The introduction presents the community and ideas at the heart of this anthropological study. When virtual reality reemerged in the mid-2010s, it was praised for its ability to elicit empathy and aid social justice causes. This idea of VR as an empathy machine germinated in Los Angeles, where an active and enthusiastic VR community took shape. While the VR community is heterogeneous and global, in LA there was a persistent conversation about not only VR’s potential to be a good technology but also the necessity of VR being a diverse and inclusive industry. Against the rise of Trumpism, the growing techlash, and the outrages that spurred #MeToo, the VR community in LA imagined the technology and the industry as a salve for these wounds. Several fantasies reinforced this outlook, and the introduction enumerates the fantasy of place, the fantasy of being, and the fantasy of representation as key analytic framings.