Ban Performance Enhancing Drugs from Showbusiness

[jester]

I recently put this on uk Jugglers.net and it has a started a feirce debate. But I think it is important.

I'm being serious now. I really do beleive that performance enhancing drugs should be banned from showbusiness. I have been to shows where I am struggling with fatique, a cold etc etc and I do a little excercise take some paracetamol and cope with it. I do the show, I feel great on a natural high and come off stage.

On the same bill some jumped up tosser just shoves some stuff up his nose, goes out for 30 minutes and performs about as well as I did and comes off stage miserable as hell. Up on false self esteem they then go on to piss off all the other artists, treading on the self esteeem of the younger ones and generally in need of bloody good kicking.

Ban the drugs. If they can't do it without them they can go do something else. I know lots of Stand Up comics who can't perform without coke. There are so many drugs in this business, but because it isn't sport it is allowed.

There are so many youngsters who beleive that the best art is produced as a result of drug abuse, but that these drugs are "mind expanding." Well I would argue that while popular contemporary art may seem important now, the stuff that stands the test of time is generally clean, clear and visionary. Salvador Dali claimed that all of his hallucigenic inspiration was inspired by natural meditation and that drugs impaired rather than enhanced.

Juggling gives us something that far better than drugs. Your views are welcome.

Jonathan the Jester

[mini mansell]

Re: Ban Performance Enhancing Drugs from Showbusiness

Unless i have missed some world shattering news.

Drugs are illegal in most places.

so. in effect, they are already banned.

people choose to ignore the ban, much as people choose to ignore speed limits, and any other law they feel they are above.

[jester]

Wow mini. You must have a PHD in stating the obvious.

I think the industry should be cleaning itself up and not tolerating drugs of any kind. Many drugs are legal until classified so a lot of drug abuse is perfectly legal.

I'm talking about all performance enhancing drugs, legal or otherwise. And I think the industry should not only discourage, but should simply not tolerate it. Superstar takes something, record companies and networks say we're not playing this record or selling it until you sort yourself out.

[Evan Young]

Um, entertainment is run by money. Do you really think a record company is gonna stop selling millions of dollars worth of records because the band gets druged up all the time? Do you have any idea how high the beatles were? There is no way.
Choose your battles buddy. Get over it. Or, dig your heals into your moral high ground and fight a battle against people who just don't care and won't need to put any energy into fighting back.

[Peter Voice]

I always thought drug testing was compulsory for artists.

[Barry]

yup...i passed my test with flying colours

[scot]

Two things--
First, for performers, all drugs could be classified as performance enhancing.

Second, pro sports are run by big money also. You could do some crazy crap in footie if you're on Steroids and PCP.

[stickman]

I'm not giving up my lucasaide or my "feeling seeding" while in Australia. I know both contain caffiene and or Guaranna, which are still considered drugs. Just not illegal.

Most drugs are illegal anyways, expect in Amsterdam where they're busy trying to get rid of international street artists instead.

Sounds like the fight I'm more interested in at the moment. I've never worked the pitch yet and can't be bothered with the sideshow. Anne Franks house was interesting though.

Stickman

http://www.weeble.org

[Butterfly Man]

Can I still use my Viagra?

... without it my ring toss routine just lies there.

[Evan Young]

yes, pro sports is run by money. but it is run by the money of sports fans who want to see what real athleats can acomplish. when Mark M. was found to be using that one drug (I can't remember what) it was a big contraversy. Sports fans want to see sober athleats hit home runs with bats that don't have cork in them. Art fans just want to feel the emotions. Nobody cares that Nirvana was on Heroine, or if the Beatles were on acid. Even wall mart doesn't care, they just don't want to hear cus words. see the difference?
I was hanging out with a rock star over cristmas and telling him about how my nose started bleading in the middle of a street show. His responce was "that's bad, cuz it's affecting your career. If my nose starts gushing blood in the middle of a show I'll sell more records, but you have kids in your audience".

[Peter Voice]

This conversation is one of the most pointless to ever grace these pages.

Why do people think they need to tell others what they should or shouln't do and why do other people feel the need to justify themselves to those people.

Jester, why don't you just mind your own business, do your act as best you can and let others do the best they can. We all come from different places, get over it.

Why do you wish to impose a set of rules on a community whose greatest asset is it's anarchistic innovation?

To be frank............, I'd have to change my name.

[em]

given the choice between 3 juggling clubs and a fresh mint mojito...hmm which would i choose?

[jester]

Peter Voice

Peter.

If this thread is so pointless, why do you feel so threatened?

That tone of response is bigoted and closed minded, not a stance we normally associate with the pro - drug lobby is it?

[jester]

Well I am looking forward to the day somebody goes up to collect their Oscar and has it taken away from them three weeks later because they failed their drugs test.

Obviously I will be mortified to lose "The Osbournes" whom I love dearly, but watching them go through cold turkey will be fantastic telly.

[Evan Young]

Jester. I'm not a big fan of personal atacks but. You're making yourself sound like a loser.
sometimes it's hard to tell when people are being sarcastic when it's in type. I hope for your sake that's the case here.