Why is Burning Man so white?

WhatsInAName · Post by **WhatsInAName** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 5:32 pm

I've been a burner for a few years now & am rather curious as to why BM is such a "white man's festival," if you will?

There's virtually no brown folks and hardly any black folks either... I do see the occassional Asian but that's about it

Even that Bollywood Camp last year was mostly white...

Anyone care to explain? Share your theory!

Burning hugs to all,
WhatsInAName

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:28 pm

Why even make an issue of this? BM is open to whoever wants to show up (and can handle the logistics). Knock off the race accounting already. Fuck.

Lilly Flower · Post by **Lilly Flower** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:30 pm

21 views before someone made a post to this thread.

Oh myyy!

G.W.B. · Post by **G.W.B.** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:32 pm

almost made it to the bottom.

rev. lucifer · Post by **rev. lucifer** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 12:37 am

I will step out on a limb and say it's because they don't want to go. I agree why even make it an issue.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 12:46 am

Sorry, It didn't seem very white to me. Very mixed race. In fact, if I was a white bigot I wouldn't even go to Burning Man with all those people of color everywhere. I would feel like out of place and uncomfortable! I've seen more white people in harlem or east LA.

I don't even think that you have even been there or you wouldn't say such an ignorant statement!

A II Z

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 1:36 am

Geez I so wish humans would come up with a more creative way of satisfying their obsession with classifying themselves. Really, and at least get real with the color chart...you'd have the pinks, tans, speckleds, cinnamons, ebonys, auburns, goldens, sapphires, whatever!

Black Rock City is a great mix reflecting the larger radically creative community of the world.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 3:23 am

Ok.

I see everyone looking at this thread and thinking "I'm not gonna say anything on this thread."

Lets let this thread sink in for the weekend and not post until next week.

Fact of the matter is.....something needed to be said about this and has been said on eplaya before.

Burningman can handle it. Everyone is intelligent enough to think and speak in a delicate way about it.

Hey, if they can do it about sex and drugs they can do it about race.

the views are up to 53 and this thread has already been put back up to the top again.
It's silly to sit there and just look at this thread and not say anything.

so sit back and take your time before posting anything.

remember....it's all good.

that was post number 1001 from me ya'll.

zzberlin · Post by **zzberlin** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 7:52 am

God you guys, you don't have to excoriate the poor person for just
asking the question.

Whats, no one can really figure this out. I has a black coworker who
once said to me that black people don't see therapists, they go to church
instead. There are still some cultural differences. Whether or not anyone
should care or try to do anything about it is a little controversial.

zzberlin · Post by **zzberlin** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 7:53 am

I can't believe I can't edit my post for typos. This is going to kill me.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:08 am

ZZberlin: You are very bad. DVD said not to post until next week. Boy are you gonna be in trouble! And I'm tellin' on you, unless you give me your lunch money.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:12 am

CAPTAIN! you leave zz's pink bunny ears alone.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:20 am

Now you're in trouble too... See you at recess by the swingset, you dum-dum.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:49 am

Its never crossed my mind until this thread. Come to think of it, I saw one leggie black gal that made me turn around and look. It was'nt her color eather.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 11:15 am

DVD Burner wrote:

Lets let this thread sink in for the weekend and not post until next week.

And then wrote:

the views are up to 53 and this thread has already been put back up to the top again.
It's silly to sit there and just look at this thread and not say anything.

...which leaves me confused. Am I supposed to respond or not? If no one posts over the weekend, isn't this thread likely to sink to the bottom and be forgotten for a few weeks until someone stumbles across it and posts an off the cuff reply?

Anyway, I haven't made it to BM yet and don't feel qualified to say anything about the color mix there. Heck, don't a lot of people use body paint, costumes, and other stuff which would make it hard to tell?? If someone is dressed up as a six foot eight inch, gold demon with horns and some sort of ridge running across his or her skull, how the heck am I supposed to tell what race they "really" are?! (Maybe he or she is really a demon, just enjoying being hidden out in the open!

)

Anyway, doens't everything and everyone get covered in the playa dust? So isn't everyone's race really "dust covered" out there?

