Snark, is that really something burners take pride in?

[MyDearFriend]

(((peace))) I hope you come lurk at the Meet & Greet this year so I can give you a shit gift and thank you for posting.

[Captain Goddammit]

The fact that this place is damn near unregulated is what makes it interesting. Hell even here I occasionally get threads or posts yanked. I'm on a few other Internet forums that cater to a few specific interests of mine but I get quickly bored with them because they are so stern about enforcing political correctness. Or I get shit canned like most of us would!

[peace]

My Dear Friend...

Hell it's only May and I still think I'm not going this year.

[MyDearFriend]

My Dear Friend...

Hell it's only May and I still think I'm not going this year.

I will hope to see you, then.

[peace]

Yep...I'll be propping up the piano

[MyDearFriend]

Yep...I'll be propping up the piano

*makes a note*

[Elorrum]

Can't we find a piano that is more firmly constructed?

[theCryptofishist]

Can't we find a piano that is more firmly constructed?

Now you say that? It took me hours to rickify it!

[gaminwench]

Tom Lehrer.
Paging Tom Lehrer.

[^Rhino!]

Tom Lehrer.
Paging Tom Lehrer.

Just for you, gaminwench:

[media]

[Casanova]

Hello there!

I noticed that you are:
[] Looking for tickets / asking about tickets
[] Looking for someone /a group to fund your burn
[] Looking to DJ at a sound camp
[] Asking questions that can easily be answered by a Google search
[] Asking questions that can easily be answered by reading the survival guide
[X] Trolling

The answer to your question can be found by:
[] Reading the Jackrabbit newsletter
[] Reading the survival guide
[] Visiting the official Burning Man website
[] Performing a Google search
[] Reading previous questions posted this day answering your question
[X] Using common sense
[] Getting a job
[X] Trolling more
[] Prepare better

Also you should know that:
[] Nobody here is selling tickets
[] Nobody knows anyone selling tickets and if we did we know someone that needs them
[] Sign up for STEP or the OMG sale
[] You are the 10th person today asking that question
[X] Figure it out on your own (Radical Self-Reliance)
[] Your art car is your art car; pay for it yourself
[] Burning Man is expensive, and no we will not give you money
[] There are enough DJs at Burning Man already so no one is looking for DJs
[] Burning Man isn’t a rave
[X] That’s great you discovered Burning Man, you are not the unique snowflake that you think you are and we don’t care if you don’t go or if you don’t like us
[X] Everyone here is a troll

In conclusion:
[X] GTFO
[X] Go fuck yourself
[X] No one cares
[X] Don’t ever post here again
[] This year was cancelled so screw it
[X] Fuck yer day
[] Daft Punk. Trash Fence.
[] It was better last year
[] No one cares about your Soundcloud or if you we don’t DJ at Burning Man
[X] Meh
[] No tickets here

[Roberto Dobbisano]

[X] I can't wait for Southern California to fall into the fucking ocean.

[^Rhino!]

[X] I can't wait for Southern California to fall into the fucking ocean.

Wrong type of plate boundary. I can't wait for certain wonks to get a little geology education.

[theCryptofishist]

Roberto's a wonk? I thought he was a wop.

And I can't help but feeling a little bit of pride when Casanova does something good. Our newbs, they grow up so fast...

[graidawg]

Hello there!

I noticed that you are:
[] Looking for tickets / asking about tickets
[] Looking for someone /a group to fund your burn
[] Looking to DJ at a sound camp
[] Asking questions that can easily be answered by a Google search
[] Asking questions that can easily be answered by reading the survival guide
[X] Trolling

The answer to your question can be found by:
[] Reading the Jackrabbit newsletter
[] Reading the survival guide
[] Visiting the official Burning Man website
[] Performing a Google search
[] Reading previous questions posted this day answering your question
[X] Using common sense
[] Getting a job
[X] Trolling more
[] Prepare better

Also you should know that:
[] Nobody here is selling tickets
[] Nobody knows anyone selling tickets and if we did we know someone that needs them
[] Sign up for STEP or the OMG sale
[] You are the 10th person today asking that question
[X] Figure it out on your own (Radical Self-Reliance)
[] Your art car is your art car; pay for it yourself
[] Burning Man is expensive, and no we will not give you money
[] There are enough DJs at Burning Man already so no one is looking for DJs
[] Burning Man isn’t a rave
[X] That’s great you discovered Burning Man, you are not the unique snowflake that you think you are and we don’t care if you don’t go or if you don’t like us
[X] Everyone here is a troll

