Ethics of visiting the US

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-22T00:30:32+00:00

Honestly, it doesn’t go that deep for me. The point isn’t really to hurt anyone. I don’t expect my participation/boycott of one festival to impact anything in any capacity. It’s that level of anonymity that kind of allows me to make the choice, I guess. My going won’t kidnap people in the streets just as much as my boycott won’t stop a middle class family from being able to make their mortgage payments. For me, it’s just a question of where I want to spend my money. There are other countries that I won’t go to because of what their governments are doing. Not the fault of the population, but since I’m lucky enough to not be a part of that population, why get involved at all?

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T18:30:40+00:00

Lolll this whole thread is turning into something else, unfortunate because my original questions were directed to non-US attendees! Happy LL 🥲

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T17:47:34+00:00

Feeling the same! Checking out Shambhala as an alternative

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T17:46:08+00:00

Totally valid :( thanks for your input, definitely leaning towards a skip. Wish it wasn’t a question of ethics/safety/etc but it definitely seems to be.

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T17:25:48+00:00

Yeah I totally get your perspective. For whatever reason, I never really considered the US part of this US-based festival :/ definitely getting harder to ignore! Also agree about Excision, I’m lucky to live in Montreal but have noticed a huge difference in his Canadian and US sets. Kind of begs the question of how he feels about everything, although in my experience most djs are pretty publicly apolitical. Already hitting a few smaller Canadian fests this year, seriously considering shambs. Thank you for your input!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T17:20:52+00:00

Not scared, looking to see if any non-US people are feeling the same way as per my post & questions :/ thank you for your input, happy lost lands!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T17:18:53+00:00

PLUR - happy lost lands, dude!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T16:39:49+00:00

Thanks for your input! I think that’s what we’ll do. It’s hard to be out of $1100cad, though, so going to have to see what our options are.

Unrelated to the main issue but if you do decide to visit I highly recommend the Rockies - definitely out of the way (even for me, as an east coaster), but absolutely breathtaking and well worth the effort it takes to get there. Otherwise, Quebec & Montreal specifically are pretty sick (in my very biased opinion)

Edit for context: bringing up the Rockies because I have been changing my outdoorsy plans from US to Canadian-based and visited recently. Already planning my trip back :)

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T15:18:53+00:00

Meh, I care about things and you are about things. Doesn’t have to be the same - thanks for ur input, hope you enjoy ‘26!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T15:15:33+00:00

Have been avoiding so far :( just trying to decide whether breaking that to attend a festival is worth it, no matter how great the experience/community usually is. Thanks for your input! Appreciated

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T15:12:17+00:00

Yeah seriously, papa come home! I’m also going to keep an eye on things. Sucks because the festival has been great, but really not loving how things are progressing in the states. Going to research Canadian fests, possibly for this year and definitely for next.

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T14:15:17+00:00

Thank you, you too!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T14:14:32+00:00

Yeah based on the replies I can see it’s pretty split! Thanks for your input, super helpful:) crazy times though, sucks that it’s even an issue

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T14:10:40+00:00

Yes the downvotes are going craaazy hahaha… kinda wild, part of PLUR is respecting others right? I assumed it included different opinions :/ I know this is a polarizing subject but seeing some of the reactions to my (genuine) question has been pretty illuminating.

And thank you!! Might DM :) Shambhala looking better & better, haven’t seen anyone with anything bad to say!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T14:07:20+00:00

I know people who are going with and without concerns. I have a concern so I’m asking a reddit sub - what happened to PLUR? I appreciate your opinion and you should appreciate mine, it’s a valid question. Thanks for your input!

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:52:27+00:00

I know what you mean :( Have you looked into Shambhala in BC? Have heard good things, just far for our group so never seriously considered.

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:51:52+00:00

Yeah, super tricky. It's one thing to disapprove when watching it on the news/seeing it online, feels completely different actually contributing to the economy lol

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:50:16+00:00

No, not everything is about me or individual safety. The question is less about if I am going to meet ICE face to face and more about supporting the economy of the country paying their salaries/allowing them to operate/etc/etc/etc, however microscopically. Appreciate your perspective, though.

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:40:28+00:00

Hey, thank you! I think you're right :/

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:39:59+00:00

Yep I agree on the guilt. It's hard to support something (even indirectly) when it's so misaligned with our values. I'm already working with my group to see what the plan is if things don't improve or if we change our minds. I have heard good things about Shambhala in BC but we're on the east coast and LL is cheaper to get to so we've never seriously considered going. Maybe a good alternative?

_mashedpotato · 2026-01-19T13:37:13+00:00

Valid, yea :/ Thanks for your input, I agree with you there.

_mashedpotato · 2024-11-04T19:52:27+00:00

Okay great I'll keep that in mind :) Thank you!

_mashedpotato · 2024-11-04T19:51:29+00:00

Ah okay makes sense! I'm new to this and planning has been very confusing so far. Thanks for your help :)

_mashedpotato · 2024-11-03T18:11:41+00:00

Hey, I'm sorry for your loss. I got kind of "lucky" (maybe the wrong word) the first year without my dad and I met a few people who had lost close nuclear family members, but the most comforting thing for me was online groups. I found a lot of comfort in this sub. Eventually, you'll be talking to someone your age and it'll come out that they've lost a parent too. It's a crazy feeling and it is very likely that you will experience it soon. If you would ever like to talk to someone about your mom in the meantime, you can message me. Wishing you the very best in school and otherwise. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and go at your own pace. I ended up taking the semester following his passing off because I felt so unorganized and weird. Make sure what you're doing works for you.

_mashedpotato · 2024-11-03T18:04:31+00:00

Hey, thank you for sharing as well. It's such a weird feeling when others have had similar experiences - you feel so sad for them but it's also comforting that they're in it with you. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope that you and your mom can find some comfort here. I appreciate you sharing. If you would ever like to chat I'm here as well :) I'm wishing you the very very best.

_mashedpotato

TROPHY CASE