With the recent deaths of two young people and sexual molestation of a 16-year old at last weekend’s Electric Zoo Festival in New York City, the topic of conversation in many circles is all about Molly. The media is on overload with regards to the issue, and is making American parents about as paranoid as they can be. No one is saying that there isn’t an issue here, but did you know we are about to go to war with Syria? Let’s put things into perspective here, ok. I mean, my GRANDMA is asking me about Molly. Seriously?
Well, now there is an official petition on www.whitehouse.gov calling for a ban of all Electronic Dance Music. Now, anybody can create a petition, but we just wanted to point out that it is actually going there. The petition states:
After the recent deaths at New Yorks Electric Zoo weekend. I firmly believe we should ban the the manufacturing of electronic dance music. It is turning our children into drug addicts and murderers.
To the person that created this petition – I don’t know your situation, I hope you didn’t lose somebody to drugs, and I am sorry if you did. I truly am. But electronic dance music kills people just about as much as video killed the radio star. If you really think that, what are your thoughts on gun control? I think the percentages of gun deaths is just a tad higher than overdoses from too much EDM. Not to say that drug use isn’t an issue, because it is. It’s just that some people do not understand the difference between occasional recreational use and doing it because “it’s Wednesday, and I don’t give a fuck!”
Dance music isn’t turning people into drug addicts and murderers; there have been drug addicts and murderers since way before Tiësto dropped his first beat. The issue is that We The People live in a culture that is hellbent on excess. But for every 1 person that decides to overdo it, there is 10,000 that don’t. And that is not to say that the unfortunate circumstances this past weekend even had anything to do with excess and overindulgence. To be honest, they very well may have purchased a bad batch of “Molly”, and I use quotation marks there as it can be something pawned off as that. With the increase in popularity of ANY music scene, or pop culture scene in general, you are going to increase the chances of something going wrong. The more people that attend an event, the increased likelihood of an incident occurring.
I have been to countless festivals over the years, and attended Ultra Music Festival in Miami in 2012. I was sober as a mouse the whole time (3 days); barely had a beer, and had a blast while dancing my ass off. If you don’t know how to have a good time sober, then you aren’t doing it right. That isn’t saying that there haven’t been those other times as well, but moderation and surrounding yourself with people you know, love, and trust is the most important thing you can do when going out anywhere.
Every generation has had its issues with drugs. The 60′s had LSD and other hallucinogenics; the 70′s/80′s had mountains of cocaine; the 90′s saw many of its brightest stars fall to heroin use (which is also seeing a rise once again); and we now have Molly/Ecstasy to blame. Perhaps it is time to blame ourselves. Everybody is given a choice, and it is that choice that dictates what happens to us. As a parent, you have the opportunity to speak candidly with your children about drug use, safe sex, and being a responsible individual, among other things. This “hush-hush” agenda, in which we are afraid to speak freely and “if we don’t talk about it, maybe they won’t know” is complete and utter bullshit. Talking openly about drugs has gone way beyond the “taboo” label that it was given by past generations. It’s now or never; tomorrow may be too late. If you don’t think your kid knows about drugs, can easily access drugs, and then partake in them, you are a fool. Open up your eyes, research those secret topics that you are afraid of, and have an educated discussion with your teenager, college-aged student, or loved one RIGHT NOW!!!! DO NOT WAIT!!!!
Discuss with them the dangers of using, the repercussions of using, the “why” people use, the different types of drugs that are out there; basically, run the gamut on them. In the end, we have no one to blame but ourselves for our actions. The reality is that an 18-year old (to be honest, even a kid in high school) should be educated enough to make a sound decision. By this point in life, if you don’t have the brains to figure things out for yourself, or somebody in your life to help lead the way, then you are screwed. Education is not just about Math, Science, English, History, and some bullshit extracurricular classes. Education is Life, and Life is Education. We need to stop being afraid to teach our kids about life, both inside and outside of the classroom.
If you think banning Electronic Dance Music, or any other kind of music for that matter, is going to stop people from doing drugs, random acts of violence, or any anything else, you are in dire need of a reality check. That is completely asinine. This type of petition and the goal behind it, reminds me of Footloose. Well, consider my ass Kevin Bacon then, because there is nothing more clean, exhilarating, pure, and cathartic then dancing. The beat is in our heart, no matter what type of music it is.
-Chris Meyer
For a better perspective, here is none other than Kevin Bacon giving us a his two cents:
Here is the petition, if you want to take a look: