Author Archives: Codie Sander

PLUR

”PLUR stands for peace, love, unity, and respect. It originated in rave culture, probably in the 90’s. That was when everything started out, wearing beads to a rave I guess started as a way for people to hide their pills. PLUR is a belief, or a way of life (or way of rave, haha), it’s like a way you’re supposed to act at those kind of events. I probably learned it at my first rave, back in high school. Junior year or so. ’08 or ’07 I think. I guess some people change the order of the letters to what they think the most important parts are. A friend of mine says LURP instead, so love comes first, followed by unity and so on). PLUR isn’t really taken that seriously anymore, at least in mainstream rave cultures. Not many people know what it actually means anymore.”

Most large social events have a certain etiquette; a set of principals by which those attending these events can base their behavior. For raves and modern music festivals, PLUR is used as the overarching rule. In events like raves, which can have radically different social norms then one might see in everyday life, it is often important to establish some kind of mutually agreed-upon code of conduct.

Even though the controversy and negative attitude surrounding rave events may have subsided in recent years, the events are still subject to intense scrutiny.  PLUR may serve as both a unifying moral code to those attending the events, and a sort of response to the negative labels that were initially attached to rave events.

Sana Sana

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Performance Date: 4/23
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

”Sana Sana, Colita de Rana”

“Heal Heal, butt of the frog”

“Whenever someone gets a boo-boo, you rub it and say the phrase. It’s supposed to make it feel better. I learned it from my family, mostly from the women (Mom, Grandma, Aunt). It wasn’t really something men in the family would do. It was done a lot more to my brother than it was to me, cause he was a baby and always cried. It actually does sound kind of ridiculous once you translate it *laughs out loud*”

Boo-boo’s are an inevitable part of the rowdy and rambunctious days of childhood. Scrapes, cuts, and bruises happen regularly, and most parents have their own ways of cheering (or toughening) their children up. This example I found interesting, as I had never heard it before. I laughed along with the informant and my roommate at the translation of the phrase. I would even contend that the ridiculousness of the phrase (and the humor resulting from it) may be the overall point of the custom; one of the best ways to distract anyone from pain is to make them laugh.

I also found the gender component of the custom interesting. There seems to be some sort of cultural stigma against men “babying” their children in this instance, something I can relate to from my own childhood.

El sordo no olle, pero compone

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Performance Date: 4/23
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

”El sordo no olle, pero compone.”

The deaf person doesn’t hear, but he composes.

“If someone isn’t really paying attention I guess, or they do something wrong so that it’s obvious they weren’t paying attention, people use this to call you out. My mom would use it a lot whenever we were being bad in general though.

I found this proverb interesting, mainly because I couldn’t necessarily think of an equivalent one in English. The context in which it is used is one that I (and many others, I’m sure) am familiar with; I am curious to know why some cultures have a niche for this particular proverb and others don’t. The proverb appears to reference the composition of music, and implicates that composing music without having the ear to listen to it is a foolish venture at best.

 

Not sure if…

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English

3ep2

”I love the ‘thoughtful Fry’ meme. It’s from Futurama. I love the meme probably because it’s from Futurama, and I love Futurama. It’s one of the more memorable of the memes I have seen, and I like that it’s relatable. It also changes a lot and has a lot of different types. Memes are interesting for that reason, there’s always a new one coming out.”

Memes, as a newly minted product of internet culture, often deal with or reference certain aspects of contemporary popular culture. Futurama is, in many ways, a staple of modern young adult culture; it is something most young adults recognize easily and a large portion of them are dedicated fans. As a comedy series, it is easy to see why something from Futurama could be adapted into a meme. Memes often thrive by being relatable and relevant, and utilizing something from a show near-and-dear to the hearts of many a millennial is a recipe for success.

What’s the difference…

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Performance Date: 4/23
Primary Language: English

”What’s the difference between a waitress and a toilet?

A waitress only has to deal with one asshole at a time!”

“I originally heard this one from my Mom, she worked as a waitress and would even tell this joke to customers sometimes! It always makes me laugh, because it’s true!”

Jokes are often shared among those in the same occupation, often as a way of connecting about shared experience. In this instance, the joke seems to reference two integral parts of working as a waitress: the possibility of getting unruly or rude customers, and the need to balance multiple customers at once.

I found the fact that the informant’s Mom could even share this joke with customers interesting. The universal plight of the waitress is well known even to those outside the liminal, and as such the humor can be appreciated even by those to whom it is pointed at.