The 'Reefer Madness' of LSD.
Though I will admit LSD is a far more dangerous drug, this film shares many parallels with the paranoia exploitation film Reefer Madness a.k.a. Tell Your Children.
sharePot is relatively harmless unless it becomes an obsession or is a gateway to hard drugs. Hence, "Reefer Madness" is mostly bs paranoia.
Like you way, however, LSD is a dangerous drug by comparison. I had two bad trips in my teens, both horrible experiences (and, yes, I've taken it other times). The freak-out possibilities one can experience on acid are limitless. You can't exaggerate the dangers. Hence, how can "The Big Cube" be the "Reefer Madness of LSD"?
In the sense that LSD is never depicted as being used with responsible moderation, much in the same way weed is depicted in Reefer Madness - everyone who does it, abuses it to the extreme and suffers dire consequences.
Like I've said, I don't doubt the dangers of using it, but there are those who have used it all their life and functioned normally, if not benefitted (Timothy Leary comes to mind). As with any mind-altering substance, there's always an inherent risk when used in excess. Yet I doubt the numbers of alcohol-related deaths a year comes even close to LSD-related deaths. But since Prohibition ended have we had any major anti-drinking movies? Not that I can think of.
And if you don't mind my asking, I wonder how much acid you took during your two bad trips. I know that depending on potency, one hit can make a person lose their sh*t, but I'd venture to guess that you probably took more than a few hits.
"There's no point living if you can't feel alive."
The film was released in '69, the height of the new drug culture. Was anyone using drugs in moderation back then, particularly at parties as in the film (e.g. the acid party)?
See the documentary "Timothy Leary's Dead" and tell me if you think his drug use benefited his life. It's depressing to see Leary in his final years still ranting and raving about injustices and on-going government surveilance that existed only in his mind.
You don't have to preach to me about the pitfalls of alcohol as I'm not a drunkard and haven't been since my teens.
Concerning the two acid trips I was referring to: The first one was at an acid party and it was actually quite fun laughing it up with all the people. I referred to it as a "horrible experience" mainly becaue of the freaking-out factor; things I saw, etc. The second one was the truly negative experience. A friend & I dropped acid and were going to meet a couple of girls. But I started freaking out and backed out of the date. I went home and there I was alone on acid for hours. It was such a horrible experience I never touched the stuff again.
Keep in mind I'm just dialoguing not arguing. I saw half of "The Big Cube" last night and will likely finish it today. It's an interesting period piece, if nothing else.
The reason I brought up alcohol was not to preach, but to highlight the societal bias against drugs that aren't deemed "acceptable." My point was that anything that is foreign is immediately thought of as unsavory, without taking into account its relation to other substances that are far more detrimental to society.
The fact of it being released in 1969 is more incidental than anything else. Specifically at parties, I don't believe people use drugs in any more or less moderation in the years since '69. There are always risks in using these things, but that's not to say that everyone who uses them will have their life ruined (the way The Big Cube and Reefer Madness depict things as happening). That is a staple of exploitation films.
As for Leary, one could argue that he did things his way and seemed to enjoy his life, so who are we to judge? As much as "normal" society might deem him crazy or paranoid, he did nothing to harm himself or others physically, and created some very thought-provoking explorations on the subject.
I know people who use these drugs quite often, and sure, at times they may seem a little "off", but more often than not I find them to be quite pleasant and interesting to be around. And for people like me, the fact of the matter is that moderation does exist in today's world, and the use of LSD can fit quite nicely into someone's life without any major ill effects - something that this film does not portray.
"There's no point living if you can't feel alive."