Most of us are sickened by reports each weekend of violence, projectile vomiting and glassing on the streets of Melbourne fuelled by drugs & consuming too much alcohol. We blame it on licensing laws, parents & upbringing, impact of violence on TV & videos etc but Fiona Scott-Norman wrote in the “Age” newspaper today to put forward a different spin on the subject. She laments the loss of partner dancing since the 1960’s and wonders about the impact of certain loud techno music on young people that large nite clubs pump out like an “Exxon Valdez oil spill”.

Like a Foxtel “National Geographic” documentary, young people head into the city every weekend like a “river of frisky spawning salmon nosing their way upstream to socialize with other frisky people with an eye to spawning”. Music is an integral part of the dating & mating ritual. Since the dawn of mankind, music (including rock & roll) has a pivotal role in entertainment & relaxation, to worship God, to learn, to seduce etc. Fiona argues that certain techno dance music today has the exact opposite effect - it’s loud & repetitive and gives you nothing to talk about. It may make you dance like a maniac till 6am the next morning but then feeling terrible when effects of the “chemicals” start to wear out.

Fiona also wrote about the loss of partner dancing for young people since the 1960’s. For centuries, partner dancing allowed young adults to get to know each other socially through non sexual, fun, social ritualized touching. Nite clubs with their loud techno music today are chock full of young people who can’t talk to each other, can’t touch each other like in partner dancing and have zero opportunity for intimacy. The only tools left in their seduction kit for intimacy unfortunately are alcohol, drugs and shouting.

In reality, I am sure our society & young people are a lot more complex than what has been written about. There were reported instances of violence in the early rock & roll days, so it’s probably unfair to blame it all on certain loud techno music. But I do believe partner dancing and rock & roll music, for example, may not be the cure all but have a place in providing safe and relaxing entertainment for those who partake of it.