ePlaya

So this year’s theme is partly written already, but the end of the theme says “To Be Continued…â€

Suggestion 1

The theme already says - “We are all immigrants to the playaâ€

Suggestion 2.

There is one sentence that I would suggest they alter:

“Leave ideology at home; forget the blue states and the red; let parties, factions and the so-called issues that divide us fall away. Flag burning or flag worship play no part in this year's theme.â€

I shall reiterate a point made on another of the many american dream threads:

"American" does not mean United States. Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Chileans, Panamanians, all of these are American. It is people from the states that are stuck on the American thing. America is 2 frickin continents.

Not so much when you take into account the "Team America" paradigm of the current national mind-set. I'm personally sick to the teeth of being the rest of the planet's "hated enemy". I've been to the the previous wars, and they weren't pretty. Kinda disturbing.

I just realize something today: we've been involved in Iraq longer than we were involved with WWII, and coming up on the 5 April's of the Civil War.

If this isn't 1984, then I tell you my dear, that it can't happen here.

"American" does not mean United States. Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Chileans, Panamanians, all of these are American. It is people from the states that are stuck on the American thing. America is 2 frickin continents."

Fine. But what could it hurt to include something that says explicitly that Burning Man is a global community? (especially for our non-American Burners who are coming from Europe and other continents...). And you are wrong - I have a camp of people who I go to Burning Man with from London who are all annoyed with the theme because they think it's exclusive. It's not just Americans who are 'tripping' on this.

It couldn't hurt to add something that explicitly deals with this issue to make the theme more globally inclusive.

I have a camp of people who I go to Burning Man with from London who are all annoyed with the theme because they think it's exclusive.

Tell them to get their noses out of the air. The theme is not "America", or "Americans", it's the "American Dream". It's about an idea that was a global idea and why these countries population is so much greater than 250 years ago. People from London at one point (and probably some still today) had the American dream. I think the idea was much more the world glamorizing the Americas than an exclusive American thing.

It couldn't hurt to add something that explicitly deals with this issue to make the theme more globally inclusive.

Being globally inclusive was once a great part of the American Dream. How are people not getting that? It's an idea, that may or may not exists in great numbers anymore, but it was once very prevalent. Whoever thinks this theme is at all exclusive is only excluding their self. Good riddance!

MikeVDS wrote:Being globally inclusive was once a great part of the American Dream.

Isolationism has always been a pretty strong pull in our country. But then we also have the Monroe Doctrine. I think we did pretty poorly in swallowing the ideology of "the Shining City on a HIll" meme that certain early settlers advocated.

"Tell them to get their noses out of the air...Whoever thinks this theme is at all exclusive is only excluding their self. Good riddance!" - Mikevds

You sound like you have your nose pretty high in the air yourself if you think you know how international Burners ought to feel about this, and say 'good riddance' if they don't come to Burning Man.

You still haven't said what it would hurt to put this language in the description of the theme. Why would it hurt to say explicitly that Burning Man is a global community and expand upon the theme just a little bit to make it more inclusive? What's wrong with doing that?

I'd like to make an analogy.

Black History Month is intended to illustrate and celebrate the contributions of black individuals to our culture and history.
(Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, etc.)
Not only does it benefit the black community by teaching black children that there are role models to look up to, but it is also intended to educate OTHER cultures about the black community's contributions, both here in America, and for the entire world.
I, as a white person, feel every reason to celebrate black history month and honor those individuals who have contributed to all our civil rights.
To say that Black History Month excludes me because I am white is completely missing the point. In some ways it is specifically FOR me.

If people from other nations feel excluded because Burning Man's focus is on America, then they are only excluding themselves. America is a concept, an experiment, not a boundry on a map.
This theme is an invitation for the entire world to express their personal views about what America means to them. Every single human in the United States came from somewhere else.

I hope the "to be continued" expresses this concept.

Personally,
I'm very much looking forward to seeing art on the playa by artists from other nations expressing how THEY see America.
Their contributions can be very significant in helping us to hold up a mirror to our nations face, and see ourselves as others do.

So to what extent does it make African Americans into an "other" by relugating a month to them? And what does it mean that they get the shortest month?

do a google search on black history month.
there are many significant reasons why this month was chosen,
but that's not the topic here.

and i specifically chose the term BLACK as opposed to "African Americans"... because BLACK describes a culture, and it is a word most often used by the Black community and my black friends themselves.
(I am not an Italian-American, I'm simply an American.)

Let's not get caught up on semantics.
Do you understand the point I am trying to make about self exclusion, or inclusive celebration?

"Let's not get caught up on semantics."

I think you are right Michael that this is a topic that anyone can have something to say about, but as was just illustrated by the two of you, both "Black History" and the "American Dream" can be loaded topics to explore.

Why are they loaded topics? Because what you have to say about either issue can seem very different depending upon where you stand. If you are a white person making a critique about black culture, that can look very different from a black person doing it. The same for the American Dream. If you are a French person making a harshly critical statement about America, on American soil, that can look very different from an American citizen doing it.

