AMUSEMENTS OF HIGH RISK

Halloween party (Madrid Arena 2012)

Love Parade (Duisburg 2010 - Germany)

   The tragedy that occurred during the celebration of the Halloween party at the Madrid Arena enclosure, in the capital of Spain, on the night of October 31, in which died four young girls and another have outcome wounded  extremely serious, and  that, attached with others happenings, such as the case of Factory nightclub, of Quito, during a rock concert celebrated on April 19, 2008, in which there were 17 deaths; that of a nightclub in the Russian town of Perm, on December 5, 2009, with a balance of 109 dead and over 130 injured, or the produced during the electronic music festival Love Parade, held on July 24, 2010 in Duisburg, Germany, resulting in 21 dead and over 500 injured, to mention only some of the most relevant recent events, have come for to put into question all existing regulations on security to ensure the physical safety of those attendees to these massive  concentrations of people, or, at least, the strictness and  demands in monitoring its implementation, and requires, of once and for all, of a response of society truly and definitive. 

Disco Alcala 20 - Madrid

   The fire that occurred on the morning of December 17, 1983, at the disco Alcala 20 Madrid, which killed 82 people trapped in the  deficients escape routes, caused a national commotion that led to the need to rethink all aspects of security relating to public places, but, to date, despite the many years, legislative changes, and greater availability of resources, progress in this area, judging by the results, have not been sufficient. Overcoming of permitted capacity in these establishments, lack of control to the access and control in their own facilities, defects and deficiencies in the infrastructure, along with some unwise actions committed, very often caused by euphoric states derived from excessive intake of alcohol, even drugs, are frequently at the origin of these tragedies. Prevent that similar events happen again is not just a necessity, it is, above all, an obligation, a task in which they should be involved all levels of society, without exception. If we all have some part of the blame, we all have to find the solution; of course, each one to the extent that corresponds.

The endless wait

   Extreme situations, such as those mentioned above, where tragedy strikes many family, and are  propagate in all media, increases the tension that exists within households when one of its members goes to any of these events, and feeds the particular anxiety that all parents have the weekends when their children come out to spend the night away from home, with the uncertainty of not knowing for sure where they go or how lucky can run in his absence, while keeping vigil with the mobile phone to the view; concern that only is relieved when is heard the key in the lock of the door, although it represents only the beginning of other six days of quietude.

Youth people given to drinking

   The problem than parents are finding when they try to avoid exposing their children to all the risks which represents their attendance, late into the morning, at night clubs, meetings of bottles, etc., where one of the primary purposes is the alcohol consumption, even also the drug mixture, is the lack of sufficient arguments to convince young people, especially when they are fulfilling their duties satisfactorily, to abandon a practice that they are considering normal and one part elemental of their social relationships. This complex and cumbersome affair, once it has reached the present size, will not be easy to eradicate, and the solution will undoubtedly have to go through about a radical change in the model of youth entertainment. The question is whether we are really convinced of its necessity and, above all, willing to use all means to get it.

C. Diaz Fdez
Oviedo November 2012