Interacting with official misinformation?

[Canoe]

Like yelling out that the Man is going to burn early, on Wednesday. Or that you-know-who is playing at the Trash Fence.

How would you feel about someone who missed the man or temple burn because they got official info that it was happening later? Just want to see how far your dedication to the sanctity of misinformation goes.

It could be that your friend heard someone incorrectly, or remembered it incorrectly, or the teller had been in the heat too long and said it incorrectly, but don't discount the possibility that the teller decided that telling your friend the incorrect time was in the greater good of everyone else going to the Burn because your friend did or said something that made the teller believe your friend was an asshole.

[Bless]

I missed the [start of the] temple burn this year due to a dozen non-official people telling me it happened on the same schedule as the man burn. If that had been disseminated from an official source, it would have caught a lot more people than just me.

You sir are an idiot. Good day!

Can you clarify, does going to see the temple burn when people told me it would burn make me an idiot? Or are you reacting to my prediction that more people would miss it if that info came from an official/central source?

I still thinking you're missing the boat on this one. It's called radical self-reliance. If you radically rely on someone else's misinformation, and are successfully duped, then, yes, you are at best gullible and at worst a complete fucking idiot.

If someone tells you, in all earnestness, that the event was way better last year, and that you should definitely sell your ticket this year... FOR GOD'S SAKE, PLEASE TAKE THEIR ADVICE.

[sparr]

I still thinking you're missing the boat on this one. It's called radical self-reliance. If you radically rely on someone else's misinformation, and are successfully duped, then, yes, you are at best gullible and at worst a complete fucking idiot.

Bullshit. You're probably close to right in terms of misinformation from peers, but that's irrelevant here. This thread is about *official* misinformation.

Do you practice radical self-reliance on the subject of the location of the event? Are you visiting the playa, or flying over, a month early to make sure the city is where you were told it would be?

Do you practice radical self-reliance by checking every day if ticket sales have started, rather than relying on BMORG's publications listing the sale dates?

Do you practice radical self-reliance in the gate line, sending runners ahead to check if the line has been stealthily converted into a loop to trap you or the gate has been closed, or do you trust that the gate volunteers have managed to keep the line moving towards the gate and that BMIR will let you know if the gate gets closed for more than an hour or two?

Of course not. We all rely on information from the organization being legitimate, in dozens or more decisions we make along the way and at the event. No one cross-checks everything they see on the official website.

Slightly less universal example: Most people don't practice radical self reliance with regards to the services the org has committed to providing or allowing to exist at the event. If ice sales were canceled, or all the fresh/grey/black water truck services were turned away from the event, that would be a huge problem if the org had lied to everyone about them still being available.

[Bless]

I'm sorry, I must have missed your concrete example of BMORG publishing official misinformation about critical aspects of the event...

[Admiral Fukkit]

Misinformation is a long standing tradition.
There's even a theme camp called the Bureau of Misinformation.
It's expected that you know to show up just before dark for burns.
When such misinformation comes from "official" sources, that's even funnier.
Years ago, there was a legend of a great Playa Chicken. Whatever went missing or wrong or screwy was always attributed to the Playa Chicken.
It's just the way it is.
If things were all textbook, it'd be boring.

[Simon of the Playa]

IMG_6809.JPG

[BBadger]

Is this all just hypotheticals or is there a concrete example here to work with? Most officials will not spread misinformation on purpose unless it is obvious enough that most laypersons will understand it. They simply don't want to deal with too many butthurt individuals, and also want to ensure that people will believe them when they actually want to have people abide by certain schedules, etc. It's not worth their reputation to have some goofy joke if they have to deal with people loitering around as a result.

There is also the case where information is kept purposely nebulous in order to not build expectations for exactness. This is not misinformation so much as a means to avoid complaints about promises not kept in a dynamic environment.

In any case, you should take efforts to verify the information you receive, even from official sources. Schedules change due to conditions, printed materials may have been printed well in advance of new information on the ground, and people in official positions may simply make mistakes. These are not cases of misinformation, just the nature of how events unfold.

[sparr]

Is this all just hypotheticals or is there a concrete example here to work with?

The concrete example is Media Mecca including among their many informational flyers a set that said the BMIR location (5:45+Esp) had public wifi. I've been told this was meant as a prank aimed at BMIR by MM, sending a lot of newbies to bother them, rather than just being a prank aimed at the newbies.

[Bless]

Is this all just hypotheticals or is there a concrete example here to work with?

The concrete example is Media Mecca including among their many informational flyers a set that said the BMIR location (5:45+Esp) had public wifi. I've been told this was meant as a prank aimed at BMIR by MM, sending a lot of newbies to bother them, rather than just being a prank aimed at the newbies.

And, how exactly was this detrimental to your burn?

[BBadger]

The concrete example is Media Mecca including among their many informational flyers a set that said the BMIR location (5:45+Esp) had public wifi. I've been told this was meant as a prank aimed at BMIR by MM, sending a lot of newbies to bother them, rather than just being a prank aimed at the newbies.

