This was my last burn

Hamandegger · Post by **Hamandegger** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:28 pm

This years Burn was my sixth and I won't be going back. I am 56 years old and for six years have been taking my son and a few of his friends to the festival. We always camp and over the years we have learned how to build a successful structure, manage our water and food needs efficiently and take care of our selfs to avoid the perils inherent in desert partying. We had a perfect camp this year with plenty to share with our neighbors and those less well equipped. For us, this years Burn was a flawless experience but I won't be back. Every night as I wandered the playa in a pleasant fungal glow I looked for truth and connection with my fellow participants. Every year this seems harder to achieve, this year it was impossible. I felt surrounded by prick teasing, narcissistic goddesses and their tutu wearing self castrated acolytes. The elaborate costumes fresh from the closets of Cruise America mobile homes, draped in flashing glitter bling seemed more appropriate to the gardens of Versailles where the nobility fingered themselves behind the hedges and the people starved outside the gates. This is a horrible era we live in. The neo-cons have declared a drooling idiot king, our goods are produced by slave labor, our constitution is dead, civil rights are gone, the atmosphere is full of nano sized particles of "depleted" uranium from munitions being used in an illegal war where hundreds of thousands of innocent people are being slaughtered in our name. A small cadre of ultra rich psychopaths are taking control of all the worlds resources and plan to chip us and run our lives 24/7, from cradle to grave. But hey, let's party! On Tuesday four fighter/bombers flew three simulated bombing runs on Black Rock City, no
one seemed to notice or care. To me Burning Man had always represented an alternative to a life based on sexual exploitation, greed and alienation.
This year it was just another Disneyland. The Buddhist "hungry ghost" striving to satisfy its ravining appetite by cramming more sex, more drugs,more alcohol, into it's tiny mouth seems the perfect symbol of Burning man for me now. If Burning Man has become just a mirror of the contemporary "see no evil" idiocracy I say to hell with it. I will seek a true alternative elsewhere, I know others before me have felt the way I do and are actively creating a new,real zeitgeist somewhere. I will search for them and perhaps I will find them. For me the party is over, I want to work and share awareness with others who will actively fight the evil that is destroying our country and our world.
Bless you all

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:10 pm

Hello sir, I am 55. and have been going for 4 years. I have felt something akin to what you describe: a sort of alienation.
But there are moments I took back with me: moments I will remember forever. These moments will be in my thoughts as I return to work, and they will help me make the little world I live in a better place. The world, and the Burn party, will go on with us , or without us.

-Just one moment, of the many:
The Hare Krishna wagon was pulled up to the man on friday, and the older lady there was singing her songs as usual. She sings so beautifully every year I see them. And as I was listening to her a tiny old sari wrapped fellow handed me a sugary sweet chapati, and as I took it and thanked him he gave me such a fantastic, toothless grin and danced away in joy. I will remember his toothless smile.
We can take the same joy in fixing our country.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:21 pm

Could you break this up into readable paragraphs? Otherwise I'll have to say that it's unreadable and no one cares.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:02 pm

[quote="HughMungus"]Could you break this up into readable paragraphs? Otherwise I'll have to say that it's unreadable and no one cares.[/quote]

What a dick.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:16 pm

Hamandegger, if this is the first time you've noticed the Nevada Air Guard do flyovers, you must have been taking pretty intense post-mushroom dirt naps the last five years.

doramey fossillotti · Post by **doramey fossillotti** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:45 am

Bob wrote:Hamandegger, if this is the first time you've noticed the Nevada Air Guard do flyovers, you must have been taking pretty intense post-mushroom dirt naps the last five years.

not just fly-overs.

simulated bombings.

I saw it too.

asp3 · Post by **asp3** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:38 am

My response to the fly over was asking whether they were just saying hello or reminding us we were still in George Bush's America.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:06 am

and one of you self centerer asshats looked up to see the miss man fly over Sat. noon

Hamandegger · Post by **Hamandegger** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:34 am

uh, thanks Unjohn, have another beer.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:49 am

Plenty of military people attend the event, including one in the air guard who's done DPW just about every year there was a DPW.

