Festival season is right around the corner, so what better time is there to address the subject of ravers? What is a raver, exactly? It's a person who listens to EDM, dresses half naked with bead bracelets up to their elbows, and who is high off of drugs or drunk out of their minds, right? Yeah, that's a typical raver, but that doesn't mean that we all fall into the same category. I say "we" because I, myself, am a raver.

This does not mean that I waste my money on shows every weekend. This does not mean that I am a drug addict, a pothead, or an alcoholic. This does not mean that I have no morals. Yes, by the way, my parents are very proud of me and the person who I am. Just because someone falls under the category of a "typical raver" doesn't mean that they're any less of a good person as one who doesn't. Yes, we spend a good amount of money on tickets for shows, but how do we get that money? We get it by working for it. "Work hard, play hard," is something that we ravers most definitely live by. After working hard all week, we deserve to give ourselves some play time on the weekend.

Yes, most girls are in basically only bikinis and guys are shirtless, but when we're dancing our hearts out shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of others for hours, we want to be as comfortable and as less sweaty as possible. Yes, a lot of people are under the influence, but that doesn't mean that it's the only way to enjoy the experience.

Being a raver means that I love EDM music. It means that I love going to shows, raves, and festivals to see DJ's whose music I greatly appreciate. It means that I love to dance carelessly with hundreds of other ravers who share the same love for EDM as I do, just as anyone else would want to at a concert for any artist that they love. Unfortunately, everything in society now is majorly based on stereotypes and nothing else—even music. By just saying what music you listen to, people think that they've got you all figured out. If you listen to rap, you're a wanna-be thug. If you listen to country, you're a "folk with boots." If you listen to classical, you're a goody-two-shoes. If you listen to EDM, you're a crazy headbanger.

Music goes beyond the stereotypes. It speaks to everyone, except every genre is a different language. Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect (PLUR) is the lifestyle of ravers everywhere and it's why we all automatically connect with one another at shows without even knowing each other previously. It's why I am not ashamed nor embarrassed to say that I am a raver.