A Handbook for Rresponsible Raving

[Obvious]

I originally got this from ArmenianTim outside of Sin City and now copied it from the Fresh forums. It's another good read that talks a lot about what the second R is in P.L.U.R.R.!
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How much do you love raving?

The Goodvibe Starts from Within.


Stop complaining about everyone else. What about yourself? Are you treating others the way you want to be treated? That is the only route toward the positivity that will unite us all. Don't be afraid! Fear is the source of all our conflicts and aggressions. The next time someone gives you a hard look, understand that they are still captive to their fears like you once were. Don't resort to a negative response because that will only create more negativity. Smile! Let the goodwill within you flow! Maybe your strength and love will give them the courage to open themselves, and they will follow the new direction. It is all up to you. -tito

This booklet is not intended to be definitive in its' approach ... it is a starting point for communication about very important issues that directly affect each of us.

Our hope is that it will encourage you to step away from the music with some friends for a moment so that you can discuss the importance of individual efforts in responsible raving.


Yeah? So what's the problem?

It is becoming more and more difficult to continue our cultural phenomenon known as the EDM or "Electronic Dance Movement." The reason that raving is more difficult is because raves and even smaller parties are being shut down by the police and other authorities at an alarming rate. Apart from DJs, sound and lights, in order to throw a successful event you need secure locations, permits/permission and insurance. With any of these ingredients missing there is a strong chance that the event will not get off the ground.

In order to get these ingredients we must go to people outside of the rave community ... the public.

It is the public that formulates opinions about us as ravers. Most times it is public opinion that keeps a landowner from granting us use of his property... that keeps an insurance company from providing a necessary policy ... that keeps civil agencies from issuing a permit that makes an event legal and "unbustable."


The police are not shutting us down because of a giant conspiracy against ravers, raving and living life to its' fullest ...

They are shutting us down because of our own...


* selfishness
* carelessness
* ignorance


If we rid ourselves of these anchors, our public image will greatly improve and our fragile movement will surely flourish.


How? What can you do? A lot!


YOU can make or break our movement!

Think before you act !!


It is incredibly easy to combat selfishness, carelessness and ignorance and still have the time of your life... maybe even have a better time than you've ever experienced. Imagine having the best time you've ever had at a rave ... now couple that with the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that you would get from helping build up and progress our scene ... knowing that you did your part.


*SELFISHNESS IS OVERCOME BY RESPECT*


Each rave event is not yours alone... it is a communal experience made for everyone. It is the togetherness of everyone that makes raves fun and fulfilling. To completely kill a group experience it only takes a few individuals who don't understand the concept of community. Here are some examples of selfish acts. Each is followed by a way to overcome the selfishness.


-RESPECTING THE "PUBLICS'' OPINION OF RAVERS-


Visibility of drugs and alcohol-Drugs are taboo to most of the public that forms an opinion about us... the same public that gives us permission to gather and rave. If you feel that you need to have your mood elevated, please be discrete. Don't let anyone see the presence of drugs. Don't give them a reason to accuse us. Nitrous balloons are the biggest problem in this area. Balloons can easily be seen from a great distance and the hiss of the valves makes it very easy to find the tanks. PLEASE DON'T BRING BALLOONS OR NITROUS TANKS INTO RAVES! Similarly marijuana can easily be smelled. It is more difficult to find but don't make it obvious.


Being rude or obnoxious to non-ravers -


Rude and obnoxious behavior does nothing but upset people, sometimes to the point of having them call the police. Please be polite to any "outsider" that you encounter while on the way to or away from a rave. Be polite to everyone for that matter. Doing so can leave a lasting good impression, and those good impressions are what our culture needs to thrive.






Noise -

Noise is a very big problem in most residential areas and is often the reason for shut-downs. Please be as quiet as possible going to site. Playing car radios loud, horn honking, screeching tires and yelling can be louder than the sound system enclosed in the venue. Loitering around in the parking area is illegal and only draws unwanted attention to the party. As you're walking to the door remember that you are only moments away from being able to make as much noise as you want!!


Fireworks -

Although cool to see, fireworks are a reason for instant shut- downs. We all know about the danger of fires. Enough said. Additionally, the loud explosions can be misconstrued as gun-shots which will get the police to the location faster than anything.



Guns and Violence -

Neither of these belong at a rave. It is our non-violent nature that sets us apart from the rock and rap scenes. Hopefully, a positive rave experience will change the life of a violent natured person.


-RESPECTING EVENT FACILITIES AND THE DESERT-


Parking -


Park only where it is permitted and, once again, don't hang out in the parking lot or on the streets. Don't throw trash and flyers on the ground. Keep as low a profile as possible.


