Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › party people getting *angrier?*
whilst we’ve had a good year so far, something has been worrying me for some time…
anyone else noticed a lot more fights and angry scenes at parties recently?
Not just the stuff like robberies/thefts of mobile phones which has always happened in rougher inner city areas (but sadly is also now happening outside them)
but stuff like a dispute within a group of people or even “banter” getting out of hand leading to raised voices and sometimes even actual physical violence?
I’m sure there used to be less of this and I’m not talking about “back in the day” (when TBH violence was not uncommon) but in the last 2-3 years..
I’d attend a party in 1998-2001 and there would be no major problems whatsoever (and I’m often always exploring the whole site and notice everythign and everybody at parties) but recently it doesn’t matter if I’m in a shitty London warehouse our out on the ridgeway – I’m guaranteed to witness at least one angry scene 🙁
what is doing this I wonder? Cocaine? People’s internal politics? Or just that people are doing more drugs and staying up longer (lack of sleep often makes people irrational and irritable)? Maybe the scenes better known (it has been going for 14 years now) so more “townie” types are attending parties..
There used to be an “unwritten rule” that you didn’t bring personal disputes to a rave but this seems to have evaporated. Anyone else noticed this?
a while ago i organised a party with another local crew.
after a fun filled night (I overheardone of the cops that turned up saying to his mate “i’ve been think ing of quitting for ages”!!!) the dj’s on the other rig started fighting. little blood was spilt as they were to shambled to really do any damage, luckily.
In this case, i think alcohol was the main cause.
There were a few ‘local boys’ at the party, and they started off by hassling our dj’s, but a quick word and they settled down.
Pished, mate, what’s your excuse?
Can’t really say that I have personally noticed anything like that round this way (except the usual petty theft and car contents theft). But I have heard of a few incidents. So yes I suppose it is getting slightly worse.
Don’t really have a solid theory on whats causing it, but it could be due to the fact that a lot more people/party goers, tend to keep in contact during the week than they used to. Internet message boards can be a place where small iritations (that would usually be forgotten about) breed into bigger issues.
Just a thought.
Oh and for the record, I see few problems with internet message boards as long as they are used correctly. Before someone launches an assault at me for cussing them.
I have noticed the shift GL and can’t really pinpoint the reason, BUT I would say its an idicaton of society generally wouldn’t you agree?
yep I agree that its a product of wider society (having seen the streets of both London and Reading deteriorate over the last 10 years, and when I look at news reports you see so many murders these days – I’m glad we don’t have guns here in Britain or it would be even worse
However, stuff like internet or even alcohol/other substances are only an indirect cause and IMO a lame excuse for people’s behaviour – I use the net loads, read a lot of harsh stuff (usually news reports, stuff about the war etc), like a drink but I don’t go around attacking people!
Even friends of mine are getting involved in scuffles etc more often related to the party scene. This is increasingly happening amongst crew people as well(I suppose though that being in a crew is more stressful than many realise!)
Prolly a combination of all the above causes (substances, society and sleep deprivation) but not IMO something we can forget about
its similar to how if you allow trash to build up in a communal building eventually people will become ill or vermin will get in.
I saw this in the news recently; it kicked off big style at Chessington world of adventures of all places after a mugging – appears (reading between the lines a bit) even after security moved in other “rudes” decided to defend the mugger 😡
this is a public place where there isn’t that much substance use, there are security and cops to hand and look how quickly it kicked off (with the main assailant getting away) just imagine what could happen if someone at a rave went off like this, perhaps with CS gas canister or other nasty weapons? (already starting to happen in London 😡 ) could our security arrangements cope?
I also fear that a lot of people who get in fights etc at parties often attend hospital to be patched up; when the NHS staff ask “how did you get this injury?” the victims tell them “it was at a rave”.
Whilst hospital staff are not the old bill they do talk to them either formally or informally (the blue light services tend to socialise together) and this is why the cops say “there is a weapons culture/violence is common at raves”
That said, it is still safer at raves than townie clubs etc, and most scuffles are defused or peter out as the fighters often do not have the co-ordination 😉 – but if we are not careful the gap could easily be closing…
On a brighter note I think organisers are starting to see this; and changing the way they publicise parties so only the real party heads get to hear about them. It may seem élitist; but if other methods increase the chance of trouble perhaps they have failed and a new system needs to be brought in; the alternative is for this scene to be be taken down by society’s self-destructive urge….
wasnt there a fella at a Malf party in east London who had his fuckin ear bitten off?????
