For those of you in the rave community, the word PLUR means a lot. Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. The only problem is, many of those considering themselves a part of our community have no idea what those letters stand for. Perhaps some simply don’t care.
After attending several raves and small festivals that seemed to have buried any notions of PLUR, I began to lose hope in much of the EDM community. I found solace in small, underground events, thinking that perhaps only the people who had been around a while could understand where I was coming from and that the new, younger inductees to our scene had lost all Respect for our traditions.
So, understandably, I geared up for Ultra Music Festival with my kandi and costumes, but not expecting to find people wanting to share, connect, or trade at such a big and commercialized event. Chilling to the side of the crowd, beginning to feel a little put out about what I had considered to be one of the most loving, sharing, and loving scenes in existence. Having been bugged for photos all day because of my unicorn attire, when two teenage girls approached me, I braced myself for the inevitable. But, instead of bugging me for pictures for their tumblers and instagrams, they saw instead my kandi and wondered if they could add to my collection. After giving me a piece, they both turned to go, expecting none in return. I quickly grabbed them and hugged them, expressing my wish to return their gift. Little did the two of them know, they had given me a greater gift then the two wonderfully made bracelets they had made.
No matter when or where I wear my kandi, I have since kept at least one of those pieces with me as a reminder that people who love EDM for the message it brings us are everywhere, in all kinds of costumes, and can be some of the newest members of our precious community.
So, while EDM has become a more commercialized scene and kandi can be bought in stores (one of my biggest pet-peeves), the culture that we love and feel safe in remains the backbone of it all.
Keep spreading that Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect everyone. ❤
Turtle xx
TimelessTurtle 