PLUR

Peace Love Unity Respect, commonly shortened to PLUR, is a set of principles that is associated with the rave culture. Originating from early online discussions about rave culture conducted on Usenet, it has been commonly used since the early 1990s when it became commonplace in club flyers and especially on club paraphernalia advertising underground outdoor trance parties. It has since expanded to the larger rave dance music culture as well.

It may be interpreted as the essential philosophy of life for ravers and clubbers, 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.[1] Raves represent a modern ritualistic experience, promoting a strong communal sense, where PLUR is considered an ideology.[2]

Principles

  • Peace – The avoidance of negative emotions and conflict.[3]
  • Love – Performing acts and sharing feelings of goodwill towards others. The exchange of gestures such as hugging occurs frequently at a rave, and is considered a way of "spreading the love."[4][3]
  • Unity – Welcoming others into the community, and coming together regardless of personal differences.[3]
  • Respect – Showing sensitivity for the feelings of others, and accepting one another with tolerance and without judgement. Treating each other as one would like to be treated.[3]

Origins

PLUR is an aggregation of ideas synonymous with the earlier hippy and hip hop culture, with the peace movement being an essential starting point to any be-in encounter or rave.

Use of the term 'PLUR' dates to the late 1980s and early 1990s rave scene in the UK which incorporated house and acid house music that originated in Chicago during the 1980s. The term began as an informal discussion on usenet lists alt.rave and alt.culture.zippies. SF-raves mailing list archived at hyper-real also noted the use of the term, and there is a flyer archive which might contain evidence of the existence of the term.

One of the earliest uses of the term outside the internet, mostly 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."[5]

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.

Several other variations on the same four words, but in a different order (e.g. LURP), have been proposed. However, none of these are commonly used.

References

  1. ↑ St. John, Graham (2004). Rave Culture and Religion. Routledge. p. 149. ISBN 0-415-31449-6.
  2. ↑ Marshall, Douglas (2002-11-01). "Behavior, Belonging, and Belief: A Theory of Ritual Practice". Sociological Theory. American Sociological Association. 20 (3): 360–380. JSTOR 3108616.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cree Bort. "PLUR Isn't Just a Moment, It's a Lifestyle".
  4. ↑ "How Frankie Bones Storm Rave Birthed The PLUR Movement".
  5. ↑ Steve Powers. "The Graffiti Kids Who Became Raver Kings". The Daily Beast.
  • PLUR acronym definitions
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