XPost: rec.sport.football.college, alt.music.trance, alt.music.jungle   
   From: t.h.ortonREMOVE-THIS-BIT@btinternet.com   
      
   You obviously aren't a clubber yourself (fair enough). The photos you refer   
   to are mostly of people having good time. (You may notice lots of them   
   smiling, laughing, etc.) Clubbing is about dance music and DJs - this was   
   what brought people together (and still does bring people together) and   
   started the scene in the first place. Clubbing's also about having a good   
   time, dancing, messing about, being a bit silly and maybe a bit immature   
   (wouldn't the world be a *boring* place if everyone was all mature and   
   grown-up all the time? - personally I think everyone should have a little   
   kid lurking in them!), being open-minded, being yourself, discovering   
   yourself, meeting a whole diversity of people, and inevitably forming   
   friendships/relationships and sharing experiences (which tends to bring   
   people closer) ... and hey you may even find love!   
      
   I don't see this as shallow. And, no, I'm not high on ecstasy while writing   
   this.   
      
   As with many, many activities that people do for the love of it, clubbing   
   does involve spending money. This may be on drinks and it may be on airfares   
   to clubbing destinations as well as many other things. It may also, horror   
   of horrors, be spent on drugs - mostly ecstasy. Shallow you say? I have two   
   points to make on this.   
      
   Firstly, I can go to my local superclub and dance like mad, have a good time   
   and talk to lots of people all completely sober. Point made.   
      
   Secondly, try to define what an emotion is. I mean essentially: not just "a   
   certain feeling". I'm talking philosophically here. What pins it down? What   
   is it to feel happy, for example? OK so you can describe what you might do   
   when feeling happy, and what causes you to feel happy, but you can't say   
   what happiness is. You just experience it. No chemical (not MDMA, nor even   
   serotonin that is in your head naturally) *is* happiness, nor can it   
   *create* this mysterious phenomenon. How on earth could it? It must be real.   
   If you look at any mind-altering substance, what it very often does is break   
   down mental barriers, but only to manifest something that is *already   
   there*. For your information ecstasy can cause people to feel sadness (I've   
   experienced this myself), if that's what's there already. Obviously you have   
   to accept that the negative feelings brought out by any drug are also real.   
   Alcohol, as we well know, has the tendency to make people speak their mind   
   and say what they really feel, and of course this isn't necessarily   
   positive. On a day-to-day basis, it wouldn't be appropriate to be on drugs   
   all the time. We need a balanced head. However in certain social situations,   
   it's alright to show certain sides to you that otherwise may not come across   
   as strongly, if at all. For the most part ecstasy brings out the happier,   
   more positive, more relaxed and more sociable side in people - which is why   
   it's perfect for clubbing.   
      
   Anyway, hope this has encouraged you to look at clubbing in a more positive   
   light than your question seems to infer. Maybe one day you could try it and   
   may be get hooked!   
      
   For more madness take a look at these galleries:   
      
   www.4clubbers.net/album/   
   www.godskitchen.com - go to the GALLERY. (Click March 16th, picture number 3   
   and you'll see me in the blue T-shirt!)   
   http://www.diehardclubbers.co.uk/gallery/pic%20menu.html   
   plus many, many more on the internet.   
      
   :)   
      
   ...Phew!   
      
   Tom   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)