I'm That Guy Who Defends Faster Horses And I'll Never Apologize

Every year, tens of thousands of people descend on Michigan International Speedway for a three day "Hillbilly sleepover" with some country music mixed in.

"The party of the summer" has become a staple to many summer plans and ranks as most festival goer's favorite weekend of the year.

Arriving at the campgrounds on that Thursday feels like pulling back into your hometown after a year away. I am not sure of anywhere else where you could put countless twenty-somethings with very minimal cell service and have them clamoring to return the second that they leave.

As someone who loves Faster Horses, I see the seasons not as winter, spring, summer, and fall but rather as being excited for Faster Horses, attending Faster Horses, defending Faster Horses and missing Faster Horses (This seems to be the longest season, much like a Michigan winter).

As I returned to the land of cell phone service and refreshed my Twitter feed, it became apparent that we are now into the season of defending Faster Horses. Faster Horses to me is like a loved one, and when someone talks bad about a loved one you can only sit silently for so long.

Yes, it is a country music festival.

I know that country music is not everyone's favorite but I am sure neither is your genre of choice. I have known many people who have attended Faster Horses and not liked the music but still had an amazing time at the concerts and walking the campsites.

I honestly think that I would pay the price for admission and camping just to sit around with buddies playing drinking games and meeting new fun people all weekend. I have met some lifelong friends at Faster Horses and this year met people from at least twenty different colleges and universities.

With a bleak forecast for the weekend, I noticed a lot of haters tweeting that they hoped that it would quite literally rain on the party.

Maybe next time I should wish for your Fortnite servers to crash. By wishing for rain, you are hoping to ruin others fun just because it is not something you wish to do. For some, Faster Horses costs around a thousand dollars by the time tickets, camping, drinks and other supplies are purchased.

I was very conservative this year with my set up and it still cost me around $600 dollars. I would never wish to see others investments towards a fun weekend ruined. You can tweet about how glad you are that you didn't waste your money at Faster Horses like other people did, but anyone who attends Faster Horses will readily tell you that it is worth every penny. I see you tweeting that you are so glad to not be there, only to say how bored you are later.

Is there a lot of drinking? Oh yes, but that is not unlike any college campus across America.

Unlike the neighborhood party down the street, at Faster Horses most people are camped there so there is minimal drunk driving. If you drink too much and fall down while walking you may wind up with some scrapes or bruises but it could be certainly worse if the participants needed to drive home.

Is there too much underage drinking? Yes.

While this is not something that I condone, again the drinking at Faster Horses is not unlike the underage drinking that one may see on most college campuses.

Do people cheat on their significant others at Faster Horses? Sure, it happens.

But let's be honest here, if your significant other is going to cheat at Faster Horses they were likely to cheat at the bar down the street or at a party. Don't blame Faster Horses for that. I can't help but wonder for every relationship ruined at Faster Horses, how many new relationships start from meeting so many people?

I have seen people complain about some of the women who choose to bare parts of themselves for drinks or beads. This is certainly a questionable behavior, especially with so many cell phones in every crowd. If you are someone who is complaining about this then I hope that you never send a nude or solicit a nude Snapchat from someone else.

Hating on Faster Horses for the same reason that people celebrate Mardi Gras seems wrong.

I find it laughable to see others complain about the messes left behind after Faster Horses when most students live in a perpetual mess from September to April. Complaining about a mess somewhere that you have never been or never will go seems silly to me. Walk sorority row of any major college town on a Saturday morning and you will see a similar mess.

I am sorry that your social media timeline was flooded with pictures and posts of people having the time of their lives at an event which you don't care to understand. Let's be honest here, how much of what is typically posted on social media is relevant? It is typically to show others the fun that we are having and who we are with.

To wish an end upon Faster Horses would take thousands of dollars of revenue from Michigan businesses who sell supplies to the party goers, especially those near the speedway. With the dwindling revenue from the NASCAR races, Faster Horses is essential to keeping MIS alive.

Does Faster Horses have its problems? Undoubtedly yes, but those problems are similar to the moral problems of any college community.

While it shows the questionable morality of millennials, this past weekend also showed what's good with our age group. If you got lost, had a problem with your tent or just needed a drink or two other festival goers would go out of their way to help.

I doubt if I am going to change your mind on the fun to be had at Faster Horses, but if you do decide to come out next year feel free to stop by my site for a cold drink, some games, and good conversation with me and a few thousand or so of my closest friends as we show you what the brother and sisterhood of Faster Horses is all about.