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Raving and Ranting

Program Length: 1 hour
Produced: 2000

Introduction

This edition of TooMuchForMuch examines issues surrounding the Rave scene in Toronto: rave organizers, law officials, journalists and city councilors debate how best to keep raves legal and safe, and also address alleged drug use at some raves.

Panelists include:

Kim Stanford - Toronto Dance Safety Committee
Olivia Chow - Toronto City Councillor
Rob Lisi - promoter, Lifeforce
Staff Sergeant Clark - Community Response Unit, Toronto Police
Inspector Tony Warr - Special Investigation Services, Toronto Police
Louis Sokolov - lawyer
George Mammoliti - Toronto City Councillor
Dr. Jim Cairns - Deputy Chief Coroner
Mitchel Raphael - National Post reporter
Tom Godfrey - Toronto SUN rave beat reporter

1. An opening montage of news clips provides some background for the speakers' comments, including a shot of handguns that were seized at raves, according to Julian Fantino, Toronto Chief of Police.

Tom Godfrey, the Toronto SUN rave reporter, says, "I haven't heard of any weapons being seized at raves."

A little later, Sergeant Clark states that 'no guns have been seized at raves.'

Might Fantino's statement have been taken out of context, and originally been made about gun seizures at after hours clubs rather than raves, or might the police have been trying to create a connection between handguns and raves?

Why might police want to regulate raves? If the police are not upset at thousands of youths having a good time, what IS their concern?

2. What is the Toronto Dance Safety Committee? What are its goals?

Will Chang of the Toronto Dance Safety Committee, states, "If you try to ban raves, it will go underground and there won't be the safety guidelines that there are now and parties will go underground and there won't be the safety guidelines that there are now and parties will be more dangerous." He also states: "The number one cause of death at raves worldwide is not drugs -- it's overheating and dehydration. There have been a lot of parties that are thrown in venues that do not have free running water. So we want to make sure that that doesn't happen anymore in Toronto."

Why might promoters throw raves in venues without free running water?
What will happen to promoters if all venues must provide free running water?
What connection might there be between the use of Ecstasy and the danger of people dehydrating and overheating?

3. Dr. Maris Andersons, an addiction specialist, warns ravers about depression and mixing drugs at raves.

What are some of the other drug-related issues that ravers should know about?
Several speakers refer to T.R.I.P, the Toronto Rave Information Project. What information does the Project provide?
Research to discover who runs the Toronto Rave Information Project.
Who pays the bills?
What is the Project's purpose?
How does the Project provide education?
Should the Project visit schools? Why?

What drug education do you think schools should provide?
Who should present the education?
What drug education do you think MuchMusic should provide?
Describe the kind of show that would best present the information.

4. Mitchel Raphael of the National Post provides several clarifications regarding the media's representation of raves and Ecstasy. He charges that the police created the rave-ecstasy link by placing rave pamphlets beside confiscated Ecstasy pills. He also adds that only 3 of 7 Ecstasy deaths occurred at raves, and all 3 people were over 18, even though the media presents the issue as one of particular concern for youth under the age of 18.

Why might the media choose to conflate drug-use at raves with younger people, as Mitchel Raphael suggests? He points out that 1500 people die from alcohol-related causes each year, many more than die from Ecstasy.

Are these important facts to consider when examining the Ecstasy-rave issues, or might some of them be irrelevant to the arguments, and just create distractions from the real issues?

5. At one point a screen of information states:

"Ecstasy is MDMA - methylenedioxyamphetimine - invented in 1912.

Its use began in the '50s and '60s, when some US psychotherapists shared Ecstasy - known as "empathy" then - with their emotionally blocked patients.

Ecstasy entered the dance scene in the '70s.

Ecstasy releases neurotransmitters in the brain known as serotonin and dopamine.

Dopamine suppresses pain in situations where we're in pain, but need to push on - as in sport. That's why Ecstasy has been held responsible for deaths by overheating."

Is this important information? Why? How does this information help someone better consider the issues of drug use at raves? Was it more effective to read this information rather than to have someone say it to us? Why?

Did this program provide an accurate and comprehensive representation of raves? Provide examples of balanced presentation in the program. Describe what additional elements might have improved the program.

6. The Coroners' Jury recommendations concerning raves:

a) Public & private properties be made available for raves and subject to
    TDSC licensing
b) Access to unlimited drinking water
c) Restrict admission to raves to those 16 years and older 
d) Advertising guidelines for raves to forbid depiction of drugs and drug
    use
e) All tickets to raves must indicate the location of the event and that the
    event is 'drug free'
f) Uniformed and pay-duty officers must police events
g) Better drug education concerning the risks of drugs

How similar are the jury recommendations to those of the Toronto Dance Safety Committee? (below)

a) free running water
b) city venues
c) drug education
d) security and pay-duty officers
e) permitting to keep out bad promoters

Which of the recommendations would help make raving better in Toronto? Why?

Which of the recommendations would be most harmful to raving in Toronto? Why?

The coroner's recommendations include unlimited access to drinking water, but not 'free' access. Is that an important difference between the two sets of recommendations? Why?

Written by: Neil Andersen
Neil Andersen is an award-winning Curriculum Consultant with the Toronto District School Board. He is also a speaker and consultant in media and communications technology. His most recent work includes the Between the Lines CDs, the teachers' study guide for the award-winning Scanning Television, and study guides for Space, Bravo! and MuchMusic's Cable in the Classroom broadcasts of original media literacy programming.

For more information about MuchMusic's educational programming -- or to give us your feedback -- please contact: 

Calla Dewdney
Public Affairs Coordinator
CHUM Television
416-591-7400 x5940
callad@chumtv.com


 




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