Raving mad about teens: so what's new?

Publication title: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Publication date: April 6, 2000
Document type: Editorial
Article author: Scott Haskins
Transcribed by: MW


Remember when a rave was considered something good? Times aren't just changing. Apparently they have already changed.

Today’s raves aren’t so good. But they're not necessarily all bad either.

After all, boys will be boys and girls will be girls. In some cases, girls will be boys and boys will be girls, too. And, in other cases, your guess is as good as mine.

You used to be a kid. Remember? I can distinctly recall my mother saying these exact words when I was 16: “I hope you have kids of your own.”

I took it as a threat, not a promise of great joy.

I was no angel. My hair alone was enough to make my father pull his own out. Parts are a little foggy, but I remember a party at Mark Price’s place. We were 15. His parents were out of town.

Trust me, it was enough to make you sick.

My brother was no angel. When he was out later than he was supposed to be, mom would pile her pots and pans by the door. It was brilliant and noisy as hell. But not nearly as noisy as when they met in the kitchen the next morning.

She was, you might say, a raving maniac.

Except for the outright lunacy of face-piercing, I’m not sure the majority of kids have really changed that much. I was a rebel without a clue, too.

And look how I turned out.

Raves and what to do about them is the hottest topic in town right now. Saturday night-Sunday morning at the Northlands Sportex, 5,000 young people attended something called Ascension 2000. It was a light and sound show, yes, but it turned into a horror show.

At least that’s the adult perception. Eight teens collapsed and were taken to hospital. Organizers say one light pattern triggered seizures. Police say it was the drug ecstasy. An expert says the media are to blame for whipping parents into a fear frenzy.

The kids' perception, naturally, is different. They blame all of the above. Never trust anybody over 30.

I received two e-mails on the subject Tuesday.

“It’s a party, man," one 16 year-old boy wrote. “You know how parties are.”

Yes, I do. Vaguely. Eight fallen comrades in an army of 5,000 party-goers would have been acceptable in my day. Even astounding. We often had more than that when there were only 10 of us.

I’m sure the kids are nodding and the parents are shaking their heads about now, but I’m not about to pick sides.

The other e-mail came from a frightened 34-year-old mom. I could almost see the tears forming on my computer screen. “There are drugs at a rave.”

Of course there are. There are drugs in gym class. What’s important is whether or not your kid has been taught to stay away from them.

Life would make so much more sense if common sense wasn’t so uncommon. If we’re supposed to be the adults, suppose we act like it.

The solution is simple and it's not banning raves altogether. That would only force them underground, then I can virtually promise dead teenagers.

It starts with parents. What kind of goofball lets their 15-year-old daughter attend an all-night-party?

It ends with promoters and police.

Five thousand people paying an average $50 for a ticket. That’s $250,000. A bottle of water costs $5. Promoter, in some cases, is just another word for ripoff artist. That's borderline stealing.

How about spending some of the ridiculous profit on security people. Lots of them. Station them in the washrooms, around the room and at the front door. Search patrons like you’re actually looking for something. One sign of drugs and you’re out the door… and into a police van for a ride to a holding cell.

Your trip, pardon the expression, costs you $100 if you're 18 or older. Minors simply have to call their parents (or legal guardian, or parole officer) and they can come down and retrieve them. Wouldn't that make for some interesting rides home at 5:15 a.m. when you’re supposed to be sleeping over at Josh’s house?

The solution certainly isn't covering our eyes and plugging our ears. Although that's a good idea, too.

My mom is a very smart woman. You know what else she used to say? "The trick is to keep your kids alive until they turn 21.”

Amen to that.



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To rave, or not to rave - Page 6

Photo Caption: Scott Haskins (REAL LIFE)