PLUR

Peace Love Unity Respect, commonly shortened with PLUR, is the credo (see mantra) of the rave, goa trance, and Electronic Dance Music cultures. Originating from early online discussions about rave culture conducted on Usenet its usage has been common since the early 1990s, where it became de rigueur on club flyers and especially on club paraphernalia advertising underground outdoor trance parties.

It may be interpreted as the raver or clubber's essential philosophy of life, at least insomuch as it relates to interpersonal relationships, with basic directions on how people are expected to behave at a rave gathering. This universalist philosophy underpinning the tribal dance culture which began circling the globe with the rise of the internet, theoretically takes precedence over any chemical or musical aspects of the rave scene. Raves represent a modern ritualistic experience, promoting a strong communal sense, where PLUR is considered an ideology.

Within the Kandi culture, there can be a symbolic handshake that rave-goers exchange with one another. This handshake usually includes the exchange of Kandi bracelets, which are handmade bracelets crafted with pony beads·.

Defined

• Peace – Hostility typically serves no purpose other than to defend an ego that is lacking inner peace. It is a common belief among the rave culture that violence is never the answer.
• Love – Acts and feelings of goodwill towards all others. The exchange of gestures such as hugging can be seen in immense amounts at any rave; this being a way of "spreading the love."
• Unity – We are all united in the human condition.
• Respect – A person must show regard for the feelings of others through their actions and inaction, and one must have respect for oneself and the environment.

Origins

PLUR dates back to the late '80s and early '90s rave scene in the UK which incorporated House and Acid House music that originated in Chicago during the '80s. The term began as an informal discussion on alt.rave and alt.culture.zippies usenet lists. SF-raves mailing list archived at hyperreal also noted the use of the term and there is a flyer archive which would be worth trawling for evidence of the existence of PLUR. It should be noted that the term is really an aggregation of ideas synonymous with the earlier hippies and also hip hop culture, with the peace movement being an essential starting point to any be-in encounter or rave.

One of the earliest uses of the term outside of usenet and the internet, most anecdotal, appears to be DJ Frankie Bones in June 1993. Supposedly in response to a fight that broke out at one of his epic Storm Raves in Brooklyn, New York, Bones is said to have got on the microphone and yelled: “If you don’t start showing some peace, love, and unity, I’ll break your faces.”

Variations

Later incarnations and variations of PLUR can be seen in the adoption of Pronoia and also Ubuntu, with PLUR and Pronoia often being interchangeable terms, depending upon one's company.

External links

• [1]
• Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect: The Raver's Manifesto
• PLUR acronym definitionssl:PLUR