Raving mad

 Something good happened for The Vista this week. We learned that more people read the paper then we tend to believe. This was evident due to the amount of feedback I received from an article about excessive drug use at raves. This article upset many students who attend raves and use drugs. One of the posts on The Vista website was, “Ignorance. Pure ignorance. No hard evidence. No data.” In my opinion (as I will so kindly state as everyone believes that this article belonged in the opinion section) I do not think hard evidence is needed to make an observation that is right in front of our faces. I have personally seen friends waste their lives away on ecstasy. This is evidence in itself to support what this drug is capable of. 

Taking ecstasy is supposed to make you one with the music. It allows you to really “feel” the beats. When one has to rely on a drug to make the music better I think the music looses a little credibility. I remember going to punk shows as a teenager completely sober. I would mosh and have a great time, knowing this band wasn’t going much further than the stage they were on. I guess moshing was my compensation for the lack of good music. Now, punk is pretty much dead. This is something I hope the electronic scene does not end up falling victim to since I have a respect for DJ’s and their contribution to new styles of music. I just hope that the music and scene will not continue to revolve around drugs.

Mr. Tuttle obviously embraces the genre of music if he is attending a festival such as HARD. He is only upset that raves are focused on drugs and not music. The fact that he uses a metaphor to compare people who over-indulge in drugs to that of an insect is not offensive in my eyes. It is sad when someone gets hooked on drugs, ruining their brain and eventually their life. However, that was their choice to engage in self-destructive behavior. 

Lastly, I would like to address the concept of P.L.U.R. This stands for “Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.” HARD summer was cancelled due to impatient attendees breaking into the entrance to the venue due to long waits by the security check. There were kids jumping over seats and people to avoid waiting in the line to get down to the floor, and in the process hurting others and themselves. I’m curious as to where the P.L.U.R. is here? I also wonder where the love is when someone tells Mr. Tuttle that “Hell is reserved for people like you.” I would think that a culture that bases their morals from such a strong statement such as P.L.U.R. would be understanding and accepting of others voicing their opinion. I would also think these people would embrace The Vista for running articles that allow people to speak their mind.