And flying over naked people probably started a long time before Bush or even Clinton.

Petal of the Playa · Post by **Petal of the Playa** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:47 am

Hamandegger - this was my sixth burn as well and my last burn as well - for many of the above mentioned reasons in your post. I have lost that loving feeling...it saddens me, but I know that its a great big world out there and now - I plan on seeing it - Burning Man will continue on and I hope it and all participants fare well.

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:46 am

unjonharley wrote:and one of you self centerer asshats looked up to see the miss man fly over Sat. noon

Can you elaborate? That's interesting.

Hell, if I was a pilot not at the burn and I had a chance to fly over BRC and look at the strange, giant circle on the playa, I would too. Don't panic, people. Believe it or not, there are plenty of military types that respect Burning Man.

-c

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:10 pm

I think Unjon is talking about the flyover on Saturday of 10 or 12 of the planes from BRC airport. In addition to other formations they made, at one point it looked like they were flying in what is known as the "missing man" formation.

I have seen military aircraft make runs over BRC every year for the past 10 years. I did not see any of the "black helicopters" this year that I have seen in years past. Two years ago, I watched a private twin engine make a "strafing" run at a train passing through the valley - diving on it to a height of only about 75 feet.

Glittering Clitoris · Post by **Glittering Clitoris** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:22 pm

Sounds like another playan didn't get laid at the event this year!

NO clitoris for you, Boo Hoo!

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:45 pm

mojo wrote: I have seen military aircraft make runs over BRC every year for the past 10 years. I did not see any of the "black helicopters" this year that I have seen in years past. Two years ago, I watched a private twin engine make a "strafing" run at a train passing through the valley - diving on it to a height of only about 75 feet.

As to the missing man formation (civilian or military), cool. That's meaningful to aviators in all contexts. As to "strafing" the train, uncool. Not only does it violate FAA regulation, buzzing is among the leading causes of aviation fatalities. 'Course if he whacked a vulture or something that's one thing, but buzzing other people puts them at risk as well.

I remember seeing a military plane circle in 2005. I wondered if they knew what BM was and, if not, that must have been a little startling. "Hey, Joe...there's a round city down there that's not on the chart. Isn't that, like, underwater most of the year? Are we lost?!"

-zb
(the lazy aviator)

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:50 pm

Wondering if anyone's considered that the missing man formation may have to do with the fact that several long time pilots at the event have died over the past year. Some of these folks have been VERY generous to complete strangers when they offered to freely fly folks above and around the city never asking anything in exchange.

VikingNomad · Post by **VikingNomad** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:31 pm

I've been to 9 burns, starting in the early 90's to 2000, and I returned last year and this year. I'm 36 years old now. Burning Man sure has changed and grown a lot over the years.

The thing that disappointed me about this year was the increased idiot factor. People walking and biking around all week long without even a flashlight. We brought glow sticks, blinkies, and some people declined the gifts, preferring to be a potential speed bump for a bike. I also saw plenty of people walking around day and night without any water.

Burning Man makes a lot of effort before and during the event to tell people not be dumbasses, but it seemed like a lot of people insisted on being stupid. They have the survival guide printed and online, checklists, reminders in the paper on the playa, and transmit reminders all day and night on BMIR. Even without all of that, you're in a freak'n desert!! What part of dry and dark at night came as a surprise?!?!

There was also a clear lack of gratitude by some who left piles of junk behind that we saw while leaving. We must have passed enough crap to fill a dump truck. People left broken chairs, PVC pipe, plastic buckets, etc. We were picking up moop on the playa all week long. And, not stuff that blew away, I'm talking Corona bottles and crushed beer cans that you could see were crushed right there on the playa and left.

I would like to ask all burners to do something to make next year better. If you know someone who is an idiot that wants to go, or won't respect the playa, tell them it completely sucked this year, and encourage them to go anywhere else.

VikingNomad

treepour · Post by **treepour** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:37 pm

This year's burn did feel a bit more alienating in terms of interactions with strangers. But I bonded with people in my camp more than ever. And there were a couple of interactions with strangers that more than made up for the lack of interactions with others.

