[8-14-14] Dehyd-rage-tion

This is an article submitted to me by an individual known as "F5-NJA" regarding the recent ban of Camelbaks by music festivals, particularly Electric Zoo. 

Dehyd-rage-tion

No adult is unaware humans need water to live. Sweating causes water loss – upwards of a liter per hour. Dehydration happens various ways, including loss of total body fluid, and rise in body temperature. This medical emergency has been fatal for many festival attendees. There’s an expression that something “flows like water.” If anything should flow like water at a festival, it’s water. The RAVE Act of 2003 clearly attempted to teach rave promoters a lesson: pre-asses a rave and provide attendees water, or else raves will stop. This lesson was missed. Selfish and irresponsible promoters neglect to provide access to water. This seems entirely profit motivated. Neglecting people’s health, in favor of a few bucks, is the most heinous part of any music scene. There are no excuses for dehydration persisting.

The ostensible point in writing about this injustice towards ravers is upcoming East Coast EDM festival Electric Zoo. EZoo promoters seem to be under the philosophy that any attention is good attention, pointing out tragic mishaps from last year in multiple social media posts and an anti-drug PSA. Realistically, there is no telling whether added security can change the mindset of belligerents, who conduct immoral activity. Rape and murder were the most tragic incidents from last year’s EZoo. These behaviors affected others. They are wrongfully being grouped with self-injurious behavior, such as drug taking. The most misguided EZoo policy is the banning of camelbacks. The direct results of this restriction is less access to water, possibly causing dehydration. An indirect result is a handful of people having to find another hiding spot for their drugs. Removing camelbacks is not a drug deterrent, it is an inconvenience. It has led EZoo patrons to wonder how they can sneak in water – an essential to life. Dehydrating people is guaranteed to exacerbate medical issues, but does nothing to prevent rape or murder. Drugs are only one safety hazard. They should not be so focused on, other concerns are forgot.

Harm reduction measures encourage drug test kits, spray sunblock, and other items with a main purpose of protecting. It is naïve to think these products can not cause harm, but it more naïve to pretend prohibiting these items does any good. If festivals merely took into consideration that dehydration is a more severe problem than drugs, festival stigmas could be reduced. Focusing on prohibition makes it appear as if festival goers are prioritizing drug use over safety. It builds upon the stereotype that all ravers are on drugs, in turn encouraging use. Focusing on reducing, rather than eliminating harms, can augment the negative stereotypes of festivals. We should strive to guide festival goers to prioritizing music and dance over substances, not put illicit drugs on a pedestal.

Event planners can also do more to actively check their patrons are safe after the gates. A feasible mean of encouraging people to leave densely packed stages between sets is through intermissions. A stronger approach is an active one, especially giving out water. The more active the approach, the more the festival appears to care about attendee safety. I witnessed this first hand last weekend at Moonrise Festival in Baltimore. I was among 42 volunteers who actively gave out water, ice, earplugs, and other small items throughout the festival. Essentially we acted as “mood adjusters”, giving people a better experience. We mostly squirted water into mouths, or dumped it on heads, while dancing and talking to others. Volunteers also talked with attendees having a bad time. I personally escorted several people out of intense crowds, sat with someone who felt uncomfortable from drugs they’d taken, and escorted several people to medical tents. The reception to us volunteers was phenomenal. “I’m comfortable talking with you,” said one attendee who was worried he needed medical help. “You guys make it look like the festival really cares about us!” said another attendee, upon getting some well-deserved water.

Festival goers cheered Moonrise volunteers for having the common decency of making sure their fellow ravers were comfortable. In a country that praised Japan for cleaning up trash after their World Cup match, but continues to actively act like litter is someone else’s responsibility, this is of little surprise. “Too many people are selfish at shows; they want to have the absolute best time possible, be as close to the artist as possible, and party as hard as possible, without much mind to their safety or that of that of those around them.” said Eric Bonnavent, Volunteer Coordinator at Moonrise Festival. Eric was hard at work throughout the fest – telling volunteers to go to stages they were needed at, going deep in crowds, and constantly moving. Eric continued, “We definitely prevented some potential bad situations.” It’s hard to disagree. As drugs cause people to lose control of their inhibitions, actively asking attendees if they’re in need of water prevents people from causing self-harm. The volunteers’ goal was to reach attendees before it was too late. Making themselves and others feel appreciated was an added perk.

While festival-sponsored volunteers may be new, mood adjusters at festivals are not. Hippies, festies, ravers, and ragers from all over actively care about the safety of others before their own. Kandi Kate, a vendor of her homemade Phat Pants, said of her experiences as a mood adjuster, “I’m just looking out for patrons.” Kandi Kate is an old-school East Coast raver, well known to many in the hardcore rave scene. “Water at festies should be free” says Kate. Like many others, Kate embodies the PLUR lifestyle. To get ready for a small upcoming Pittsburgh festival, FantasyLand, Kate is printing out advice for potential medical issues, buying dozens of water bottles to give out, and preparing her typical mood adjusters. These include intricate pieces of kandi, gum, candy, and a parachute that even has its own Facebook page. If more festival attendees carried the veteran PLUR mentality, volunteers might not be necessary. But the scene is rapidly expanding, inevitably bringing in new people. This is where the festival concerns lie: new comers, not veterans. We must teach these rave babies, not punish them.

The dehydration concern is heavily mitigated by providing water refill stations, as an increasing amount of festivals are now doing. However, cups and bottles must be replenished multiple times an hour to provide the liters of water some festival goers need. Sober and drugged out festival attendees alike are not interested in leaving a dense crowd to get hydrated, especially at large festivals. As such, water needs to be available everywhere. Camelbacks are the most sensible solution for this, providing several liters of water at a time and cooling the wearers back. Next are volunteers. After these essential needs are taken care of, we can educate safety measures effectively. You should never have to wait to hydrate.

If you enjoyed this article and want to help make a change, support the #SaveTheCamelbaks campaign over on the Electronic Anything Facebook Page HERE!!!