what is going to happen. They valued all violent experience, all means by which human beings may break through the usual sensory routine, and to all such experiences they attributed the highest value (518). Dionysian cultures did many horrifying things to themselves. Cutting strips of skin off of their arms, cutting fingers off and going without food and water for days were some of the things that the people of the Dionysian cultures did. Today, violence is a major part of one societys existence. Gangs today rely very highly on violence for survival. Not only do they hurt the people outside of their gang, but they also hurt those inside of it. In order to be initiated into the gang, one would have to suffer through the torturous beatings of his fellow gang members. if he was seeking his vision by torturesomeone had to go out with him to tie him to the pole from which he was to swing his helper did his part and left him alone for his ordeal. This resembles the rituals of the gangs. The gang members recruit the new members in, and lead him before the rest of the gang, and then leave him alone for his ordeal. Drugs and alcohol are a huge part in the lifestyles of the Dionysians. The experiences that they wanted were often sought openly by means of drugs and alcohol. (521) Many times, the Dionysian cultures used mind-altering substances in order to get visions from their gods. Today, the Dionysian cultures, instead of using the drugs and alcohol to get omens from the gods, use the substances as a form of fun. And no culture stands out in mind more than the culture of ravers. Drugs and alcohol is just one way to aggrandize their experiences to have fun. Ecstasy is the most common drug used in the raver society because of its ability to elongate their energy and dancing duration of time. In the Dionysian societies in Benedicts essay, the people obtained their drugs and alcohol from peyote or mescal beans from the highlands of Me...
