Denver Post defines "Ecstasy" and "rave," hilarity ensues

By Joe Tone in More Messages
Monday, Jan. 12 2009 @ 4:01PM

Among the many, many funny things that daily newspapers do to cater to their aging audience, this is among the better I've seen in a while. In a story posted Monday to denverpost.com about a Colorado Springs anesthesiologist arrested for dealing ecstasy and pain killers, the Post took the time to define Ecstasy its readers, who the paper apparently believe to be really, really stupid:

"The drugs Grigg is accused of selling include the painkillers Oxycodone and Fentanyl, which Waite described as a powerful substance that is similar to heroin.

The doctor is also accused of distributing Ecstasy, a euphoria-inducing street drug best known for its use at dance parties called "raves."​

The story was penned by Colorado Springs Gazette reporter Tom Roeder, although it's entirely possible that the definition was included by a copy editor. Either way, for whoever inserted this little gem of unintentional hilarity, a question: Do you honestly believe it's possible that someone who reads a quite mundane drug story, and manages to make it to the eighth paragraph, is so insulated from the world that they have yet to hear of Ecstasy or raves?

I'm not saying stupid shit like this is killing daily newspapers. There's lots of shit killing daily newspapers, and a lot of that same shit is killing us. I'm just saying, Post people, that your readers aren't nearly as dumb as you think. -- Joe Tone

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That is sad. I've been a staff writer at a medium sized paper and really hate to see the death of a great medium. No, readers are not as dumb as most papers assume, as we were to write our stories at a 4th grade level. Pretty sad, huh?

I seriously do not understand why this is so funny. The average person has no idea what a rave is, or ecstasy, or definately Fentanyl. I think you are suffering from drug snobbery!

That is people who are in the know on a certain subject tend to look down on simplified explanations because they do not need them, not understanding that most have no idea what is being discussed.

Yeah, I don't know see why this is funny at all. I kept re-reading it to see if I missed the joke.

By now most people apart from the elderly have probably heard of ecstasy to some extent, but I'm certain that most people middle-aged or older don't know what raves are, or certainly fentanyl. Considering what is posted in the forum on a daily basis, I really don't understand what's so funny or outrageous about this article either.

Yeah, I "don't get it" either, lol. I was reading those lines over and over thinking '..ok.. sounds fine to me, what am i missing?"

The doctor is also accused of distributing Ecstasy, a euphoria-inducing street drug best known for its use at dance parties called "raves."

thats funny because so-called "ecstasy" usually means ur about to drop some non-euphoric caffeine/dxm/BULLSHIT

iamdrugz said:

The doctor is also accused of distributing Ecstasy, a euphoria-inducing street drug best known for its use at dance parties called "raves."

thats funny because so-called "ecstasy" usually means ur about to drop some non-euphoric caffeine/dxm/BULLSHIT

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find a good dealer

knit picking is stupid, and this is not funny. I agree, snobbery.

I don't see anything wrong with this definition either.

Beenhead said:

I seriously do not understand why this is so funny. The average person has no idea what a rave is, or ecstasy, or definately Fentanyl. I think you are suffering from drug snobbery!

That is people who are in the know on a certain subject tend to look down on simplified explanations because they do not need them, not understanding that most have no idea what is being discussed.

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QFT

I'd even go as far as saying that the ecstasy definition the author gave is as unbiased and to-the-point as any i've read from the media .

In my experience most people are blissfully unaware that where ever they go they are surrounded by the drug culture. I think it would be in my best interest if the average person didn't know what ecstasy is, it much easier to be undetected by the giant eye in the sky that is watching everything we do. Not me tho, my windows are shut and the blinds are closed.