maladroit wrote:Yeah, when you're on playa you have to specify which "burn" you mean...there are many. I feel that people lose the "burner" classifier once on playa, because everyone who is there is a burner. At least I rarely if ever hear anyone call someone a burner during the event.
Off playa, "the burn" can be a catch-all term for the entire event, carrying over from the time when the entirety of the event was an effigy burning on a beach. I suppose that if you got far enough away from the Nevada regional and spent all your time with people who only go to a different regional event, "the burn" would mean something else. Similar to how "the city" usually means the largest nearby city you'd consider part of your territory.
I've only been to a couple of regionals that were large enough to have art burns other than the effigy and temple. I remember thinking that was kind of novel - but I guess not.
My general social circle refers to Burning Man as the "big burn." "Are you going out to the big burn this year?"
As a west coaster slumming on the east coast, I like that the focus is on burns other than the big burn. Oh sure going to the desert is important, but not always as easily achievable. $ and logistics are significant barriers.
And even though I've got plans to get to 3 regionals between this weekend and August, and am involved with theme camp planning for all 3 - I still stop periodically and think "I'm going to the playa in August! Squeeeeee!"