In conclusion:
[X] GTFO
[X] Go fuck yourself
[X] No one cares
[X] Don’t ever post here again
[] This year was cancelled so screw it
[X] Fuck yer day
[] Daft Punk. Trash Fence.
[] It was better last year
[] No one cares about your Soundcloud or if you we don’t DJ at Burning Man
[X] Meh
[] No tickets here

i love you already

[Lonesomebri]

"Ironically, this hypocrisy pattern was especially strong among persons scoring high on a self-report measure of moral responsibility (Batson et al., 1997; Batson, Thompson, Seuferling, Whitney, & Strongman, 1999)"

No doubt, the more righteous and noble a "burner" describes themselves, the more someone else is needed to fill in the details for the dreamer.
I was going to take the playa name of "Pretentious", but I found out that 20,000 others beat me to it.
Some take pride in snark, others in the lies they form about themselves.

[FIGJAM]

Prescient might be better.

[Fan C]

[X] I can't wait for Southern California to fall into the fucking ocean.

Wrong type of plate boundary. I can't wait for certain wonks to get a little geology education.

Exactly I think of it as waiting for So Cal to slide up the coast until we're a weird island off oregon.

I first learned about ttitd from a Cacophony friend in the early '90's and watched from the sidelines for nearly twenty years before I finally went.

From my perspective it seems that the snark level on playa has gone down over time, mostly I'd guess as the population changed over time add more ravers, dilute the original Cacophany, add more hippies dilute again etc.

"You're doing wrong!" sums it all up. Part of it is perception too. In person you get a better feel for intent than the written word. I found plenty of snark on playa, though very little bad will, the secret I'm about to spill? We're all doing it wrong.

[Lonesomebri]

As an aside, I discover this kind soul who started this thread is in the same camp as me....fate....karma.... It's a funny thing. I take back back everything I have posted.

[^Rhino!]

[X] I can't wait for Southern California to fall into the fucking ocean.

Wrong type of plate boundary. I can't wait for certain wonks to get a little geology education.

Exactly I think of it as waiting for So Cal to slide up the coast until we're a weird island off oregon.

I first learned about ttitd from a Cacophony friend in the early '90's and watched from the sidelines for nearly twenty years before I finally went.

From my perspective it seems that the snark level on playa has gone down over time, mostly I'd guess as the population changed over time add more ravers, dilute the original Cacophany, add more hippies dilute again etc.

"You're doing wrong!" sums it all up. Part of it is perception too. In person you get a better feel for intent than the written word. I found plenty of snark on playa, though very little bad will, the secret I'm about to spill? We're all doing it wrong.

**Doffs hat in a salute to Fan C***

Exactly. I am waiting until SoCal is across the bay from SF, then the shit will really hit the fan.

I've been using "You're doing it wrong" for years, in another form with my drillers to keep them on their toes.

I had one of my drillers getting a little holier-than-thou one day with his crew, and I stepped up to his control plaform. I leaned over to him, while looking at his next adjustment to drilling speed, and very flatly stated to him, "Leroy wouldn't have drilled it like that." (Leroy was at the time, our safest driller). The offending holier-than-thou nitwit gave a huge start, when he realized that without being cruel, I had put him in his place quite neatly. Smiles all around from the crew, who had heard what I said. Nitwit became human for the remainder of the day.

Don't be pretentious about it, don't even be hateful. State it flat out. Last year, a girl I met was putting unprotected rebar into the corners of her tent to hold up the guy cables. I stopped her, gave her some large landscape nails with washers, and showed her my way of holding those guy cables without endangering everyone else in her camp. "you're doing it wrong' should be replaced by "here's a better way" and then jump in LIKE A LEADER and show them how.THAT is how BRC is supposed to operate, but sometimes doesn't because we're human and subject to feelings and change.

[BBadger]

As an aside, I discover this kind soul who started this thread is in the same camp as me....fate....karma.... It's a funny thing. I take back back everything I have posted.

Yin to your yang?

[Gunslinger]

I'd say here on eplaya, yes absolutely. But as already said out there on the real playa, no... there's 90% the coolest people you've ever met, blended with 10% the hugest assholes in the universe. Pretty great odds, considering.
And don't worry about your first burn, you'll do fine. I'm like you, research everything through and through before I buy, commit, or engage. This may sound counter to what you're expecting but: You need this burn. You've got to let go and just let it work it's relaxing fingers into you. It'll be weird, hard, amazing, silly, ridiculous, annoying, stupid and the most incredible experience ever. Trust me, you'll love it.

[Lonesomebri]

I'd say here on eplaya, yes absolutely. But as already said out there on the real playa, no... there's 90% the coolest people you've ever met, blended with 10% the hugest assholes in the universe.