Also, what peeps have been saying about the internet an all the griping and bitching which goes on there. You only have to look at SJ some days. Its quite pathetic and mostly only handbags really but if peeps are off their heads at a party and there’s the fella who’s been slagging your missus off on SJ, for example, things might get a bit nasty.
There’s always been party-politics though. Not enough room for everyone’s ego round the rig, that’s why i wibble alone mostly!!!! hehehehe…..
Possibly a little simplistic but one possible cause is increased crack / coke / speed at parties. All of these tend to highten the selfish aggressive side of peoples nature. City life has always had a more agressive edge than the suburbs but it’s true that London parties are nastier than they used to be.
Perhaps people are just less nice in a world that is becoming increasingly “me me me”. The only way, it seems, for someone to get ahead in life is to be a bastard. This could be a manefestation of everyones disregard for society as an important part of their lifes, when noone looks out for you why should you give a shit?
And perhaps i’m a cynic!
i’m not certain that things are getting worse, necessarily. Perhaps the party scene has opened up and elements that didn’t attend free parties a few years ago now find it easier to do so now.
I agree with some of the points above about ‘me me me’. Since the late 70’s there hasn’t really been much in the way of considering society’s values, other than economic value. However, I work in the voluntary sector and meet inspiring, generous people every day. I think the closer you get to London, the more money grabbers you will meet, but there are still huge numbers of people everywhere that are just quietly going about their (good) business.
Just an aside about angry party people.
In about 94 I was at a party in Devon and a bunch of Brummies turned up with a sawn off and took the decks, lights, loads of cash and other nice things. Never did catch the bastards:mad:
Originally posted by globalloon
i’m not certain that things are getting worse, necessarily. Perhaps the party scene has opened up and elements that didn’t attend free parties a few years ago now find it easier to do so now.
Sadly I think that’s part of the problem. Nothing to do with conventional ideas of “social class” or stereotypes regarding ethnicity etc though – someone who causes trouble at a party can be from any social or ethnic background these days..
Perhaps parties are becoming a victim of their own success; they are replacing the traditional “townie” weekends out for a lot of people,
It seems however a lot of “townie” mentality is creeping in now; people try and show off cars (risking nasty collisions when there is a lot of vehicle and foot traffic at some parties!), there is also an increasing trend towards “lads” looking for sexual conquests at parties (a lot of girls seem to be reporting various incidents of harrasment at free parties on message boards) or settling “old scores” with enemies at parties in full view of all present (and I do think the internet is starting to have an impact on this happening).
It is also linked with the “me me me” ethos, and the increasing stress/pace/intolerance/violence of modern life, as well as the ever-present egos, and changes in the recreational substances of choice – But its still all excuses IMO – “I was pissed/stoned/paranoid so I lashed out”.
We all claim that free parties are safer, more fun and better than “normal weekends” in the city ; which to a great extent they are. That is also the “justification” we use with the old bill and other authorities to claim that “they cause less disruption than licensed events and there is less trouble”
If parties start increasingly becoming a battleground the cops are understandably less likely to let them happen ; as a worst case it would be easy enough for someone to murder a rival in the woods or a dark corner of the warehouse at one of these events, and it is a great credit to our scene that this has not yet happened (or if it has the authorities have not connected it with parties).
There is, however, now an increasing danger of sexual harrasment or drug assisted sexual assault at free parties (which affects both genders); although it is thankfully still safer than commercial urban music events in cities (where sadly this kind of crime is now becoming commonplace).
So what can we do? Its difficult, as we are dealing with dark forces from outside society which come in from the street; which we now have to accept are as powerful as the positive trends found in parties.
Apart from an increased awareness and vigilance amongst partygoers the only things I can suggest are that those in crews become aware of their stress levels, and if the stress of putting on parties in making them aggressive to perhaps take a break for a while!
If you know poeple who been known to show aggression at events or who are “behaving innapropriately” , you may need to take the hard step of “dropping them out of the loop” for a bit; if they really care for the events and their friends they will either modify their behaviour or find something else to do!
