Reply #9: Real gouging: ravers and famine hit people

[luckyluke]

I don't have a problem with restaurants charging for water. It isn't free in the first place. You can, if you choose not to buy it, go to a different restaurant or drink from the tap in the bathroom. In the worst case, you won't die of thirst.

I have a big problem with raves where water is overpriced. Ravers, particularly those under the effects of drugs, have died from dehydration in significant numbers. A high teen is unlikely to either pay large sums for water or consider inconvenient alternatives. Free plentiful water should be required at raves by law; that will do more to reduce Ecstasy-related deaths than anything else.

In rural India, water sources are often under the control of a few individuals per village. Come famine, water becomes as expensive as gold; the rich pony up and drink, the poor die, and the hoarders fill their pockets.

-ll