The implication here, totally wrong and scientifically inaccurate, is that those who snark are not the coolest people.....not cool, at least.....like those who consider themselves saints.
"Ironically, this hypocrisy pattern was especially strong among persons scoring high on a self-report measure of moral responsibility (Batson et al., 1997; Batson, Thompson, Seuferling, Whitney, & Strongman, 1999)"

The coolest people I know don't have to tell everyone how spiritual and giving they are, they are smart, quick witted, not easily upset, laughs at themselves, able to understand and use humor (truly a lost art among the idealist). Snark weeds out those who think the world owes them a good time, that everyone else has a job to uphold their own self-worth, those unable to face opposition (which the natural world of the playa will dish out without sympathy, no mistake, it ain't your mother). I don't know, but the OP, after this, is going to be a better burner, able to take what the playa gives, even if it isn't constant reassurance and confirmations. The OP is going to love the Burn, and make it better, bring the fire (metaphorically, even if they cook of anothers). If anyone decided to drop out because on-line snark..... yeah.....

[some seeing eye]

If people are taking their free time to give advice, I have no problem if they want to wrap it in snark. It may not have the intended effect. But this is the internet.

[Jovankat]

If anyone decided to drop out because on-line snark..... yeah.....

That made me think of this

[BBadger]

The coolest people I know don't have to tell everyone how spiritual and giving they are, they are smart, quick witted, not easily upset, laughs at themselves, able to understand and use humor (truly a lost art among the idealist). Snark weeds out those who think the world owes them a good time, that everyone else has a job to uphold their own self-worth, those unable to face opposition (which the natural world of the playa will dish out without sympathy, no mistake, it ain't your mother). I don't know, but the OP, after this, is going to be a better burner, able to take what the playa gives, even if it isn't constant reassurance and confirmations. The OP is going to love the Burn, and make it better, bring the fire (metaphorically, even if they cook of anothers). If anyone decided to drop out because on-line snark..... yeah.....

^-- This.

[brcprincess]

More often than not people who snark online will be nice as pie when you meet them on the Playa.

In a post burn wrap up a few years back I posted that I thought while the Temple was beautiful, I felt having the staircase in the centre detracted a little from the stillness (can't remember which year it was). It was a minor point but I got a long and very snarky PM from someone who helped build the Temple, nasty stuff really. Just goes to show anyone can snark, even the holiest of Burners.

The key is not to take it personally. None of us are perfect, and even the nicest people can snark if they are irritated and have the anonymity of the internet to protect them.

Thankfully we are face to face on the Playa so most of the time we're seeing the best side

[Eric]

It was a minor point but I got a long and very snarky PM from someone who helped build the Temple, nasty stuff really. Just goes to show anyone can snark, even the holiest of Burners.

Building the Temple doesn't make you "holy", it means you have a huge enough ego that you want to be known as part of the (usually) single largest piece of participant created art on the playa (since the Man is done by the Org).

[Lonesomebri]

More often than not people who snark online will be nice as pie when you meet them on the Playa.
In a post burn wrap up a few years back I posted that I thought while the Temple was beautiful, I felt having the staircase in the centre detracted a little from the stillness (can't remember which year it was). It was a minor point but I got a long and very snarky PM from someone who helped build the Temple, nasty stuff really. Just goes to show anyone can snark, even the holiest of Burners. The key is not to take it personally. None of us are perfect, and even the nicest people can snark if they are irritated and have the anonymity of the internet to protect them.
Thankfully we are face to face on the Playa so most of the time we're seeing the best side

Maybe he wasn't snarking. He probably sees himself above snark, maybe he is just touchy and rude, with little room to laugh at themselves. I contend that snarking is not bad and not done by bad people, as so many on this thread reflectively imply. "Even the best Burner can resort to snark". No shit, ALL THE BEST BURNERS RESORT TO SNARK. It is a good side. I contend that the people who don't snark, who see it as beneath them and negative, perhaps like this Temple builder, sometimes are just plain worse. Engaging someone in humor and sarcasm, receiving a response, even if it is couched in snark, being able to be self-depreciating and snap back under adversity, give and take, a dance, that is the thing of life. Someone who can't handle that is somehow superior?

I've already apologized to the original poster, I'll see how long that holds.

[^Rhino!]

"Engaging someone in humor and sarcasm, receiving a response, even if it is couched in snark, being able to be self-depreciating and snap back under adversity, give and take, a dance, that is the thing of life."

True 'dat. I've seen it happen repeatedly. Of course, I look like Buddy Hackett and my equipment operator's name was really Jerry Lewis. When he got out of the cab and yelled "Hey, lady!" like Jerry did in the movies, I just about hyperventilated I was laughing so hard.