Burning Man Sex Survey

Maven · Post by **Maven** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:42 pm

I am a Burner of two years and an undergraduate university student. I am writing my senior thesis on Sex at Burning Man. If you would like to participate in an online anonymous survey about Sex at BM please go to
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?id=132983
Please also feel free to pass on this link to other Burner's you know.
Thanks,
Helen Hudson

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:16 pm

Of all the senior-thesis-surveys-on-sex-at-BM, this one was my favorite.

No really. You were the best! It was great for me!
You got a light?

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 9:11 pm

Why have an online anonymous survey with participation by a small slice of Burning Man participants from the eplaya when you can tap into what's already out there...the 2004 Census info? It covers most of the questions being asked and reaches deeper into BRC than an eplaya targeted survey does. Also the 2005 Census should be coming out before long.

Meanwhile three of the questions have me pondering the intent behind the anonymous survey. Things are not always what they appear to be so questioning the source and motive is not a bad idea...anyway here's what prompted the post.

14) Are you aware of any sex crimes that have occured at Burning Man?

No
Yes, I read about sex crimes at Burning Man in literature put out by the Burning Man Organization
Yes, I heard about sex crimes at Burning Man in the popular media
Yes, I heard about sex crimes at Burning Man from an alternative publication or online source
Yes, I heard about sex crimes at Burning Man from word of mouth
Yes, I witnessed a sex crime at Burning Man
Yes, I was the victim of a sex crime at Burning Man

If you answered "yes" to the previous question please continue on to the next two questions. If you answered "no" please skip to the next page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15) What crime(s) are you are aware of that have occured at Burning Man?

Sexual harassment
Sexual assault
Rape
Statutory rape
Other (Please Specify):

16) Were the sex crimes you are aware of that occured at Burning Man reported to law enforcement?

Yes, the crime(s) I know about were reported
Some were reported, others were not
No, the crime(s) were not reported
I don't know
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I dare say this survey is a bit slanted...or so it seems. How do we know who is truly behind this and where that "anonymous" information is going to go? I know, I know, not everything is a conspiracy but it simply strikes me as being odd.

Edit: 2004 Census Info:
http://afterburn.burningman.com/04/cens ... index.html

Dr BENWAYLADEN · Post by **Dr BENWAYLADEN** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:51 pm

Sorry... I would need to get to know you better before I touch your link baby!!

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:56 am

When I was in college I was hired to gather information about what companies might be a target market for a certain product. My Boss and I developed a "survey" that reputed to gather harmless market info for a "research project", but in fact had a few questions buried in it that were the critical ones. The other info was useful also, but those few questions were the zingers. It was amazing how many people would agree to take the "survey" who wouldn't ordinarily take a sales call.

Not saying this is the case here, but it definately made me think before agreeing to participate in a "random" survey...

And Kinetic, your point is also excellent about existing data.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:37 am

Dr BENWAYLADEN wrote:Sorry... I would need to get to know you better before I touch your link baby!!

ditto

ais4ali · Post by **ais4ali** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:12 am

i am from sac cali, and i just got back from eugene today! what a small world.... anyways.... im not scared of a stinkin survey! rock on with your survey.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 10:15 am

Faulty question:

"What crime(s) are you are aware of that have occured at Burning Man?"

Do you mean that I've personally encountered or that I'm "aware" of via message board posts, hearsay, etc?

Also:

"Polyamorous relationship- multiple partners with a commitment to at least one "

I was told by a woman at a regional that "polyamorous" means having an emotional committment to more than one person. She could have been using the wrong word.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 10:21 am

dragonfly Jafe wrote:definately made me think before agreeing to participate in a "random" survey...

Especially when we don't know what this information will be used for. My concern would be that it would be use against BORG somehow (e.g., "There are too many sexual assaults at Burning Man and BORG has ignored them and here's a survey to prove it and I'm suing the LLC.")

p.s. There is no such thing as "anonymous" online.

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:00 pm

I know people that know the person that put the survey together. I'm pretty sure they are just using it for a research paper at the local university.

