hi,

I have a couple of suggestions with regard to RaveSafe presence at parties
and influence on organisers.

First and foremost is the placement of the RaveSafe stand - at the RiseUp
party I attended recently the stand was completely inaccessible - I know two
people who were in trouble, but were in no state to try traversing a hot
crowded dance-floor to seek help; fortunately they managed to get outside
relatively quickly, very sick, but at least avoiding the easily fatal
consequences of overheating. Had they been on E or something similar they
may not have realised they were overheating in time to do something about it.

The second problem is directly related - something has to be done about
organisers packing as many people as they possibly can into a venue with
complete disregard for the safety of their patrons. RiseUp was yet another
instance of an indoor party where far too many people were allowed through
the door; anyone in serious trouble in the middle of one of the crowded
dance-floors would have had little chance of getting out quickly or anyone
getting to them quickly. Furthermore no comfortable, relaxing, quiet chill
zone was provided. I feel RaveSafe should have a page listing organisers
who have a history of doing this sort of thing to warn partygoers about the
worst offenders. When someone dies at a party it is rave that gets the bad
rap, not the greedy unscrupulous organiser.

On another note - I think it would be a good idea to have a link to HearNet
on your page about protecting your hearing; they are dedicated to spreading
information about hearing protection, hearing damage etc. Their address is
www.hearnet.com (I don't have my links on hand so if this is wrong contact
me and I'll pass on the correct address). I should also point out that
while your advice to use toilet paper as an emergency measure is good, you
should warn people that the protection provided by toilet paper and cotton
wool is absolutely minimal and not to be relied on; in fact it would be
better to advise anyone who is finding the volume level painful to go
outside or move far away from the speakers at an outdoor party; you might
also advise people that dancing behind speakers will help, reducing the high
frequency bombardment on their ears; I would also encourage partygoers to
complain about poor quality, distorted sound, excessive volume, especially
harsh sound with too much high end - these all increase the strain on your
ears; we do need some sort of channel to the organisers so this information
can be passed on to them - it will improve the quality of their parties and
help protect their patrons. Perhaps it would be possible for RaveSafe to
make foam earplugs available at parties either for a small fee or free if
possible (they are quite cheap and provide excellent protection in the
absence of high quality specialised plugs). I really don't think the very
real possibility of hearing damage is being emphasised sufficiently,
particularly for the younger ravers - it is easy to discount the advice when
it's coming from some ancient teacher who hates rock music, but perhaps when
it comes from fellow rave enthusiasts it will be taken more seriously.

I know I wish someone had told me then what I know now. Given what ravers
spend on parties and chemicals they should be encouraged to put a little
money into getting themselves a pair of high quality ear plugs that will not
only protect their hearing, but will not significantly alter the way music
etc. sounds as the cheap foam plugs are prone to doing. I'm quite willing
to redo the page myself.

thanks for your time.

cheers 'n' plur
- - --------------------------------------------------------------------
ian 'A twisted soul - the mortar ...
Despair - the bricks ...
swan@iafrica.com To build a Temple to sadness.'
ian@peralex.com - the Crow
- - --------------------------------------------------------------------
'This isn't hell, but you can see it from here.'

http://users.iafrica.com/s/sw/swan/

Thanks for the letter Ian. This has been forwarded to the RaveSafe Cape Town group for their attention. We can't really publish a blacklist of organisers: we prefer to be non-partisan and try and work with all organisers, despite whatever obstacles might arise. Anyway what goes around, comes around ? And thanks for that advice on the hearing page, it will get attention soon. :> Ed

 

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