You Should Really Stop Posting Pictures Of Your Molly Face

The Northwest is in full recovery from an insane weekend of raving. There were events all over the region, and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were flooded with a segment of the youth bragging about their experiences. As part of these experiences, the millennial generation LOVES to take selfies. And every time, they look higher and higher as the social feed ensues.

Look, we get it. Some people like to roll. And that is your prerogative, so long as you are doing so responsibly. But posting pictures to social media with your eyes as big as saucers is not a very smart thing to do. Doing this promotes a particular stereotype in the scene, creating doubts about our family, and posing a serious risk to future job opportunities.

We all know the stereotypes that exist in our scene. There’s the “Bro,” The “Rave Betch,” The “Kandi Kid,” and so on. But the most prevalent stereotype is the “E Kid.” E, standing for ecstasy, is one of the hardest perceptions for ravers to overcome. The truth is that there are people in the rave community that want to get high at events. We don’t deny that. But the problem is that this seems to be the only narrative that people know outside the rave scene.

By constantly posting molly-faced photos, people are only adding to that stereotype. There are incredible people within this community that promote better things, are successful professionals and want to be positive representatives of ravers.

As it turns out, Facebook is simultaneously ruining relationships while also bringing the world closer together. There are many factors that have contributed to creating rocky relationships within families. More often than not, it comes from over-posting or over-sharing. It’s nice to see someone doing well, but the last thing a family member wants to see is their loved one rolling balls at a rave. It could lead to a rift between the people involved, where one is expressing concern and the other is saying everything is just fine. It’s a story that plays out all too often when a family member or loved one is concerned with another’s drug use.

There are also many many faux-pas when it comes to posting online and how that will effect your career. It could be your poor grammar, f***ing excessive profanity, lying about your sick-day, etc. But none of them is as dangerous as posting illegal activity. Many employers will research social media accounts (whether you want them to or not) in order to check on authenticity and the caliber of a potential employee. You can imagine how an employer might view someone after scrolling past that 2 a.m. high-as-a-kite post, or worse, taking a hit of whatever they choose to imbibe in. Thinking this doesn’t apply to anyone personally is a trap, leading to what could be an arduous and fruitless job hunt.

Here a few simple rules so that you can still post online while at a rave and not put yourself in a bad light:

1. Wear sunglasses if you insist on being photographed … No really, you don’t want people seeing your saucer-sized pupils, or your eyes rolling back in your head
2. Keep your mouth closed, or at least your tongue in your mouth
3. Don’t photograph any paraphernalia

In other words, don’t do this:

Photo: Jeremy Wassink

As we said before, we realize that some people want to get high, and we’ll say it again: Just be responsible. We really don’t like having to inform you about the latest tragedy to hit the rave scene. Think before you post. If you really want to share a picture of you at a rave, post it in a closed or secret group/rave family page. You may not really understand the consequences of what you post until it is far too late.