Yes, I was at the big Capitol Hill afterparty memorial service on the early evening of March 28, across from the East Republican Street house where the shootings took place and just three blocks from the apartment house where "Singles" was filmed. The service was large, it was (mostly) somber, it was sad.
But it was also a celebration of life, of the "peace, love, unity and respect" ethos oft proclaimed by the techno world these past dozen years or so (almost the entire lifetimes of two of the shooting victims).
You'd think that after all these years, the oft-justly-vilified "MSM" (that's blog-talk for "mainstream media") would've figured out that the dance-music scene ain't no big bad den of iniquity. But the ol' temptation of easy stereotypes reared its ugly head again, as local papers and broadcasters this past week filled too many of their dispatches with easy-to-write, easy-to-understand inaccuracies.
The shooting is a one-time event that could have happened in a school, church, freeway overpass, or shopping mall. (When a guy started shooting people in the Tacoma Mall parking lot last year, you didn't read Seattle Times editorials calling for a crackdown on consumerism.)
A plea to the culturally conservative baby boomers who still run things in this town's government and media: The all-ages scene (particularly the commercial and nonprofit events with security) is safe, mutually-supportive, and just possibly better for kids than many other, more officially-approved-of activities. The music-dance scene in Seattle (particularly the commercial and nonprofit events with pro security) is about as secure as any young-rebel-hedonist scene anywhere has ever been.
And it's a lot more tolerant and mutually supportive than a lot of the more officially-approved-of youth activities.
This was proven as the memorial service ended and the sun went down. A group of ravers broke up the mass sadness by opening the doors of a parked car, cranking up the car's stereo, and inviting all in attendance to dance the tears away. They smiled as they jumped and writhed and twirled about. They were determined to have fun, and they did. It was a sight I'll remember the rest of my life.
Over the years, some music critics have scorned the techno genre for its alleged emotionless monotony. If any of these critics had seen this act of spontaneous defiance/celebration, they'd be singing the proverbial different tune.
Grapevine concern
Still, there are real aspects to the rave scene that have caused vocal concern, in the media and also in the general social grapevine. Two different people have told me they were certain that any house party that lasted until 7 a.m. had to have involved copious drug use.
I don't completely agree with that. I've been up 'til dawn or almost dawn at house parties fueled by nothing stronger than Redhook kegs. I'm down on recreational pill-popping, but neither I, the government, nor straight-edge rockers can stop it. One of the things we can do is encourage those who use to use responsibly, in supportive environments, without driving.
I've heard complaints that many rave-scene events involve adults partying in the same room with teenagers. But that does not necessarily mean the adults are out to prey on the teenagers.
There's a generation of urban grownups (Adam Sternbergh in New York magazine calls them "grups") who simply haven't bothered to give up their youth-culture pasts. I'm one of these, even though my musical tastes gravitate toward indie pop and lounge rather than techno. Some of today's rave-scene teens have "grup" parents, some of whom share the same activities and even attend the same events.
And there are indeed a few just plain jerks in the scene, as there are in most every subculture you can think of. A jerk will gravitate to any realm where he or she can use in-group identity as an excuse for rude, bullying, or self-serving behavior. But the scene also has a lot of caring, concerned people who try to watch out for the "newbies" and keep them from getting exploited.
I only wish I knew what else to say to all my acquaintances in the techno-party world, except: Stay safe. God-as-I-understand-him loves you. Life is just about always worth living. Don't let clueless outsiders put you down. Don't let superior-acting insiders bully you around. Deal with your pain; don't try to drown it in chemicals. The answers to That Empty Frustrating Feeling don't come in a bottle, a pill, or a bullet. Be well with one another.
Clark Humphrey's column appears in the first issue of each month. His long-running Web site on popular culture is www.miscmedia.com.
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