Misconceptions about Burningman

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:22 pm

fredjones777 wrote:some nagging fears.........fears that if you aren't a pro or semi-pro artist you aren't really wanted.....fears that if I don't build a major exhibit I'm a "spectator"....fears that there are tight knit cliques that stick with each other and if your not inside , your outside.....is this all bs or what ?

Fred; we really don't need your lame-ass craft project, and it's not my fault if you're not cool enough to hang with the "in" crowd...

Just kidding, get your ass to Black Rock City and party with your 30,000 new friends!

gilmore · Post by **gilmore** » Sat May 01, 2004 11:22 pm

blyslv wrote:
I expected my smooth, taut, barely legal body would be swarmed by frat boys.

There is no difference between legal and barely legal.

The is a great difference between legal and almost legal. Up to 10 years, depending on the jurisdiction.

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Sun May 02, 2004 12:05 pm

my favorite art piece last year was a small sign proclaiming "Free Mayonnaise" planted by a Costco-sized, obviously opened jar of the stuff. The hideousness of the mayo juxtaposed with the gawdawful stinkin heat of the day had me nearly peeing my pants with laughter.

Other "pieces" from other years that have taken up permanent brain space over the years:

A guy walking along at night playing Nine Inch Nails on his accordion.

The naked, *GLORIOUSLY* painted woman who picked up a tuba and got on her unicycle while we watched, stunned and delighted.

A bistro table in the middle of the playa set for two - when you sat down you realized that the menu was a script. Each person only got to see their half the lines. We read them under a full moon and almost cried from the joy of *getting* to experience it.

Most (not all, but most) of the big flashy "professional" art kind of bounces off my psyche and doesn't leave much of an impression. It's the smaller, simpler (and weirder) gesture that gets lodged in my heart every year.

I'm glad the big-scale art is out there. But I go for the small scale.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun May 02, 2004 12:28 pm

Lydia; Yeah, exactly! I remember a guy walking around with a 2x4 over his shoulder with a little gas weedeater motor on the end of it, running. It didn't do anything, it just ran and made noise. I'm still cracking up about that one years later!

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Mon May 03, 2004 10:29 am

I think III referred to BM as the special olympics of art.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 03, 2004 10:40 am

stuart wrote:I think III referred to BM as the special olympics of art.

That's a good one. It's tee shirt material.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:08 pm

I was gonna guess that the special olympics has drug testing and BM doesn't... but then if you're in the special olympics, you're probably messed up and take some sort of medication...likewise if you're a burner... so maybe you're right, they are pretty similar.

DancingTofu · Post by **DancingTofu** » Tue May 04, 2004 5:18 am

Hey, aren't the Special Olympics and BM logos silimar? (upon refreshing my memory...) Well, except that the Special Olymipcs guys have 6 arms each.... I don't really know why. But I'm sure that pun could be had with it.

--manda, Daughter of the Cantaloupes

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Tue May 04, 2004 6:20 am

I wonder if Technopatra has the ability to re-route special people to the Special-Playa board?

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Tue May 04, 2004 6:30 am

Because like the good Reverend says, weeding out the assholes is Fascism!

Sweet, sweet fascism...

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue May 04, 2004 7:50 am

stuart wrote:I think III referred to BM as the special olympics of art.

Jack Trash once explained to his father what working at DPW was like as...
"Shop class gone bad."

just thought I would share....

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Tue May 04, 2004 9:54 pm

The Drunk People Welding

electrolux · Post by **electrolux** » Wed May 05, 2004 9:56 pm

My biggest misconception my first year was that I would be attending all kinds of events and theme camps that I had been reading about for month previously. I had not yet encountered the concept of playa time, where everything takes 3x as long as it does elsewhere, and people you are supposed to meet up with can disappear for days. It didn't help that we were camped a block from the Safari Social Club, which kinda played havoc with most of my plans for the first few days.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed May 05, 2004 11:06 pm

Quote:

Well, except that the Special Olymipcs guys have 6 arms each....

I believe your'e thinking of the Special Down Syndrome Shiva Olympics(TM).

zapatista · Post by **zapatista** » Thu May 06, 2004 2:02 am

This will be my first burn, I guess the main thought that I have formed about it... (what it will be like) is that, there will be too many people there.. and to much stuff going on.. and I'll be totally lost. My roomie who is going with me swears that everyone will be running around naked doing drugs.

I just hope I come well enough prepared.. haha

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:04 am

tell your roomie that, in all contexts of this world, he/she would be better served to avoid sweeping prejudices.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:11 am

tell your roomie that, in all contexts of this world, he/she would be better served to avoid sweeping prejudices.

Oh, and you'd serve yourself well by not buying into them either.

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:56 am

I'm naked now! Hope that helps.

reputedly,
mr smith

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Thu May 06, 2004 6:28 pm

...and I'M on drugs!

(Prozac and Claritin count, right?!)

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu May 06, 2004 7:51 pm

And there's too many people in here!

Steven bradford · Post by **Steven bradford** » Thu May 06, 2004 10:43 pm

How about vacuuming prejudices? Would that work better?

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu May 06, 2004 10:54 pm

What exactly would you do with your dirtbag full of prejudice?

technopatra · Post by **technopatra** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:14 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:I wonder if Technopatra has the ability to re-route special people to the Special-Playa board?

Um..I thought this was the Special-Eplaya?

eternally riding the short-bus...

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:17 pm

Does that mean I'm "special"?

sparkletarte · Post by **sparkletarte** » Fri May 07, 2004 12:07 am

My misconceptions are that it's this wacky thing and all these people and there's dust, maybe a dust storm (I hope so). Also there's a lot of noise and crazy lights and it's fun to stay up all night, or at least really late. It's hot and sunny and it's the desert.

This may or may not be true, I don't know yet.

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Fri May 07, 2004 1:36 am

Captain Goddammit wrote:Does that mean I'm "special"?

Well that's what the note pinned to your shirt says.

unavoidably,
mr smith

BroadcastBurner · Post by **BroadcastBurner** » Fri May 07, 2004 6:19 am

Although I was well briefed about the burn about a year before I went, I was still surprized.

But as it happened, my friend's wife was a few months pregnant when it came time for the big event and she didn't want to stress the cross counrty travel and exposure - and they gifted me her ticket. Right there and then I began to understand the whole gifting-community concept.

But the misconception I had was definately SCALE. No matter how much Mark & Dolo told me about Black Rock, art installations, the Man and all the craziness, I didn't have a good grasp of how enormous the actual scale of production Burning Man was. The word of the week was most definately, "Wow!"

And then the community aspect especially wowed, too. All the people I camped with at Mecca Shiva were like instant family. We did everything together and it was like I always knew them. It was very surreal, and quite cozy.

Here's to you all, and I hope to see you agian soon!

KellY · Post by **KellY** » Fri May 07, 2004 1:07 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:What exactly would you do with your dirtbag full of prejudice?

Throw it in the fire.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri May 07, 2004 3:07 pm

KellY wrote:
Captain Goddammit wrote:What exactly would you do with your dirtbag full of prejudice?
Throw it in the fire.

Warning. Always a danger of putting the fire out that way.

Steven bradford · Post by **Steven bradford** » Fri May 07, 2004 5:31 pm

But the misconception I had was definately SCALE.

I've heard this from others who finally made it after years of listening to burners' stories.[/quote]

Misconceptions about Burningman

Re: nagging fears....reassure or give the hard truth

blyslv's Barely Legal Body

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FYI....

misconceptions

Get yer red hot popcorn....