As for "tutu wearing self castrated acolytes" what the hell are you talking about? All those sexy men in skirts or skimpy underwear? Thank god(ess) they were there! They made my burn incredibly hot experience. And no, I didn't get laid this year. Desire can be its own reward if you know how to ride it, and expectations can ruin everything. The playa is always a teacher, and sometimes its lessons clash painfully with our egos.

Hamandegger · Post by **Hamandegger** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:49 pm

[quote="Glittering Clitoris"]Sounds like another playan didn't get laid at the event this year!

NO clitoris for you, Boo Hoo![/quote]

No Glittering Clitoris, your tits and ass are not the be all/end all of my life, but you think they are. You have objectified men as horny drones, all desperate for the Queen Bee's honey. I don't think there is much casual sex going on at the Burn, just a lot of prick teasing posing by women too interested in themselves to engage in a physical relationship with a man, maybe with a women if she looked close enough to herself. I pity the young men at the Burn, I am old enough to remember when women gave freely of them selfs, respected men and sought to pair with them. Well the goddesses are back where they belong, behind the counter of your local Starbucks, I'll have mine with extra foam please.

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:03 pm

Hamandegger wrote:I am old enough to remember when women gave freely of them selfs, respected men and sought to pair with them. Well the goddesses are back where they belong, behind the counter of your local Starbucks, I'll have mine with extra foam please.

Sort of sounds like you're saying they're back in the kitchen where they belong?

Seriously. What's gone wrong with women when they no longer give themselves freely?! The humanity! The dignity! The self-respect, I tellya!

Sluts if they do, sluts if they don't, eh?

-zb

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:10 pm

yap your right GC, poor old haman didn't get any..

i m in my 70s, saw many pretty female in all states of dress.. most smiled and waved to us.

got to slow dance to and old blue eyes tone with a very nice lady..

you don't get any of that with a sign on your for head that reads: ya wana fuck?

hony and pissed off, old haman want to piss on everyones parade..

BeesWing · Post by **BeesWing** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:55 pm

Even though this was only my second Burn, I totally agree with Viking Nomad -- even compared with last year, it seemed there were hundreds of people wandering the playa on foot or on bikes who had zero lights or even reflectors on them every night I was there (we were there for 6 days/nights). I don't remember this being a problem last year. All the close calls of almost running into people -- or even running OVER them, since several non-lit folks were lying in the dark on the playa -- really freaked me out. I spent less time soaking in the glories of the lights and scene on the night-time playa and far more time squinting into the darkness for the dark human forms that inevitably would pop up in the rays of my bike light. As a result, I also ended up calling out to people to please light themselves better, which I never once did last year. The garbage problem also seemed worse.

But I would be interested to know if the character and attitude of the average participant has truly changed over the past 10 years or so, esp. since so many people I met and connected with this year have been attending for 5-15 years and likely their ways of being at BM have remained relatively consistent. My partner also made some really great connections with new people when he was adventuring on his own in the wee morning hours on Friday, so I question whether making these connections is truly becoming less possible for the average burner (and we are relatively down-to-earth progressive folks in our late 30s who wore plenty of fun outfits that we dug out of our dusty old tent and ancient Subaru). Maybe it is, but maybe it isn't.

But I wonder -- how different is the average participant-citizen at BM compared to participant-citizens of 10 years ago? It seems difficult to measure attitudinal shifts, or shifts in personal priorities and focus in a population this varied and large, although perhaps the census can give us some glimpses. I think expectations play a huge role in how we act, re-act, and process each interaction we have at Burning Man, esp. if we're constantly comparing them to the past. As the population grows and Burning Man becomes more well-known to the general population, it might take more work to maintain the core ethics or priorities or emphases that have made BRC home to so many good folks for so many years, but I think it can be done.

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:13 pm

BeesWing wrote:As a result, I also ended up calling out to people to please light themselves better, which I never once did last year. The garbage problem also seemed worse.

That's sort of what I said after 2004/2005. I think everybody's heard "Last Year Was Better" enough that maybe it should be next year's theme. ("Nostalgia"?)