I don't really know what the actual situation is regarding that. It may have been a prank. It could have also have been outdated information.

If it was a prank, and it matters to you enough, perhaps write them about it. With enough complaints it will eventually discourage people from attempting it again.

[Eric]

Is this all just hypotheticals or is there a concrete example here to work with?

The concrete example is Media Mecca including among their many informational flyers a set that said the BMIR location (5:45+Esp) had public wifi. I've been told this was meant as a prank aimed at BMIR by MM, sending a lot of newbies to bother them, rather than just being a prank aimed at the newbies.

It was not "meant" as a prank - it was a prank. A joke by members of one org team towards members of another org team. It was not "official". It was certainly not "disinformation", which would be an intentional act to spread lies or incorrect information for some reason other than humor.

From all your posts, I think the issue is that you tend to see things extremely literally, and don't have room for much, if any, nuance in your mind. The problem when you apply that type of thinking to something like Burning Man is that it's pretty much *all* nuance. Nothing happens when it's "supposed" to, that's why there's "playa time": it'll happen when it happens, or somewhere there-abouts. Language is bent: there's not a lot of places where "fuck your Burn" could really mean "have a great fucking Burn" - out there it does. Trying to pin down meanings and reason for everything is futile, for many things they simply don't exist (other than "it seemed fun"). If you really see a joke as "disinformation", I wonder how much of the joy of the Burn you're missing. It kind of makes me sad.

[Traveller in Time]

At least one of the DJs at BMIR announced he does not have a password "you idiots"

Apparently he was unhappy by the attention

[Token]

Much sand in the vagina about nothing.

[maladroit]

There is free wifi during the Temple burn, which happens at noon on Monday (both of them, they rebuild).

[maladroit]

We should have a competition. I'll call it the "Fewest words to make a happy person's face turn awkwardly confused" Tournament and boy do I have a big winner in mind already!

[Traveller in Time]

The DJs announced that Media Mecca has free private showers open 11 to 3

Overdoing it they also announced free pizza and ice as much as you can carry at MM.

Besides overdoing, this was short before sunrise Friday (one listener assumed, I know at least two )

[sparr]

It was certainly not "disinformation", which would be an intentional act to spread lies or incorrect information for some reason other than humor.

I've never before heard the distinction made that intentionally misleading someone is not disinformation just because the motivation is humor. You seem to be suggesting that lying to people is more-ok when the liar thinks it's funny?

[Bless]

You seem to be suggesting that lying to people is more-ok when the liar thinks it's funny?

You're finally catching on!

[Sham]

Hymie the robot from the TV series Get Smart (1965-1970) took every word spoken to him literally. That's how he was programmed. Using the term "get lost" meant exactly that. Hard to believe this was on over 50 years ago. Seems like yesterday.

[BBadger]

I've never before heard the distinction made that intentionally misleading someone is not disinformation just because the motivation is humor. You seem to be suggesting that lying to people is more-ok when the liar thinks it's funny?

I think it's more that pranking people is more excusable because the stakes are not that high. In the case of this free WiFi, the stakes are pretty low: pranking people who, for some reason, feel compelled to go on the internet at the Burn, as well as BMIR having to deal with people making a funny request.

This is not like someone yelling fire in a theater, or even something like sending people to the wrong location or time for a burn. It's more like sending people on a snipe hunt.

[Token]

Quien es mas macho?

Free wifi at MM

Or

Daft Punk at trash fence

???

[Jackass]

Quien es mas macho?

Free wifi at MM

Or

Daft Punk at trash fence

???

BTW

Daft Punk at the trash fence was some real shit this year. Thursday night/ Friday morning, I seen it with my own two eyes. It does happen!!
And that is NOT misinformation!

[Admiral Fukkit]

This is not ......
like sending people to the wrong location or time for a burn.

Well no, that's usually much funnier.

[lucky420]

Poor guy, born without a funny bone...

[Eric]

You seem to be suggesting that lying to people is more-ok when the liar thinks it's funny?

Not just me. You might want to investigate the terms "satire", "parody", "lampoon"; hell, look up the antics of the "cacophony society" (you know, part of the reason BMan was founded), etc. Humorous "lies" have been part & parcel of the human condition for a long time. The fact you can't see them as humor (funny or not) makes you the outlier, not the jokes.

[gaminwench]

Outlier.
Heh.

[some seeing eye]

I think ePlaya is big enough and mature enough to accept more members, especially as its relevance in the social media sphere declines. Maybe an approach is to say "could that better be stated/questioned as -," or "that's not a good idea because of -." Then there is the ADA, which includes the autistic spectrum. Got to love https://www.timesofisrael.com/soldiers- ... -disorder/.

[sparr]

The fact you can't see them as humor (funny or not) makes you the outlier, not the jokes.

Once again, you're responding to some "fact" that is not in anything I wrote.

I didn't say, or imply, or give evidence from which you might conclude, that I can't see them as humor, or that I can't see that they are funny.

[Admiral Fukkit]

Poor guy, born without a funny bone...

Maybe he could get an implant.