There are some who believe that it should be okay to be a sponsored glowsticker, to be paid to glowstick. This in more ways than one goes directly against our ideals here on Glowsticking.com. The purpose of this article is to address this issue and the multiple reasons we are against it.
Glowsticking is an art that developed out of the rave culture, a culture which is based on loving and sharing freely with all who partake in it. In its basic sense, everyone in the rave culture is considered an equal regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, economical standing, political viewpoints, skill, talent, style or a myriad of other differences. In this sense of equality, this coming together of peoples from different sects of society with widely varying viewpoints, everyone's contributions are equally welcomed into the culture. There are some however that wish to stand out from the crowd and place themselves above the rest, destroying the fundamental equality that created the rave culture and continues to bind it together.
There are multiple ways individuals attempt to do this, from battling and trying to prove that they are better at an art form than others, to jumping up on a stage to grab the attention of the crowd. Even many DJ's have in recent years fallen into this way of thinking, becoming what many would call the highlight of an event, where in days past the DJ at an event was just another person who was enjoying the party and just happened to be the one providing the music. A more recent attempt made by some people is to become sponsored. In other words, to be paid to dance at a party.
When someone becomes sponsored, while their intentions may initially be good, they've started down a road that is slowly leading our beloved culture of friendship and equality toward a point where it will no longer be about love for one another, but about dollar signs. To add to this, as money becomes involved tensions begin to mount between rival entrepreneurs. As one person gains a top money making slot, another person is shoved a step down the ladder. As time goes by and tensions build between people fighting for the top slots, competition ensues.
Competition has no place in the rave scene, as it defies the very foundations the scene is built on. By competing people are no longer equals, but rivals seeking to be better than one another. In addition, by selling an art such as glowsticking one is no longer sharing something they love doing just for the sake of sharing it, but selling something for a profit. It becomes downgraded from an enjoyable pastime to that of a commercial job. Do we really want to see a culture of love, caring and equality dissolve into the dirty aspects of capitalism?
Here on glowsticking.com, while our primary focus is on glowsticking, we also look at the bigger picture. One of our driving goals is to protect the culture we've grown to love. This includes not only glowsticking, but all forms of light related dance that have evolved out of the rave scene, from conjuring, orbiting and gloving to lightshows in general regardless of the medium used to perform said lightshows.
To sum this up: The rave scene is about equality. Getting paid causes rivalry. Rivalry causes competition. Competition causes inequality. Inequality does not fit in the rave scene.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. We hope you will take our ideals into consideration and help us in the quest to preserve our beloved culture.
Edited by Ph0toN, 12 March 2010 - 01:24 PM.
