Burning Man = Scary Things
- SageV
- Posts: 183
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- Burning Since: 1999
- Location: I live in a suitcase
Burning Man = Scary Things
Anybody notice a recent spike in "this scary thing happens at Burning Man" threads? The funny thing about all the tales is that you can really never quite nail down who is responsible, but it's never the person who was supposed to be there, and it may be someone everyone knows. Strangely, the people at Burning Man who deal with the scary thing in the story are never are around.
I just mention it, because in reality scary things happen everywhere, but it seems like there's an implied suggestion lately on eplaya that if you go to Burning Man you are going to get drugged, raped, run over, kidnapped, take bad shit, get ripped off by native americans, stuck in dangerous traffic, get your shit stolen, hassled by cops and maybe arrested, and have to watch people poop. The reality is of course is that if that was the Burn for even a small fraction of the people going, that not only would nobody go to Burning Man, but there would be public outrage. I mean, these things are all rare occurrances in my Burning Man experience over ten years.
I have noticed an upswing in sexual misconduct over the years and a decline in drug use. I've also seen a proportionate upswing in people getting located, cited, arrested, or taken off playa for shit that was dead on their own stupid fault, so the idea that the rangers and law enforcement aren't doing their job is bogus. My only beef with law enforcement is the staffing levels, training, and their agency's public accountability for the money they demand to work the event. The only thing that's partially true is that yes, Burners do talk about people pooping, because the porta-potties are nasty.
Anyway, anybody get the same feeling I do? I mean, to me the scariest thing about Burning Man is the desert, not the burn itself. The playa is one damn harsh, cruel Mistress.
I just mention it, because in reality scary things happen everywhere, but it seems like there's an implied suggestion lately on eplaya that if you go to Burning Man you are going to get drugged, raped, run over, kidnapped, take bad shit, get ripped off by native americans, stuck in dangerous traffic, get your shit stolen, hassled by cops and maybe arrested, and have to watch people poop. The reality is of course is that if that was the Burn for even a small fraction of the people going, that not only would nobody go to Burning Man, but there would be public outrage. I mean, these things are all rare occurrances in my Burning Man experience over ten years.
I have noticed an upswing in sexual misconduct over the years and a decline in drug use. I've also seen a proportionate upswing in people getting located, cited, arrested, or taken off playa for shit that was dead on their own stupid fault, so the idea that the rangers and law enforcement aren't doing their job is bogus. My only beef with law enforcement is the staffing levels, training, and their agency's public accountability for the money they demand to work the event. The only thing that's partially true is that yes, Burners do talk about people pooping, because the porta-potties are nasty.
Anyway, anybody get the same feeling I do? I mean, to me the scariest thing about Burning Man is the desert, not the burn itself. The playa is one damn harsh, cruel Mistress.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
-- Hunter S. Thompson
-- Hunter S. Thompson
- oneeyeddick
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- Simon of the Playa
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- Ugly Dougly
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- Ugly Dougly
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- Ugly Dougly
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- Ugly Dougly
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- oneeyeddick
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