Tagging -

We lose locations because of tagging more than anything else. Tagging simply tells the landlord that we don't have any respect for him or his property even though it is the landlord that has been so kind to share his property with us. Tagging makes insurance rates climb. If you see someone tagging, explain to them that they are keeping you from being able to rave in L.A. Ask them if they want to continue to rave ... then ask them to please stop. Make sure everyone in the area hears you so that they also become involved in making the tagger stop.


Trash -

Many times the property owner is shocked by the trash left in the facility, especially bathrooms. It only takes a few seconds to find a trash can ... a very worthwhile investment of your time. Trash and especially flyers should NEVER be dropped outdoors. The wind can blow them away and where they will never be found ... except perhaps by a park ranger or other authority figure. It is very difficult to say "that trash was already there when we got here" when the trash is a bunch of rave flyers. Gum, candy and cig butts can be just as incriminating.

-RESECT FOR OTHER RAVERS-


Aggression/Violence -

Part of the attraction of a rave is that it can be a place to escape the craziness of the rest of the world. Leave your personal problems at the door ... don't bring them into the celebration. Alcohol often brings about aggressive behavior as well.

The rave scene prides itself on its' peaceful nature so there is absolutely no tolerance for violence or aggression. This even includes any frustration that you may have with security, entry lines, etc.

A peaceful but enthusiastic attitude can quickly spread to others creating a pocket of "vibe" that everyone will want to be a part of. Acceptance of others, even those different from you, catches on quickly and creates a bond among all of us. When outsiders look in at our scene and see this bond, they cannot discredit it ... they can only see something positive ... perhaps it will be something that they will discuss with others or they might try to join our movement. This is the easiest way that we can create a more positive public image!


Blatant Selfishness -

This not only kills "the vibe" but it breaks us apart, making it difficult to band together to help our movement as a whole. A prime example of this is blatant nitrous usage. People sucking on balloons must know that they are jeopardizing EVERYONE'S right to rave and yet they continue to do it. Their short-term high becomes more important than the future of raving itself. This kind of selfishness will certainly kill our future. PLEASE DON'T BRING NITROUS TO RAVES ... leave it at home where it won't be a selfish act that discredits all of us.


*CARELESSNESS IS OVERCOME THROUGH ACCOUNTABILITY*


Carelessness, which sometimes is accidental, can easily be overcome through a system of accountability. It only takes two friends to commit to be accountable to each other in reminding the other if they are being careless. The more people you have in your accountability group (also called "true friends"), the less likely you are to do something careless. Create an accountability group with the friends you rave with the most. Ask someone to be accountable for you RIGHT NOW. But NEVER forget to be accountable for YOURSELF !!

All you have to do is give a simple reminder ... speak up and say, "I don't think it's such a good idea for you to do that." Here are some places where carelessness becomes a problem for each of us in the Electronic Dance movement:

Forgetting about any of the above selfishness issues - Go ahead... re-read them!


Driving safely -


There is nothing wrong with being too messed up or too tired to drive home ... unless of course you try to drive anyway. Ask a more sober friend from your accountability group to drive or wait until someone is able to drive. Coffee and other stimulants won''t do the trick. Take your time so you and your friends can rave again another day !!


Dealing with the wrong people -


Who are the wrong people ? Unscrupulous drug dealers are just as problematic as undercover drug enforcement agents. If you think getting something "bunk" is a problem ... think about how bad it would be if you bought something poisonous or lethal !! This is becoming a bigger and bigger problem as drug manufacturers are finding cheaper ways to make money. Most of them aren't chemists and don't bother testing their new batch ... you may become a "test subject" for an unknown substance. The media and law enforcement agencies are infiltrating our masses to collect information to use against us at a later time. You can never know who is who... so be careful. Know who you're dealing with.


Loitering outside of the venue –

This only draws attention to the event and makes police curious enough to "investigate." Loitering also makes it more difficult to patrol a parking area to look for people breaking into cars or doing other selfish activities that hurt individual ravers and hurt the scene overall. When you're walking through a parking lot and you see people standing around ask them to please go inside ... but explain to them why it is important for them to help in this regard.


Acting safely / Acting responsibly -

This is a broad area that has too many specific "infractions." Every once in a while just ask yourself (and the people you're accountable for) these questions ...


What am I doing?


* Am I directly/indirectly harming myself or other ravers?
* Am I keeping someone else from having a great time?
* Am I helping build a positive public image about the rave scene?


*IGNORANCE IS OVERCOME THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION*


Ignorance is the easiest problem to overcome but it also depends on individual efforts. All we need to do is educate ourselves. But two things must happen before we can educate each other.

First, we must be willing to be educated ... we must recognized that we are being stupid, we must want to change and secondly, we must communicate with each other.

Since we have no organized arena for ravers to come together and communicate we are held in the dark. We must find a centralized forum where together we can learn from our past mistakes and innovate our future. Until we find that forum, it is up to you to discuss these problems and re-shape our future.

