Can't sell water? Ok, here's some free water with your peanut purchase

dystop@lemmy.worldmod to Malicious Compliance@lemmy.world – 258 points –
i.imgur.com
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Good. The rule is stupid and deserves to be worked around. Water is essential. I hate when I go to these kinds of public places and they give you no option to get water other than bringing it yourself. Poor logistics on the part of the event organizers.

The official reason for such rules are usually "we need a mix of vendors" or something like that.

The unofficial, true reason is usually that the organizer wants to be the only one selling water so they can sell it for $5.

I think these rules are intended to be malicious. If you want to make it hard for people to organize but just banning them is illegal, the next step is to just make it super uncomfortable for them to hang around, so, no water.

For real... do they want people dying??

They want people to not be there, at least for long.

Isn't that like the opposite of the purpose of big events like these?

It doesn't look like the rule is from the event organizers. Most likely local government who want's the money from the event while keeping the turnover high so that people will come, spend their money, and fuck off as soon as possible.

I think it's more likely that the festival has other stalls selling water for a ridiculous markup.

I like that we’re allowing images here instead of just text only.

For sure!

Ps: I spent like 30 seconds looking at the OP thinking "Where's the post?" before realizing.

Yeah this seems like an improvement to me.

This is often (but not always!) done at events where either the organizers, or the permitting government, suspects that people may use drugs and want to "discourage" such behavior.

TBH that just makes it more of a human rights violation.

I went to a club in NYC 20-ish years ago and they were selling bottled water for $6 a bottle (in 2001!) The bathrooms only had hot water so no one could refill. It was also quite hot in the main room. Scumbags.

You are on the right track but it is more malicious than that.

The drug deals done in dance clubs is generally the clubs own product being sold. In every jurisdiction in the US essentially, establishments that serve alcohol are by law required to serve free water. If some suckers spend the $6 on water, cool, but otherwise, those water bottles are the best way to hide drug profits.

Ever wonder why DJs are spraying the crowd down with bottled water from the bar and it isn't just part of the clubs set design? They gotta get rid of the inventory.

How does not selling watter discourages drug use? Like, i get that some drugs can or must be diluted in watter, but I know you can get high on most things without it. What was their logic? Drugs bad :c Heatstroke yay c:!??

Er... drinking water helps with consuming drugs?

Staying hydrated on molly/ecstasy is important

huh, interesting.

so... they're denying everyone water to stop some people from getting high? still doesn't seem right to me tbh.

Well, that's because it isn't right. But this sort of backwards thinking is extremely common in anti drug policy.

The RAVE Act and crack house laws only punish organizers who knowingly allow drug use to happen at their events or premises...Rave organizers told Anderson that, as a result, they try to avoid looking like they're aware of drug use at their events...Some organizers don't even offer free bottled water to help prevent heat strokes, a potentially fatal side-effect of some drug use on the dance floor.

From Vox

How does restricting water stop people from taking drugs? I imagine people can still sniff cocaine or swallow a pill easily.

My city has bullshit laws like this that are created solely to continue the monopolies held by gangsters and goons who pay politicians for their support.

In my city a food truck can't park within view or 100ft of a restaurant. The reasoning was that the food trucks would hurt restaurants. But if the restaurant can't compete with the food truck food that's on them, and it sucks us all over who want a bite but don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a sit down meal

In my city a food truck can’t park within view or 100ft of a restaurant.

Doesn't that mean literally no food trucks along Main Street or wherever all the shops are?