Anyway, where did I put my vodka?!!

madmatt · Post by **madmatt** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 12:11 pm

I said it before, I'll say it again...it's the playa dust, it just makes everyone look white. There I said it.

madmatt · Post by **madmatt** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 12:23 pm

...and furthermore, I think it's kind of understood that all the combined aspects of Burning Man:

- a certain style of partying, types of music, camping, roughin it, the cost, the trouble, the attractions - that is, you gotta want to see art, music and freaks more than see Mickey Donald and Pluto, a culturally specific need to do spiritually fulfilling things because we don't get spiritually fulfilled by the church, synagogue or mosque because we're post modern overeducated overcivilized secular individualists -

...naturally attract only those that need those things bad enough to endure the cost and effort.

If you made the event more kid-friendly, safer, more comfortable, cheaper and more entertaining in a bland middle-of-the road Disney sort of way, the event would probably look a lot more like Las Vegas. And the crowds at Vegas have a LOT of diversity. To have true diversity, you have to cast a wider net.

I don't think Burning Man only appeals to white people, but I think it only appeals to certain socio-economic and "taste" circles that, UNFORTUNATELY due to the unequal distribution of wealth and education and resources in this country, consist mostly of white people.

I mention the "taste" factor because black and Latino and Asian families do plenty of trips and partying and music makin, it just looks different than the stuff you'd find at BM. Too bad I might add, because an all Salsa or all hip hop camp or dance club at BM would be hot shit!!!

Jus Say Ventura · Post by **Jus Say Ventura** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 2:11 pm

As being the governor of BRC, I feel that I am fully qualify to say that our community is percentagely reflective to the US when it comes to the representation of races and extra terestials.

I would suggest that if you think that there are too many non-white-europeans in America, then Burning Man is not for you, But you are welcome to attend. You might actually become a nicer person like the many others that have after visiting our great community.

Post by **actiongrl** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 2:40 pm

Hmm...I've got a number of friends I met through the event who are black, but I too don't tend to think about the paucity until someone points it out.

One (black) friend I talked about this with offered, "Andie, that's really nice, but don't you get it? Black folks don't go camping." I know that's not universally true, but he seemed to feel it was a valid explanation.

If you look at it, maybe it's because in a lot of cases (and yes, I'm generalizing) people of color tend to have strong communities already - extended family ties, church connections, etc. Maybe it's like Larry says in the Irish docu, "Dust Devils" (and I paraphrase): "Maybe when you've got a community like that around you, you don't need to travel out to the middle of nowhere to get communal."

I think that the door is more than open to anyone who wants to be a part of this thing, and it's probably more of a non-issue than an issue. If you'd like to see more black or brown faces at the event, maybe the best thing to do is invite one of your friends who aren't white. As long as you don't do it just for the sake of itself...

People are people are people.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 3:33 pm

One (black) friend I talked about this with offered, "Andie, that's really nice, but don't you get it? Black folks don't go camping." I know that's not universally true, but he seemed to feel it was a valid explanation.

Had the same response from an fellow. He added something else to the effect that... "We don't camp much and we damn sure don't ski like you white folks..."

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 3:37 pm

My best friend is Jewish and I invite him every year and every year I get the same response: "My people have already spent their time in the desert, and I'm not real eager to go back."

G.W.B. · Post by **G.W.B.** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 3:45 pm

jeeeeeeezzz,

let the stereotypes begin.

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 4:08 pm

We don't demograph at burningman with that particular statistic. Why is burningman so ~gay/female/rich/hetero/druggy/hippy/ravey/primal/pagan

If we answer you're silly little question then we'd have to answer every stupid question from all those people behind you (waves at immense crowd of question askers.)

Next.

"I live in my own little world, but it's ok... They know me here."
prolifically,
mr smith

Lilly Flower · Post by **Lilly Flower** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 5:05 pm

Touche' Mr. Smith.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 5:14 pm

Hey Lilly Flower... is that you in your avatar? You'd make a good first mate aboard the 'cruizer.

Lilly Flower · Post by **Lilly Flower** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 5:26 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:Hey Lilly Flower... is that you in your avatar? You'd make a good first mate aboard the 'cruizer.

Oh My!

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 6:04 pm

Now think Captain who else has has an animated avatar like that,......... could it be satin?

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 7:13 pm

My goodness Zulegoona, hope you're not getting jealous.

There's plenty of me to go around.

Dear me.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 7:14 pm

OOps

Lilly Flower · Post by **Lilly Flower** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 7:15 pm

Ahem!

Why is Burning Man so white?

Why is Burning Man so white?

And for my next trick...