At Carnival this year, wherever you looked there was someone doing a balloon. Usage is definitely up on previous years. For the uninitiated balloons are filled with nitrous oxide and when repeatedly inhaled create an intoxicating feeling that last a matter of minutes. As highs go, its pretty lame and yet, it is being done seemingly relentlessly.
One of the main reasons for its growing consumption is that it is legal. No other reason. And for the record, it is not safer than illegal drugs, its actually more dangerous than even a lot of Class A drugs as it pushes all the air out of your lungs (which you def need for breathing) and can, albeit rare, kill you. But I think it just shows that this human ‘need’ to get ‘out of it’, to alter your mind state, to reach levels of intoxication where normal thoughts no longer reside & are subsequently replaced with a stimulating sensory experience should not, and should never have been, a criminal issue. It is a public health issue and rather than try to prevent it with illegality, which does not work in any significant way whatsoever, we must accept that is part of the human condition for a lot of people and try to manage it instead of demonising it.
We live in fucked up times and modern pressures are extreme & getting wasted might just be the only way people can cope with it. It obviously brings its own problems and is not a solution in itself but we must start treating it as the side effect of a greater issue. In the book ‘The Inner Level’ by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (their follow up to ‘The Spirit Level’) they show that drug use is much worse the more unequal the society and is a way to cope with feelings of inferiority and fierce status competition.
I have included shots of people doing selfies as the dopamine hit you get from people liking your photos on Instagram is as addictive as any recreational drug and also creates both a ‘high’ & a sense of euphoria when you receive the digital love and also the comedown when the feeling drops off. And just like balloons, the high is very fleeting and you must then chase the next fix to feel good again.
In 2015, there was a explosion (not literally) of balloons and selfies when suddenly you couldn’t turn for seeing either. I would actually say this year, from what I saw, that selfie taking is down overall (which can only be a good thing and I would love to think we had reached peak selfie) but balloons are definitely up. The shot below, which you may remember, features a ‘ballofie’ from that year (which I coined back then but weirdly has taken off) and yes, is a combo of the two activities, designed for the ultimate double hit.
I have also included it here as the shot and an accompanying story features in my, very soon, about to be released photography book: MYLDN – a streetview of London Life’ which is out next tuesday! Now, how’s that for a smooth link to a blatant plug? (and the first of many for the next few weeks as I do my best to promote the mofo, so soz ‘n’ all that..)
