Anti-Raver Diatribe
1Aug2003 Filed under: Narrative Non-FictionForgot about this essay I wrote almost three years ago. It’s a study in slightly bad writing and disillusionment.
Let’s face the truth: at its worst, the beloved rave scene is nothing more than a bunch of kids on drugs dancing along crooked paths of self discovery/delusion in huge rotting warehouses. Then there’s some guy who thinks he’s a musician because he can spin two records at the same time, playing beats that are not always good, but are always loud. Promoters skulk around the edges of the room counting their money, and I leave feeling like I’ve wasted my time and energy, embarrassed by my own adopted family.
2 Responses to “Anti-Raver Diatribe”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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richy
October 18th, 2004 at 1:30 pm
fuck that it’s not all about drugs the music and all of our friends is what draws to the raves fuck that i don’t even do drugs like e or meth or all that jazz i smoke pot and drink thats it i still go to raves it’s like im addicted to them or somthing i have no idea y i keep going back but all i know is i love them and it’s not drugs that i go for mabye that is the reason some ppl go but not all of us ravers have their own culture filled with muisc friends dancing no matter who u are u fit in theirs no dress code no certian way to act to be cool just being there is enough so if u don’t like ravers fine but at least go to one rave to say u don’t like it don’t ust post crap about us and how we are all druggies kuz uve heard from one raver that is not like your stupid sterotype.
sincerly: The wunder that is DJ Scrichey
Peace, Love, Unity and Respect (these are the rules we follow)
Ariel
October 18th, 2004 at 1:42 pm
Listen, you should probably have taken a couple minutes to read my bio before you went assuming that I hate raves. You see, I spent four years editing a national rave magazine. I’ve attended literally hundreds of raves all over the country. I’ve written about raves since 1996. Raving changed my life in every possible way, introducing me to both a career and my now-husband.
I’ve spent a decade (a THIRD OF MY LIFE!) as a member of the rave community and it’s been amazing. That said, I’m not blind: I can see the flaws and shortcomings of the community. And sometimes I talk about it. It’s healthy to think critically about your community. That’s how communities grow and change. PLUR and critical thought are not mutually exclusive.
So, just a caution: before you go posting rants a personal web page, take a couple seconds to educate yourself about the writer behind the words. In this case, you made some really pretty off-base assumptions.