not've been in the best position to offer insight into straight edge as a general phenomena. Imagine a guy attempting to write a social history of baseball who grew up in Japan and visited the US for a week a few years ago. I think you'd get a similar effect.… (más)