The existence of rave culture depends entirely on you to simply talk with one another ... to share all of these important issues with others ... with people you meet for the first time.


Know what you're talking about -

Rumors and misinformation are splitting us apart. Know the facts about the real reasons for "busts"... or the dangers of certain substances. Don't let yourself be used as a tool for a promoters personal gain ... or mouthpiece for fabricated drug hysteria.


Know what you're taking-

We've already discussed unscrupulous drug dealers. Don't combine lots of different drugs! There are combinations of substances that can quickly become lethal. In fact, more drug related casualties are due to lethal combinations of drugs and alcohol than overdosing!


Let the DJ do the mixing!


Know your limit -

Your accountability group can help you with this. Be careful trying to "bump" your dosage. Always let someone know exactly how much of what your taking BEFORE you take it.


Know the law -

Get to know the specific legalities of possessing controlled substances. Know the consequences if you're busted and ask yourself if it is worth the risk.


Know how to handle yourself with the police -


Be cooperative but also know your rights regarding search and seizure laws (especially in searching a vehicle). Avoid dragging down the rave scene with you. Don't even mention raves if you have a run in with officers. ( doing so not only makes the scene look bad but because of the negative image we have already created for ourselves could cause the officer to assume certain things about you ) Be afraid of the seriousness of the consequences but don't let yourself be intimidated to the point that you incriminate yourself.


-Know what to do in case of an emergency-

This is a very important area if we wish to police ourselves at raves instead of the authority’s policing us.


In case of an overdose or other drug related medical trauma follow these steps before calling an ambulance.


1. Move the victim to a safe, private and discrete area away from the noise and everyone else.
2. Find out EVERYTHING that they took... including dosage, combinations and alcohol.
3. Find the victims friends.
4. Don't panic. Some drug related trauma can be relieved simply through sleeping it off.
5. Find someone trustworthy and knowledgeable about those substances and get their advice. (Like Medi-Rave!)
6. Do NOT administer CPR, induce vomiting, or other first aid procedures unless fully capable and qualified.
7. In the desert or in a hot venue, dehydration could be the problem, so try drinking some water.
8. If necessary ask security to call for help or ambulance.


Know your promoters -

It's time that ravers determine how much an event is worth. If you think you're getting ripped off or if a promoter is constantly being busted ... STOP SUPPORTING THOSE EVENTS!!! Try to remember that promoter's other events. Think about what the promoter promised for those raves ... The point is, you should be getting your monies worth when you go out so support crews that have a reputation giving you more for your dollar.

Bust-free? ( which might not really possible anymore) Carnival rides/visuals/multiple areas? Free water/gifts/etc.? Big name DJs / Live Acts?

So what do you and your accountability group do if you're not getting your money's worth? All of you should:


* Find and tell the promoter that you're not satisfied.
* Leave a message(s) on the voice mail ( and leave a # so they can contact you )
* But tell them whats wrong instead of just yelling or cursing at them.
* Don't go to that promoter's events again.
* Write letters to local music magazines if there is any.
* Post to the internet rave related sites with some constructive critisism and things they could improve on in the future.
* If you think you can do it better … then try !!


Remember that many promoters throw raves for a living and that they must make money. We're not asking promoters to lose money! We're thankful that they go through all the hassle to even HAVE an event to go to. However, we ARE asking promoters to re-invest into the scene ... after all ... if the scene doesn't survive, the promoters don't survive either.

Support promoters that are helping our movement flourish ... that are innovating with creative ideas ... that deliver what they promise ... that re-invest positivity into the scene ... that respect ravers, DJs, venues, officers, public opinion and Mother Earth!

The best way to combat ignorance is to get and stay informed. All that is required of this is communication !! Call unbiased info lines to get the "scoop" on upcoming events. Read the local magazines that report on rave culture.

Perhaps the BEST way to get informed is ... if you have an internet connection ... get online !! Subscribe to So-Cal Raves or visit web sites with message boards like Ravelinks.com, FreshLAevents.com, 4Raverz.com or like sites.


The information and feedback offered by online communication can really benefit you as an individual raver and will help the Electronic Dance Movement flourish overall. Here's what you can get from being informed through the net:


* A calendar of upcoming raves, clubs, after-hours and rave-related radio/TV shows.
* Help determine which promoters and events are worthwhile.
* Find out about events that you may have missed.
* Read other ravers'' opinions of events, DJs, music, and DJ mixes.
* Find out more about DJs or Groups you like.
* Voice your frustrations about specific rave related issues.
* Get advanced info on locations, line-ups, changes, and mergers.
* Get info on specific drug-related warnings or scams.
* Learn more about Dance/DJ culture.
* Find out about un-promoted events and micro-raves.
* MOST IMPORTANTLY... Find new raver friends that share similar tastes and views with you.

-Anonymous

[shimmy_love]

i am right there with you!