Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › improving our image – any ideas?
We all know that ravers often are viewed with suspicion by the wider public and are suspected of widespread criminal and anti-social activity – although in truth the worst of this is usually small time use of relatively harmless recreational drugs, and there is a “values system” amongst our community which at least tries to keep things in check (our drugs forum is a good example of this)
the truth is of course that whilst a small minority are problematic (and some are unrepentant in public as they think its a “fight back” against oppression) the majority of ravers are not only involved in productive employment but other positive work… when I look at “users online” here I see stacks of people from Oxbridge, good schools, prestigious public and private sectory employers and voluntary sector organisations…
this seems very similar to the situation of ethnic minorities in the UK.
I’m playing the “race card” to an extent on this post but in a positive manner as I’m using my own experiences as a British Asian in the UK…
I was thinking about my recent post on immigration – I highlighted the good work done by the Indian opticians, and Globaloon mentioned how the asylum seekers did all the voluntary work with the kids etc….
In both cases the white citizens may not have initially liked them – but in Reading the community can see better because of the new entrants, in Exeter their contribution was instantly missed by the community once they were gone..
and setting up a rave (licensed or otherwise) requires valuable organisational skills that can be transferred to other aspects of your life – I use my technical and logistic skills I’ve learnt from this scene for both weekends and my “legit” employment (a responsible job in the public sector where I have introduced a number of systems to substantially save taxpayer-funded resources)
perhaps if we highlighted the positive aspects of our lifestyle (either through events like Ambient picnic, synergy or other similar projects) it would help at least some of the outsiders to realise this scene is not as “evil” as tabloids paint it to be?
Well it’s an interesting question, but it involves the hardest battle to win – the battle for hearts and minds. How do you persuade people of something if they have already written it off? It’s like asking Marxist students to read Mein Kamp sympathetically…
yep, it is one of the[i/] main obstacles for us at the mo, but i think it can be done. i’m a pseudo-marxist, and i can read mine kampf sympathetically, and i converted my local reporter to the free party cause, and he was a raving tory when i met him.
i recently joined the Brighton Alliance of Sound systems, http://www.bass23.org, and they are one of my main hopes (along with this site) for persuading the public of the positive side of our events. they are a voluntary organisation, which comprises of local sound sytems getting together to pool resources, chat, link up, receive training in health n safety etc, and swap information. they do two public events a year for which they have been subsidised by the council. they have a softly, softly sapproach to operations, bass itself obviously is not invoolved in illegal free parties at all, but instead provides legal outlets and venues for the freeparty scene to show itself to be beneficial and responsible, which seems to be working.
it is very hard to have a debate about something which people perceive to be desructive and criminal, the key is to present what we are doing in a way that people will see the issues fresh, without immediately categorising us with media stereotypes. i have noticed more positive press in the last few years, i think that while we should be pushing things forward, we dont want to force the issue, but let it take its natural course, with a bit of support. this was reported on the ridgeway party over the w/e http://gallery.squatjuice.com/gallery/May2005Pics/DCP_1036
may look cheesy, but at least its positive!
As a relative newbie to the scene, I’m talking with relative inexperience, but I was very impressed with the details I read on the BASSfayre event coming up.
The media portrays ravers as all drugged up, fuckheads with no sense of social reponsibilty. Something like BASSfayre (if I’m understanding it right) allows the wider community to meet ravers/sound system owners and to form their own opinions, based on personal meetings, rather than media perceptions. It also shows that the majority of people from the scene actually have a huge feeling of social responisbilty, and are looking to put something back into their local community.
I know if I was a local somewhere who was kept awake one night by a party going on somewhere, I know I’d be a lot more sympathetic if I’d perhaps taken my kids to an event like this, seen them enjoy themselves, and perhaps had a chat with some of the sound system owners, than if my only exposure to the free party scene was through the mainstream media.
yea, you hit the bassfayre nail on the head, mate. i’m well lookin forward to bein involved in it this year, should be a laugh and some wicked experience. not only does chilling out the wider community about our events mean less hassle, it also means more potential ravers.
i know a lot of people (even close freinds!) who wont come to a rave because they think it will be full of scary people doing scary things. this is not just a media invention, but it has been blown out of proprtion by them and perpetuated by some of the “we are hardcore” crew of the freeparty scene. events BASSfayre this help people realise that “normal” people attend and are welcomed to these events, and are under less threat than if they went down the pub. i personally would love to see a wider, less predictable crews attending raves. while it is heartwarming seeing so many heads waving their freakflags at raves, its just as good seeing the newbie lad in the m&s jumper having the best night of his life…
the other cool thing that bass provides is freetraining. coz its a voluntary group, any training gets paid for by the council. trust, its wicked to be able to say to investigating plod that you have conducted a risk analysis of the rig and area, and have health and safety wardens on site who are trained in fire management. they are usually either speachless or dont beleive. quality. while most of the training is common sense, its good for everyone to have been taught the same way, it gives you much clearer communication, if anything should happen..