MOOP question for the old-timers, though: Who picked up the brass, lead and other fragments from the old drive-by shooting galleries? If Machine Gun A expends X-hundred rounds of ammunition, was there somebody out there picking up X-hundred shell casings and bullet fragments, or does that MOOP somehow not count? Otherwise, there's still a shit-ton of lead out there thanks to a lot of self-righteous old burners.

-zb

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:23 pm

ZB, I can't speak for everyone, but I used a .357 revolver at the range (no shells popping out) and helped with the cleanup.

buzzcut · Post by **buzzcut** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:42 pm

This was my sixth and I believe my last burn. Its just too much for me anymore. I kept feeling that I was at a "Costco Burning Man". Even the burner look is so boring and predictable. From dayglo wigs and phony hair extensions to utilikilts. Such a lack of authenticity. Face it most everyone there is just there to party party party. Its spring break in the desert. Thats fine, but I always went for the art. As always, I did a couple of art projects. Its long hard work producing the art and installing and maintaining it. I ask myself whats the point? The thrill is gone. The magic never happened. The dust got me. Too many dirty drunk hippies and not enough true participation. Im so fucking over it. Too much caste system. Too much Im cooler then you, more burner then thou. Too much monstrous ego among the burner hard core elite. Im done . Finished. Over it. Thanks for the memories.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:00 pm

There's anywhere from 20% to 50% turnover any given year.

I didn't go, but I was out w/ DPW three weeks ago with a friend & his 11 yo son. The kid managed to find about 20 lbs of brass at a spot along the playa edge where JOTS used to camp.

cornelius · Post by **cornelius** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:11 pm

Sorry Hamandegger but the thread you want is:
"Allow me to read from my manifesto..."

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:26 pm

munney · Post by **munney** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:17 pm

Came early to the playa this year, Built up a structure, dealt with the environment, organized compost, recycling, Moop, etc... Got crap from other campers about being too organized, (However when the wind storms came, my structures held....)

{~Gotta Love ZipTies~}

Also found lots of people out there at night with nothing but a literal "Deer in the Headlights Look" as I tried to avoid the tweakers who would come up to my vehicle to touch the LED lights as they were trippping, ... I guess if I was High then......

Not as many connections made this year, by a long shot....

My party of 3 decided to beat traffic on the way out, so we left durring the Man Burn, ........... I feel like

I missed some of the coolness of the Saturday and Sunday night festivities. If I show again, (which I most likely will).... then I'll beat the traffic again by leaving on Tuesday.

No sex this burn, just a bit of tongue and touching..... Past years had my dance card filled:

Make out Monday

Oral Sex Tuesday

Hump Wednesday

Threesome Thursday, well Kinda...

Fetish Friday

Good times had, Good times to come,
Lessons learned:

Dont Work too much

Dress comfortable for YOU!

Bring your favorite stuff, whatever that is and Enjoy It!

Do your own thing, and make yourself Happy!

There's more to life than, "Hey I like your outfit"

More Fire, Less Blinky... (Wouldn't it be great if everyone had to have Big Flame at nights?)

alienfry · Post by **alienfry** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:58 pm

i didn't go this year. saving my monies and my time for a european adventure this winter.

i built South Rock and a dozen friends came.

we spread out over a MASSIVE lakebed in southern california. had different areas and themes and games and bikes. we drank, danced, did drugs, had sex, drove 50 MPH in the dark, did donuts.

my point is do something else if you don't like being in BRC anymore.

i've been to BRC 6 times, this year would have been my 7th. i look forward to returning next year hopefully.

burning man is too big? too horny? too drunk or high? too predictable? too stuck up?

i suggest:

no. it's YOU.

to all who are dissappointed and are vowing to leave forever i say AU REVOIR!!!! and GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!

This was my last burn

This was my last burn

Re: This was my last burn

Re: This was my last burn

Typical "Goddess Bullshit"

Re: Typical "Goddess Bullshit"

Re: Typical "Goddess Bullshit"

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Still gathering thoughts....

black rock city is MY city