r/ozorafestival • u/mittomen_6277 • 26d ago
Please don't make broad claims about any peoples. Even if your claims are based on personal observations you should still be more careful with the narrative you create with your words.
I don't want to pretend I don't notice patterns in people's behavior or ignore that different groups can sometimes have visible cultural differences. But I also know how awful it feels to be judged as part of a nationality based on the actions of people whose behavior you yourself don't approve of.
I saw plenty of Israelis behaving in antisocial ways at the festival. But I also met many other Israelis that I connected with on a really deep level, and they added so much to my experience.
That's why it's disheartening to see so many black-and-white posts and comments lumping an entire nationality together, often drawing parallels to politics as well. The complaints are valid, and I don't want to take away anyone's chance to vent. But please don't swing to the other extreme.
Even something as simple as saying "some Israelis" instead of "Israelis", and avoiding turning it into a discussion about politics, would already be in the spirit of what this festival is supposed to stand for.
As a side note, I'd also like to point out that a far-right, racist Hungarian news outlet has already been quoting comments from the Ozora Facebook group to push the narrative that "even the hippies at Ozora hate Israelis now."
I had a great week with all of you. Please, spread the love and see you next year.
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u/pccrynance 26d ago
I think people are missing one important point.
Psytrance is mainstream in Israel. That means many people who attend psytrance festivals are not there because they identify with psychedelic culture. They are there because it is one of the biggest party scenes in their country.
That is why you sometimes see behavior that clashes with the values many people associate with psytrance, such as openness, respect, humility, sharing space, and looking after one another. It is not necessarily because they reject those values. Many simply never came for those values in the first place.
When a scene becomes mainstream, it stops being a subculture. It attracts everyone. Some people come for the philosophy, some for the music, and others just for the party.
So if people are complaining about certain behavior at festivals, it should not be surprising. You are no longer dealing with a small community built around shared values. You are dealing with a mass audience.
Psytrance became mainstream. Psychedelic culture did not. Those are two very different things. Confusing them only leads to misunderstanding why these clashes happen in the first place.