This is why it's important for the theme to state clearly that Burning Man is a global community and we welcome the view points (positive or critical) from all of our participants. And also the second recommendation that I made, that we approach our speech with RESPECT. Anyone can talk about loaded topics as long as they are conscious to be respectful when they do it.

scratches head

So aren't these Europeans and Australians excited about coming to America for Burning Man? I mean, that's where it's held. I suppose you could fly in and hold your nose the entire time you're in the country until you get to BRC, pretending like it's not actually held in this country... Aren't they realizing their own "American Dream" by buying that plane ticket to come out here?

Good point.
And they'll be strip searched once on playa. Greeters will ask permission of course. Cavity searches are at the storage container, the line forms to the left.

So do you think that will increase the volunteer rate for the greeters?

One can only hope.

The CO wrote:"American" does not mean United States. Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Chileans, Panamanians, all of these are American. It is people from the states that are stuck on the American thing. America is 2 frickin continents.

So, why is that the flag of just the United States of America waving behind the Man's head in Rod Garrett's drawing?

And that's Rod Garrett of the, yawn, Green Man Pavillion fame.

Who were the inspired genuises who designed and built the 2005 Maze? (I have to eat crow if someone says "Rod Garrett.")

re: This is why it's important for the theme to state clearly that Burning Man is a global community and we welcome the view points (positive or critical) from all of our participants. And also the second recommendation that I made, that we approach our speech with RESPECT. Anyone can talk about loaded topics as long as they are conscious to be respectful when they do it.

AMEN.

SFbm, I know a bit about the history of how feb got chosen. I'd argue that I'm one of the few (20% or less, I'd guess) who does. I also got Black History Month regularly in the Berkeley Schools in the 70s. And if you won't belive me when I ask about the shortest month in the year, maybe you could dig up that piece Spike Lee did about it in the 80s. I've forgotten the magazine. Anyway, I was simply trying to say something about the instututionalization of BHM. One thing I do appreciate about my place of work is it's always somebody's month--women, asian-pacific islanders, hispanic, gblt, usw.

What will be our next "October Surprise" kids?
That we've always been at war with Oceania?

I think the point of this year's theme is to get people

THINKING

about what exactly is looming.

It's that anvil shaped dark spot that is getting bigger every time we look up.

Next year's BM is an election year.

Election years are always BM's.

Isolationism has always been a pretty strong pull in our country.

I won't disagree with that statement but it's irrelevant. I don't think Isolationism is part of the "Dream", regarless if it's part of Americas culture or history. The point people are missing is the theme is not America, it's "Dream" with "American" as the description of the dream. American is the pronoun. The theme is dream. They decided to give more direction than any dream so they made the theme a specific dream.

You sound like you have your nose pretty high in the air yourself if you think you know how international Burners ought to feel about this, and say 'good riddance' if they don't come to Burning Man.

It's not about feelings, it's about understanding an idea. If you're going to cry because your feelings are hurt because of a way you want to interpret something, I don't see why you, or they, think anyone should care. And yeah I do stick my nose in the air to people who stick their noses in the air for no logical reason. If someone starts something I think they deserve to get it in return, positive or negative.

Why would it hurt to say explicitly that Burning Man is a global community and expand upon the theme just a little bit to make it more inclusive? What's wrong with doing that?

I don't know their reasoning, but I like broad ideas that are not well defined. It leave it open for a broader range of theme art. If you're very specific it narrows the types of art that are theme specific. You do know that it is just an art theme, right? And it's just a suggestion because sometimes it's fun if a lot of different art pieces work together. The event would still continue even if no artist chose to follow the theme.

I think the point of this year's theme is to get people

THINKING

I agree. I hope more people think about that.

yep, get to thinking.

Remember the old saying, "be the changes you want to see in the world"

No doubt this theme will bring forth debate and passion. Can't wait to see how people interpret it.

I did like the way that real estate agents promoted it...

"yep, get to thinking."

How about people think about something to contribute to the topic of this thread - giving Burning Man ideas about how to finish the theme, since right now it is "To Be Continued"...

I'm all for thinking. That's why I contributed some ideas here. Does anyone else have some ideas for expanding on the theme?

Let me think about that.

Some really good points are being made here. I agree with Robbidobb, I am also upset that we are living in an "America" that is loathed. Moreover; Larry realizes our image, and how we are seen in the eyes of the world. It is no acident that theme causes controversy. He is fully aware that it will infurate many, and I believe that was his intention. This past year's theme, the Green Man, was a slow pitch in a softball game, therefore he had no other option but to bump it up a few notches. Unfortunately it has alienated most of the foreign Burners. A Total George Bush move.

So if Larry is the Burner George W. Bush, then who is the Burner Vicente Fox? The Burner Margaret Thatcher? The Burner Vladimir Putin?

I'd like to hear from some foreign burners. The Herrings still seem interested. Nogganoodle, your opinion?

So far, everyone I have actually heard complain is from the states.