Hey, littleflower, I've got an odd question for you.
Have you recently recieved a PM asking if you'd ever actually been to Burning Man?
I noticed that wonderphil was asked it publically, then I got one in a PM.
It's as if some think you can't have certain political views and REALLY be a burner.
It'll probably come as a surprise to many that I think that BRC, despite the presence of lefties galore, is probably one of the most anti-leftist cities on the planet.
I mean, look at this--
Radical Inclusion
Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
That means anyone--not just fellow travelers, but people who are going in a totally different direction. Ther 'are you even a burner' questions show pretty clearly that those with a lefty bent aren't valuing the inclusion of differing opinions--oh, they might enjoy the debate, but they're feeling that there's jusy no way you're actually one of them if you've got a different perspective.
Gifting
Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
Creepily, this one's almost biblical--'cast your bread upon the waters...'. It's anti-communist and anti-capitalist all at once--because both expect value in return. Gifting, in the true sense(barter is capitalist), is an expression of radical self reliance and radical inclusion all at once. Need is not involved, the desire to give, freely and happily, without compunction, is.
Decommodification
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
This removes authority from the process. No regulation says who can and can't give, no government stands ready to protect or litigate--it's caveat emptor in terms of the event as a whole and in your judgement as to what you take part in. No easy brand names to rely on either, it's raw human interaction.
Radical Self-reliance
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
Radical Self-expression
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
Both of these stress 'individual'. Both put you outside safety nets--save those you make yourself. What you do shines on it's own--or not. There's nothing to prop you up except the web of friends and helpers that you create yourself--you are not part of any 'collective' other than the one you desire to be a part of.
Communal Effort
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction
.
Even this becomes my desired 'community of want'--rather than a community of need. There's no 'to each, from each' here--it's here's my stuff, what can we do together? There's no required 'from'. You give what you WANT to give.
Civic Responsibility
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
And again--YOU are responsible for your actions--no safety net, no legalistic back up. Just YOU.
Leaving No Trace
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
You learn this in the Boy Scouts.
Participation
Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
And this one. Sometimes it just amazes me. There are so many people who deride people on the right for not wanting to provide for those who do not provide for themselves--a vast number of whom rail endlessly about yahoos spectating all over the city. And they don't see the parallel. DO something. Make an effort--everyone can. Everyone can participate-it doesn't mean you have to bankrupt yourself, just show willing. Sounds a whole lot like 'get off your ass and get a job'.
Immediacy
Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience
Do it NOW, don't talk about it endlessly. Give it a shot. You can't overcome barriers by sitting around talking about overcoming barriers--you've gotta get out there and DO it.*
That's why I put up that Burner Party post--to see if we could come up with some core principles, a platform, as it were, that we can actually throw in politicians faces.
*Yes, I am fully--and happily--aware that the same ten principles can be taken and defined in a way that there is a VERY lefty slant--but that's radical inclusion for ya. Revel in it.
"Life is like a box of razor blades. Sharp, shiny, and good for removing unwanted body hair"
away from the Presidency. What was McCain thinking?
