Input needed on BM. Paper due next week!!!!

delle · Post by **delle** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:45 pm

My daughter has a disertation to write, on:

"A person or society which exemplifies human nature."

I suggested Burningman. She gleefully bit!!!

Now.

We're scrambling to find information to fill the blanks.

Her question to you is:

How is Burning man, the community and the people, THE optimal way to live.

What I'm looking for are your quotes and your links. Either here or in PM. They're not going any further than her teacher's desk (who will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pleased not to get another fucking paper on Mother Theresa!).

We're scrubbing the web for everything we can --- and I can provide what I know -- but anything you can think to add would be just cherries!!!

THANK YOU AGAIN!

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Fri May 06, 2011 4:32 pm

She could fill a whole page just with The Ten Principles.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri May 06, 2011 4:33 pm

A "disertation"? Due in a week.

Shirley ewe jest.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Fri May 06, 2011 4:34 pm

Burning Man is great because you can fly kites anywhere you want to because the are no powerlines and the wind is always blowing.

delle · Post by **delle** » Fri May 06, 2011 5:07 pm

oneeyeddick wrote:Burning Man is great because you can fly kites anywhere you want to because the are no powerlines and the wind is always blowing.

She might not use this one.

lmao

Ok. "Disertation" means I exagerated just a tad. It's really about 4 pages for her grade 13 philosophy class.

We've got the principles.... check

We've got about an hour's worth of me telling her my take on the temporary societal aspect of it all.... and how (i perceive) it affects the collective soul of everyone involved.... the immediacy.... the belonging... the sharing.... and on, and on....

But it's words from a wannabe. I'm projecting.

So I thought maybe, if it's ok with you, I could use my time at work tomorrow and perhaps copy and paste some of the things you've said here (the sweeping-hand here) and WITH YOUR OK'S, of course, provide her with a few choice quotes. Because seriously. This prof NEEDS a good quote by OneEyedDick!!!!

Somehow she has to tie this all in with Rousseau and Neitzche and folks... but frankly I can't help her with that.

(figuring from the little whooops she keeps letting out she's got that part covered)

I'm just so glad to see the light in her eyes telling me she finally GETS this crazy thing her parental units are into....

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Fri May 06, 2011 5:16 pm

Just (ahem) speaking from a scholar's point of view, as long as your daughter quotes no more than 10 consecutive lines and attributes them by username (with a bib note giving site name, URL, and date range) then she is good to go for fair use of published works.

But it is very courteous of you to let people know she is doing this.

Gosh journalists lift things to publish all the time... sometimes pretending it is their own work!

delle · Post by **delle** » Fri May 06, 2011 5:22 pm

MyDearFriend wrote:Just (ahem) speaking from a scholar's point of view, as long as your daughter quotes no more than 10 consecutive lines and attributes them by username (with a bib note giving site name, URL, and date range) then she is good to go for fair use of published works.

But it is very courteous of you to let people know she is doing this. Gosh journalists lift things to publish all the time... sometimes pretending it is their own work!

Yeah but. That's not how it works in here, right?

(and isn't that the whole point???)

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Fri May 06, 2011 5:43 pm

If you sreamed "HELP" on the playa, 20 great big fuckers would show up in seconds to see what was the matter, then quickly erect a gallows for the impromto lynching!

You may quote me on that.

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Fri May 06, 2011 5:55 pm

Go for it, Delle, it's not like this is your first post.

Or like you sat down in the middle of the conversation with a hidden tape recorder in order to steal material for your daughter's homework assignment...

And, I always feel like whatever I send into the interwebs is just out there, somewhere, and not even mine anymore. And I confess to lurking purposefully and persistently on other discussion boards

picking up jargon and colorful epithets for use in my own writing projects. To me it feels like hanging out in any public space, just listening.

So if anybody on eplaya feels differently about their own posts, s/he better speak up!

Seriously, though, 50+ views and no objections... I think you're good.

And Figjam, you are wonderful, did you know that? Oh yeah

I think you did...

Leo · Post by **Leo** » Fri May 06, 2011 6:45 pm

I'm an architect in Seattle and I believe that the current layout of Black Rock City is urban design at it's finest. We have a city with a population of 50,000 plus folks contained in approximately 7 square miles (with the exception of the airport). The density and scale of the city is such that it is friendly for walking and biking. The radial streets allow for incremental growth. The art cars serve as a mass transit system, so the only time you really need to use your car is when you leave the city. The density of the camping areas is contrasted by the wide open public spaces.

The design and scale of Black Rock City is the exact opposite of the suburban sprawl that surrounds most cities and towns. Suburban sprawl has destroyed acres of productive farm land, created our dependence on the automobile as our primary means of transportation, and has contributed to the obesity of our children. From a social standpoint, suburban sprawl fosters isolation and discourages a sense of community.

From an identity standpoint, most burbs have a mind-numbing sense of sameness and lack of "personality" with little sense of place. Random strip malls are surrounded by oceans of parking lots. Retail and fast food chains are randomly located along the highway with little or no relationship to each other. Main Street in many towns is has become a relic that was bypassed by the strip malls and shopping centers.

