GOVERNMENT RANTS WHILE KIDS RAVE RAVE

Mike Harris' Ontario government recently decided to lend a hand to help
crack down on raves.

These all-night electronic music bashes have been going on in Toronto for
more than 10 years.

The fuss made over three allegedly rave-related Ontario deaths in recent
months, while tragic, pale in comparison when you consider the number of
people murdered each year by drunk drivers.

One reason why ravers are easy targets is because as the Toronto scene grew
and commercialized it became predominantly white, suburban, middle-class
kids who could afford the $50+ tickets.

Part of the blame is on the ravers themselves. Aside from offering
cutting-edge music, this counterculture serves next to no political or
social agenda.

People have been shot and killed at Toronto's Caribana parade, but no one
would even consider shutting down an event that is an important forum for
celebrating black cultures and combating racism. The same party favours
found at raves are swallowed and snorted at giant gay circuit parties
across North America, the largest of which is Montreal's Black & Blue bash,
which took place at the Olympic Stadium last month.

But gay parties donate a small portion of their proceeds to AIDS causes
(not to mention that millions of dollars were poured into Montreal's
economy and the event received letters of support from all levels of
government, including Heritage Minister Sheila Copps).

If anything, ravers have compounded the offence of being apolitical by
reproducing their own version of capitalist success.

Off-duty police officers can be paid up to triple overtime to monitor
parties that take in tens of thousands of dollars.

But the public has only been fed half the story when it comes to raves.
Yes, there is drug use (ecstasy, crystal meth), but a recent study on the
Toronto rave scene commissioned by the Toronto Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health revealed the true drug of choice is marijuana.

Tim Weber, the researcher behind the study, also noted the average raver's
party lifespan is only about two years.

Aside from myself at the National Post and The Toronto Star's Ben Rayner,
the positive cultural aspects of raves are virtually ignored by the
mainstream Toronto press, which served up such headlines as "A deathwatch
on raves" courtesy of The Globe and Mail and "Young clubbers ecstatic about
rave 'chemicals'" in The Toronto Sun. The worst was Ian Brown's "Adventures
in clubland," a September Toronto Life cover story that painted Toronto as
a drugged-out wasteland with no mention of it being a huge North American
centre for top international European DJs or a pioneer in expanding
cutting-edge jungle and music.

But Brown only spoke to 70 or so clubbers.

Thanks to these articles, legitimate venues have been canceling parties.

Today's DJs are international stars who demand thousands of dollars, are
flown around the globe and command huge followings. They are today's pop
stars and part of a lucrative global culture of parties, fashion,
alternative media and thousands of Internet Web sites.

Over the years, police officers I have interviewed have said the real
problem at raves is adulterated drugs.

Most kids don't know what they are taking.

Undercover operations show everything from crack to Draino in bogus tabs of
ecstasy.

A drug education program is the route to go.

Everyone from promoters to politicians can work to make raves safer.

Or raves can be broken up and chased underground, which makes for great
headlines (and likely adds a cachet to the scene) but solves nothing.
Regardless of what the government does, the beat will go on.