For the longest time, clubbing was one of those tantalizing forbidden fruits that young teenagers hungered for. If you assume that all teenagers start off innocent, then the draw would be twofold: because the law and parents say you can't go, and because all your friends are still going anyway.
Not... for me.
When I was 17, my mum pounced on me one evening exclaiming, "Quick! Do you want to go clubbing?" It turned out she had tickets for Zouk, and thought that the exposure would be good for me. I refused out of pure shock, mind frantically racing to find the catch in this. "Hey, if you are afraid of going alone, I'll go with you! Next Wednesday?" My mum's beaming smile was never quite so creepy.
In the end, in a bid to escape from having to club with my mum, I went with my friends. When people enquire about the circumstances under which I first went clubbing, I prefer to just say my mum didn't mind.
Parents have valid reasons for keeping their kids away from clubs. The sleaze, the booze, the bad company all really do exist. But I cannot imagine my parents banning me from clubs when I am 18, and still singing the same song when I turn 30. Somewhere along the way, I believe children really do need to get out, have a look at the real world, and then start buffing up those streetsmarts that schools typically neglect.
The truth is, clubs aren't the Dens of Evil that the media make them out to be. For every murder, rape, fight, there's hundreds of youths who go home safe after a night out with friends. The statistics basically indicate that clubbing is probably as safe as say, crossing a road.
Over the years, I've slowly began to understand the rules governing clubbing. How to keep together in groups on a packed dance floor. How to meld into the crowd when you need a quick escape. Which clubs to go to, and at what time, and wearing what, to signify that you really don't want to be picked up. I admit though, I still have problems rejecting advances from crazed fans.
Oh, but I so rue the day I go clubbing and find my mum on the dance floor next to me.
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