By contrast, placing the Man at the center of Black Rock City creates a visual "anchor" that provides a sense of order and place. Wherever you are in Black Rock City, you know where you are.

Dr Helix · Post by **Dr Helix** » Fri May 06, 2011 6:54 pm

"Burning Man is a 24 hour a day adult carnival"

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri May 06, 2011 6:58 pm

But we all agree saying

What does not kill you (at burningman) will make you stronger

is tacky stretching.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Fri May 06, 2011 7:07 pm

what about the old addage:

"Playa dust, and lube, does not a condom make"

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri May 06, 2011 7:28 pm

Leo wrote:I'm an architect in Seattle and I believe that the current layout of Black Rock City is urban design at it's finest. We have a city with a population of 50,000 plus folks contained in approximately 7 square miles (with the exception of the airport). The density and scale of the city is such that it is friendly for walking and biking. The radial streets allow for incremental growth. The art cars serve as a mass transit system, so the only time you really need to use your car is when you leave the city. The density of the camping areas is contrasted by the wide open public spaces.

The design and scale of Black Rock City is the exact opposite of the suburban sprawl that surrounds most cities and towns. Suburban sprawl has destroyed acres of productive farm land, created our dependence on the automobile, as our primary means of transportation, and has contributed to the obesity of our children. From a social standpoint, suburban sprawl fosters isolation and discourages a sense of community.

From an identity standpoint, most burbs have a mind-numbing sense of sameness and lack of "personality" with little sense of place. Random strip malls are surrounded by oceans of parking lots. Retail and fast food chains are randomly located along the highway with little or no relationship to each other. Main Street in many towns is has become a relic that was bypassed by the strip malls and shopping centers.

By contrast, placing the Man at the center of Black Rock City creates a visual "anchor" that provides a sense of order and place. Wherever you are in Black Rock City, you know where you are.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri May 06, 2011 9:12 pm

Bhutan measures 'gross national happiness' and has polite road signs.
And they actually exist as a society.

There are other interesting small societies around.
Many practice some version of universal reciprocity too.

delle · Post by **delle** » Sat May 07, 2011 5:40 am

Bhutan can wait! She wants to know about BURNING MAN!!! Have you any idea how happy that makes me????

Leo, that absolutely ROCKS. Thank you so much for taking the time to share that.

There are some great stepping stones here. And in my PM box. Sweet! I'm just loving this.

Ironically, some of Fllow's post have made it onto her notepage. I'll have to email him when I get home from work.

...and I've decided that if I'm going to be flinging misnomers full of spelling mistakes around, I might as well henceforth refer to this thing she's doing as a "desertation"! Seems appropriate enough!

Major Krash · Post by **Major Krash** » Sat May 07, 2011 6:26 am

oneeyeddick wrote:Burning Man is great because you can fly kites anywhere you want to because the are no powerlines and the wind is always blowing.

...while you dance naked underneath the clouds to the sound of 1000 stereo systems as a giant green penis floats by and shoots fire 100 feet into the sky...

delle · Post by **delle** » Sat May 07, 2011 6:37 am

oneeyeddick wrote:Burning Man is great because you can fly kites anywhere you want to because the are no powerlines and the wind is always blowing.

Major Krash wrote: ...while you dance naked underneath the clouds to the sound of 1000 stereo systems as a giant green penis floats by and shoots fire 100 feet into the sky...

lmao!!!

.....and.......?

Leo · Post by **Leo** » Sat May 07, 2011 7:02 am

Delle,
Your daughter should be able to find more than enough information by exploring the Burning Man website.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat May 07, 2011 8:36 am

It's one of the few places in the world where you can walk down the street with a friend, and your friend says,
"Look at that! I've never seen anything like that in my life!"
And you say, "Which thing? Which one?"
Which amazing thing?

Don DeBrandt

They create because they need to create. They create for the immediacy of creation and are content to let their creations drift away in the smoke and ash of eternity.

Tay

The man is the archetype from our dreams, where the real and the vividly imagined cross.

On mediation
Because it's not all sunshine and lollipops -

There are also some mediation approaches that some may consider dishonest, but are designed to bypass the personal confrontation.
As basic as- I like your_______(fill in name of crappy music or horrifying pastime) but we have an irritable person in camp and we want to keep them from
a. annoying you
b. burning another camp this year.
If it were up to me, you could turn it up. (Not true, but perhaps calming?)

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=15709

She could do an entire paper on the dangers of religion, using the way some people cultify Larry's ten principles, vague and contradictory as they are.
Everyone focuses on what fits their personal interpretation, some shifting to suit personal whim.
Not everyone is there to join a religion.

Me?
I went for the art cars.
I go back for the people.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat May 07, 2011 8:42 am

The book, The Man Burns Tonight, might give her that feel of it all.
I read it after going, so not sure what you get from it before.

Tell her to watch the 'Malcolm' episode.

The whole story is right there.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat May 07, 2011 8:44 am

Here's a quote-

"I don't need to go.
My life is like burning man."

Make of that what you will.

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Sat May 07, 2011 9:34 am

Let me correct something that was said earlier.