There isn’t a “do nothing” option though……
I think things have got worse. i went away from london and England for some 5 years, came back looking forward to re-discovering a fun rave scene like i remembered and instead found untold nastiness and violence. uck!
i’ve noticed that a lot of it seems to be coming from really young- seeming kids who don’t pay to come into parties, and come to rob people late in the night when they’re too off their sheds to do anything in their defence.
even at a really sorted party by a brighton crew where they were searching for weapons (how sorted, i thought!) my bloke got beaten to a pulp by a group of 15 year-olds. haven’t been to a party since…
i reckon it’s like this: the kids desperately want money to but nikes/new mobile-phone-with-built-in-vibrator etc., and they’ve got no stop button so rather than stop when they scare a guy into giving up his cash, they kick the shit out of him to boot.
but i’m glad some party organisers are on the case. i reckon the party goers ought to be too.
as for me i’m off back to lovely sunny spain where a party meaans a nice friendly fun event.
ciaooo!
I think that blaming these problems on the “yoof” is a rather simplistic generalisation. Things do change and perhaps your absence has made you notice these changes in an amplified way but many of the younger crowd are exactly the same as I was a few years back; all enthusiasm and little sense. As we continue to break boundaries then the younger generation are more likely to push those that are left than the more established, older crowd in order to leave a mark. I remember giving all sorts of shit to people because I wasn’t settled etc. I think most of the kids are well meaning but just out of their depth so to speak, give ’em a few years and they’ll be in our position bemoaning all the cunts like we are.
The main problem has little to do with age, it is the continued loss of respect for others regardless of age or background, there has been a rising tide of intollerance in the UK for several years now and that cannot help but be expressed in the actions of its youth, you only have to go into a Whetherspoons on a Saturday evening to see grown men kicking off with each other because of (not meant in a “holier than thou” way) a lack of respect and tollerance.
We as the enlightened few need to sprread PLUR around and hopefully make a wee bit of difference to this country.
Peace
hmmmm, yep i’m sure you’re right. it’s not just a ‘kidz’ thing. there are plenty of sweet and lovely young people out there who still beleive ‘bottling’ is something you do to jam. but perhaps it’s also an inner city London party thing. y’see i don’t have a car so end up going places on public transport and not to nice country-side raves…
or, could it be that increased police suppression and legal tools to be used against the unlicenced party scene have increased the need for an more aggressive attitude to get parties going in the first place?
or… (aw gad she’s on a roll!).. there’s some research being done where i work which is looking at the possibility of using ‘e’s for a long time making it less easy to recognise negative emotions on people’s faces. could be that this makes misunderstandings more likely in such situations…but doesn’t explain why it should have changed over years.
ok, nuff chat for now (shomebody shtop me!)
I can see it in the Daily Mail now “Ecstacy Use Impares Judgement (And Kills Everyone Who Takes It) World Exclusive”
Originally posted by ma baker
or, could it be that increased police suppression and legal tools to be used against the unlicenced party scene have increased the need for an more aggressive attitude to get parties going in the first place?
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I don’t think we can pass the blame on to the cops for this – its our problem, although imported from wider society.
The cops are only responding to such stuff as noise complaints, cars being driven at apeed through quiet villages, property being needlessly trashed etc. To get round this crews have had to become smarter and more organised, not more aggressive.
it seems more like a combination of the “Wetherspoons culture” of looking for a casual shag and/or a fight and London gang/weapons culture is finally finding its way on to the free party scene after 14 years.
Perhaps its the scene being a victim of its own success; with the Internet and media reports, and clubs being turned into Guantanamo bay with commercial hard house by anti-drug initiatives, a lot of people who previously would have been content with a townie night out are now attending free parties.
Even the more rural parties are suffering from bad behaviour; there have been several break-ins to cars and thefts of ravers vehicles.
However, if we see trouble at parties in the Thames Valley area the rig is switched off until this trouble is stopped. This usually works; and we do not get much trouble from robbers.
We have had a couple of incidents but in our area those who do this sort of thing are cowards who have run away before anyone can find them; of course this shouldn’t be happening at all but it shows that even they know they will not be tolerated.
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Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › party people getting *angrier?*