That being said, the burning man sex survey is totally my pick up line next year on the playa...

"Excuse me, would you like to participate in a burning man sex survey? All applications are filled out in my tent over here..."

Maven · Post by **Maven** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:48 pm

I want to address some of the concerns raised here on eplaya regarding my intentions behind this project and what I plan to do with the data I collect.

My primary audience for this project is academic. I am required by the Honor's College at my university to produce and defend a senior thesis. Three professional academicians of my choosing, who have been advising me throughout this process decide after I defend next March if I get to graduate or not. Graduating from college is a goal of mine that I've had since before I started attending Burning Man.

However, because I get to choose the topic of my research, I chose the most interesting thing I have ever experienced: Burning Man, and the cultural aspect of the festival that seems the most complex and prone to misunderstandings: sex.

My research extends beyond this survey. The stories that participants have shared with me and my own participant/observation of the festival are really the meat of this project. I have never written a survey before and am aware that there are some problems with this one. I will be taking the critcism I have recieved into account when I analyze the data I have collected. I appreciate the feedback I have recieved from participants and am sure it will help me immensely if I ever decide to write another survey in the future.

So, I've admitted it. I am using Burning Man to my advantage in my life outside of the festival. I get to spend my academic energies on something that completely facinates me. I am dedicated to trying to understand something that I believe has deeply affected many people, for better or worse. Hopefully the information I collect and my analysis of it can do what all good academic work in the social sciences should do: empower the studied subjects with a new knowledge of themselves.

So as you see, my second, greater audience for this project is the Burning Man community. I am putting my position as a student and my intellectual energies to work for a community I care profoundly about and feel deeply connected to. My hope is that my work will be meaningful and useful to other burners. I hope to open up a discourse about sex with respect to what a powerful aspect of humanity it is and acknowledge that Burning Man is a strong enough cultural force to influence and/or illuminate our collective sexuality.

For those of you interested in my survey, I am sharing and involving you in one of the ways Burning Man has influenced and become a part of my life. I am new to eplaya, but from what I have seen I am a bit thrown by what seems to be pretty common paranoia and aggression. Its true you have no real reason to trust me, but regardless to whether you participate in my survey or not...please just think back to some september not too long ago and remember how good it can feel when you do.
Sincerely,
Helen/Maven

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 5:12 am

Since your original post someone else has spoken up and vouched for you and you offered more details on the survey and what your intent is.

I am a bit thrown by what seems to be pretty common paranoia and aggression

It's not common paranoia at all, it's several other things but not that. First and foremost most of the people on this board absolutely love this event. We have invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of time into it so with that in mind it is in our best interest to protect it and to be a little bit defensive of it. Next the eplaya has in the past had groups come on here that started out with noble intentions and next thing you know they're trying to take anything said to them and turn it into comments that can be used against the event. With that in mind and also applying some of the critical thinking skills that I picked up while in college I looked over your survey, found some inconsistencies and went public with it. I apologize if that caused you any stress but I can't apologize for defending in my way an event that means a great deal to me.

I will be filling out the survey now that I know more about it. And thank you again for coming back on with the additional details.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 8:51 am

...to say nothing of the feeling some Burners have (as expressed numerous times here on Eplaya) towards "homework" projects...to often the attitude is "I need help now!"

This could be a good opportunity to add a footnote to your paper, expanding on how this community is particularly difficult to accurately survey due to ingrained resistance...

...If you had approached me on Playa and I could truly anonymously fill out this survey, I would. But I am afraid it is now impossible to fill out your survey anonymously, so I must still decline. Good luck with your research, you may also consider comparing your results to the published BMorg data to see how it compares...

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:04 am

Well, I didn't mean to knock you down. Sorry if you got that feeling. Like someone said, I'm defensive about the event and worry about information being used for the wrong purposes.

Here's a helpful hint (for any survey): give us all the questions up front so that we know both (a) how long it is and (b) what we're getting into so that we don't do what I did and abandon it once I saw there was a "next page" button.

Burning Man Sex Survey

Burning Man Sex Survey

no conspiracy here!

the woman behind the curtain