The art cars serve as a mass transit system

Mass transit for booze maybe, but people? Not unless you know someone, have a bottle of something they don't or have extra drugs to share.

I get a laugh every time I read somewhere that they are used for mass transit...that whole idea is about as dead as the radical self reliance concept. We can bitch and whine about noisy scooters but nobody does squat about the rolling private party barges that roll right on by you like you're not even there...Oh wait, they don't know you so you're NOT there...except as an obstacle to avoid.

Art cars are just eye candy but they are NOT EVEN CLOSE to being a mass transit system, even of the most rudimentary kind.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat May 07, 2011 9:38 am

I think the city layout is almost as anti-pedestrian as is possible.
I have complained and suggested practical alternatives.

Style over practicality.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sat May 07, 2011 10:29 am

Kinetic V wrote:Let me correct something that was said earlier.

The art cars serve as a mass transit system
Mass transit for booze maybe, but people? Not unless you know someone, have a bottle of something they don't or have extra drugs to share.

I get a laugh every time I read somewhere that they are used for mass transit...that whole idea is about as dead as the radical self reliance concept. We can bitch and whine about noisy scooters but nobody does squat about the rolling private party barges that roll right on by you like you're not even there...Oh wait, they don't know you so you're NOT there...except as an obstacle to avoid.

Art cars are just eye candy but they are NOT EVEN CLOSE to being a mass transit system, even of the most rudimentary kind.

Eurgh? SOME MV's are built to share the ride with other burners. I've gone on multiple trips this way (without being hit up for drugs or booze). Maybe if you were nicer they'd let you on board as well.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat May 07, 2011 11:13 am

This is human nature:

delle · Post by **delle** » Sat May 07, 2011 12:27 pm

Lmao.

"YMMV" (or "there are as many accounts of the experience as there are participants") - check.

"It is human nature to want to mount a camel"

- perhaps I should reword that.... or "Burning Man was better when they allowed camels" - check.

C187 · Post by **C187** » Sat May 07, 2011 1:12 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:
Kinetic V wrote:Let me correct something that was said earlier.

The art cars serve as a mass transit system
Mass transit for booze maybe, but people? Not unless you know someone, have a bottle of something they don't or have extra drugs to share.

I get a laugh every time I read somewhere that they are used for mass transit...that whole idea is about as dead as the radical self reliance concept. We can bitch and whine about noisy scooters but nobody does squat about the rolling private party barges that roll right on by you like you're not even there...Oh wait, they don't know you so you're NOT there...except as an obstacle to avoid.

Art cars are just eye candy but they are NOT EVEN CLOSE to being a mass transit system, even of the most rudimentary kind.
Eurgh? SOME MV's are built to share the ride with other burners. I've gone on multiple trips this way (without being hit up for drugs or booze). Maybe if you were nicer they'd let you on board as well. ;)

I think in the last five years I've only been on two or three MVs with out being told that it's reserved or I needed to fill up the driver. I'm going to go with Kinetic on this one.

Rice · Post by **Rice** » Sat May 07, 2011 2:03 pm

C187 wrote:
Ugly Dougly wrote:
Kinetic V wrote:Let me correct something that was said earlier.
Mass transit for booze maybe, but people? Not unless you know someone, have a bottle of something they don't or have extra drugs to share.

I get a laugh every time I read somewhere that they are used for mass transit...that whole idea is about as dead as the radical self reliance concept. We can bitch and whine about noisy scooters but nobody does squat about the rolling private party barges that roll right on by you like you're not even there...Oh wait, they don't know you so you're NOT there...except as an obstacle to avoid.

Art cars are just eye candy but they are NOT EVEN CLOSE to being a mass transit system, even of the most rudimentary kind.
Eurgh? SOME MV's are built to share the ride with other burners. I've gone on multiple trips this way (without being hit up for drugs or booze). Maybe if you were nicer they'd let you on board as well.
I think in the last five years I've only been on two or three MVs with out being told that it's reserved or I needed to fill up the driver. I'm going to go with Kinetic on this one.

I have never been on an art car where I didn't know everyone on it. The art cars are pretty to look at, but most act like college frat clubs... (Very exclusive)

That is just my experience... Yours may vary!

Love Rice

Post by **Savannah** » Sat May 07, 2011 2:15 pm

Agreed. Art cars are not a mass transit system.

The one that came closest was the multi-car Draka the Dragon. Draka made the circuit from 2 o'clock to 10 o' clock for hours, & had the greatest claim to public use I've ever seen. Turnover was encouraged. A vaguely public feel was cultivated. They were running it on a barter system the year I rode, not as part of a gift economy, per se. But I did bribe my way on as I'd expected to, and it was a great ride. It's one of 2 rides I've had in 6 Burns. (The 2nd & last: I got to help drive the metal duck that shoots flame from it's head, so that's pretty cool.)

. . . I understand that there are weight limits, & that of course people give precedence to their friends, & try not to strand the people that they've already transported a mile across the playa. But the misimpression that they are public can be a source of angst before one realizes it's actually an uncommon/unpredictable opportunity at best . . . unless you bring your own, know someone who drives one, or make friends with their crew.