You’re right – it is positive news, but I think it would take a LOT of articles such as this before it finally seeps into the collective national consciousness that ravers aren’t evil, drug pushing ne’er do wells that are only interested in stealing things and leaving a mess in the NIMBY (not in my back yard) brigade’s gardens.
And in the mean time anything negative is going to hurt the cause a whole lot more. It’s like the old problem of the ex convict keeping his nose clean for years and then as soon as Mrs Miggins silver cutlery goes missing there’s a lynch mob at the door to his shack waiting to cut his testicles off.
I’m not trying to sound negative, because I truly believe that people having a good time in a consensual manner without harming anybody/anything else MUST be a good thing, but it’s been a good 15 years since this whirly gig started and although there has been some progress, it’s precious little. But what else can we do, eh?
happens everytime, dammit
don’t give me mobs
:groucho:
good thread mr lightning!
as far as im concerned, we as ravers now contribute to society more than ever before by spending our money going clubbing, and everything involved with that. but even though you get next to no trouble at your average dnb night, for example, and your average mainstreem club night sends several peeps to a and e/the cells, the raver is still looked down on as some lower form of life. when i speak to friends who i used to rave with but have since given it up, they are like: what? your still raving?
like i should know better or something!
people do need to know that we do a lot for our society, i.e. benefit nights.
it took 15-20 yrs for rock music to be accepted, we`re coming up to that time limit now, so….
heres hoping!!!
it’s an important issue – promoting ourselves…
left to the whims of any old hack we’re definately going to get a hard time, but I do think the whole thing is a bit too old hat to cause the kind of stir that mods in brighton in the 60’s and ravers everywhere in the 80’s / 90’s caused, anymore
news stories about raves tend to be repetition about noise and / or rubbish
locally to me i think that there is quite a reasonable acceptance that having a party is part of life – as long as it has been fairly well planned and litter picked afterwards
and that suits me TBH
events like the teknival in france don’t push my buttons (i prefer a bit more local intimacy, although i’m not averse to travel) buti support peoples’ right to do that and hope they enjoy it
while i’d like it if the papers were honest and told the world we are lovely, mischievous and necessary, that’s not going to happen 😥
i think that getting involved in community music, art, creative etc events & spaces and whatever else is a must… i don’t mean selling out to commercialism, but taking part in legal events with a purpose, be it cultural or social or environmental
the scene has been weakened recently (PEL, vandalism, fires) so being pro-active could be a now or never situation
I have an idea…
😉
BBC Video Nation want me to find someone who has had their lives changed by doing voluntary work to make a short programme. I have a few people lined up, but why doesn’t someone from here who gives u their time for free to campaigns / events (like ganja day / BASS fayre) email me right away (USE? what about you?)?
I have to let them know by Monday… so hurry hurry if you have ideas :coin:
in case your worried, you get final say onwhether the edited final prodct is aired or not 💡
sounds phat, but since ganja day has been a total nightmare and i havent helped the bass fayre yet, i recon i’d be jumping the gun. i could bang on about partys and clubnights till the cows come home, but my experience of voluntary work is only really starting…shame tho.
no worries dude…
if you don’t want to..
i just thought that your nightmare experience could be one you’d share as a learning experience and fuel for your passion
and the definition of voluntary work… we all do it all the time :exclamati
but if you can’t hack being on telly
that’s ok
fine
no, really.
i don’t think any less of you as a person.
honestly.
it’s cool.
i’m fine with that.
it’s only the BBC.
your own programme.
i mean, what’s 10 minutes?
that’d only leave 5 more minutes of fame, according to Warhol.
so I appreciate your point of view.
really, it’s fine.
shoot me.
:groucho:
why-i-oughta! :you_smart
:coin:
anyone else want to seize this opportunity, let me know by sunday
:exclamati
but my cameras all broken…and it was ntsc, so all my footage is ntsc…and i’m not at uni to hire a camera and dingle and mingle and shplingleysiosoglinod…. :apathy:
fuck it, all right, whens the deadline? i’ll make a sodding film… :crazy_fre
be careful though….
most rock gigs are held in legal venues with PELs and a very early finish time (around midnight to 02:00 at the latest) which society has grudginly accepted
rock music was only “accepted” by musicians kowtowing to big business and money men who have enough clout to pay for the venues, PELs etc
free rock concerts did happen in the 60s but were fucked up by cops and people who just wanted to get drugs selling turf and do violence (this may have been part of the plot of “yellow submarine”) – also shady businessmen rinsed money out of young hopefuls bands for gigs in overcrowded and unsafe venues so PELs were introduced
nowadays a rock concert costs loads of money and finishes early but people have accepted this as “it could keep people awake” “it increases burden on the council / blue light services ” so they think “you must pay for your fun”
we already have (to an extent) the right to play music provided we buy that right on the free market and shut down “at a decent hour” – we are challenging this attitude as well, and demanding something further
0
Voices
22
Replies
Tags
This topic has no tags
Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › improving our image – any ideas?
