After I finished reading Noah Yoo’s “Letter to the Editor: ‘Being Responsible Isn’t Enough Anymore’”, I was incredibly eager to see how people responded. I scrolled down to the comments and the first thing I saw was: “you can’t blame a scene for a few individuals bad decisions. It’d be like boycotting the phrase “sex, drugs and rock and roll”. Who ever wrote this is a fucking retard.” I was f***ing furious.
If we’re going to keep perpetuating that EDM is a family, we need to realize that by not speaking up, we are equally responsible for these tragedies. For a while I held the de facto attitude of “It’s their decision, I’m not responsible,” but after the string of deaths and OD’s this weekend, I realized that isn’t an acceptable state of mind anymore.
I get that it’s an incredibly awkward position to put yourself in to tell someone they’re making the wrong decisions. It’s uncomfortable to say the least. But I can honestly say I’m legitimately shocked at the number of people who think it’s acceptable to take molly in any situation – particularly at festivals/shows, and at this point we can’t sit idly by. Now I’m not asking you to go around handing out anti-drug propaganda at festivals or report everyone to security. What I am telling you is that once you enter those gates, doors, etc. you become responsible. You become responsible for your decisions, your friends’ decisions, and the decisions of people around you.
The last thing I’m here to do is to drag anyone through the mud or pour salt on the wound, but I sincerely hope the friends’ who were in attendance with the people who suffered these unfortunate fates have learned something from this experience. And it’s not just them, it’s US as a community that need to learn from these unfortunate occurrences.
We as individuals have more influence over each other than we realize. Our first thought shouldn’t be “They’ll just tell me to fuck off, so what’s the point” INTERJECT PEOPLE! Let someone know that what they’re doing can have immense consequences, and hell, tell them they SHOULDN’T DO IT. Until we decide to take and stand and speak up, we are as much at fault for these people’s deaths as we are for our own decisions.
So to my fellow ravers, I want you to try two things. 1.) Try talking to someone who’s considering taking drugs at a show. Maybe it’s a friend, maybe a complete stranger, but just ask them to think about what they’re doing and the possible consequences. 2.) If you frequently take drugs at shows/festivals, try experiencing a show or festival completely 100% sober. Just try it. Although you probably won’t have the same experience, if you’re truly going to experience the artist(s) you love, I can guarantee you that you will have a great couple of hours/days. It’s our job as a family to support each other, and a large part of support is speaking up even when it’s hard to do.
Note from the editor: This editorial was written and submitted by Carter Schuld for WhiteRaverRafting.com.
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