Writing a paper on Burning Man

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:23 pm

We are talking about consumerism/global warming/going green etc... type of stuff in class and have to write a paper about something related to that.
And I thought that Burning man would be a good thing to write about.
But I need to form a question. Can anyone help?

I have never been to burning man this will be my first year. So I think that this would be a good chance to learn about what I am getting myself into .

motskyroonmatick · Post by **motskyroonmatick** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:36 pm

Burning man is a coup for consumerism, contributes to the causes of GW and is very far from green.
If I spent the $ I have put in to the burn in the last 6 years in to one item or system I could either have a fully loaded Toyota Tacoma pickup truck or a $30,000 photo voltaic system on the top of my house. That is Five Grand a year! OMG! All totally worth it and well I have a kick ass box truck, an ok car trailer and a sort of lame mutant vehicle now. Oh and tuns of gear to survive stuff with.

If I were to write a paper on burning man it would be about the difference between the perceived event and reality. Burning man is such a vast subject that it might be a bit much for a paper.

What about comparing various carbon foot prints of different popular vacations? Disneyland, Hawaii, Thailand, New Zeland, 2000 mile road trip in an RV, Staycation, "green tourism" and maybe burning man. Start by dealing with constants you can calculate from such as Jet Travel's contribution to global warming per 1000 miles flown, Fuel Economy of RV's and payback in carbon credits of "green tourism." Use graphs and charts cause they look cool and take up space. Make it simple and direct or it will rapidly spiral out of control.

Many people come here looking for advice on assignments. They are nearly all met with snark so brace your self.

goathead · Post by **goathead** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:29 am

or maybe radical self reliance, leave no trace and how it all works together.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:09 am

"I need to form a question. Can anyone help?"

I can think of some questions:

You can't come up with one single question on your own?

You think asking other people to give you a thesis for a silly paper for some class that won't matter in a few years is going to give you an idea of what Burning Man is?

Aaaand go from there.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:42 am

C.f.M. wrote:"I need to form a question. Can anyone help?"

I can think of some questions:

You can't come up with one single question on your own?

You think asking other people to give you a thesis for a silly paper for some class that won't matter in a few years is going to give you an idea of what Burning Man is?

Aaaand go from there.

Wow do you think you could be anymore of a bitch :/

1. No i can't.
2. and no I never said that. I said that by writing the whole PAPER I would hopefully have a better idea of BM.

Don't be such a dick. You have no reason to. So please don't post again unless you actually have something good to say :/

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:47 am

goathead wrote:or maybe radical self reliance, leave no trace and how it all works together.

I like that : D

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:08 am

squeakasaur wrote:
C.f.M. wrote:"I need to form a question. Can anyone help?"

I can think of some questions:

You can't come up with one single question on your own?

You think asking other people to give you a thesis for a silly paper for some class that won't matter in a few years is going to give you an idea of what Burning Man is?

Aaaand go from there.
Wow do you think you could be anymore of a bitch :/

1. No i can't.
2. and no I never said that. I said that by writing the whole PAPER I would hopefully have a better idea of BM.

Don't be such a dick. You have no reason to. So please don't post again unless you actually have something good to say :/

Hahah she could totally be more of a bitch, you got off light

You think you can write a paper on an event as lame as burningman without ever being there? Good luck

/Rolleyes

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:11 am

motskyroonmatick wrote:Burning man is a coup for consumerism, contributes to the causes of GW and is very far from green.
If I spent the $ I have put in to the burn in the last 6 years in to one item or system I could either have a fully loaded Toyota Tacoma pickup truck or a $30,000 photo voltaic system on the top of my house. That is Five Grand a year! OMG! All totally worth it and well I have a kick ass box truck, an ok car trailer and a sort of lame mutant vehicle now. Oh and tuns of gear to survive stuff with.

If I were to write a paper on burning man it would be about the difference between the perceived event and reality. Burning man is such a vast subject that it might be a bit much for a paper.

What about comparing various carbon foot prints of different popular vacations? Disneyland, Hawaii, Thailand, New Zeland, 2000 mile road trip in an RV, Staycation, "green tourism" and maybe burning man. Start by dealing with constants you can calculate from such as Jet Travel's contribution to global warming per 1000 miles flown, Fuel Economy of RV's and payback in carbon credits of "green tourism." Use graphs and charts cause they look cool and take up space. Make it simple and direct or it will rapidly spiral out of control.

Many people come here looking for advice on assignments. They are nearly all met with snark so brace your self.

Thank you for your input and ideas.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:13 am

Fire_Moose wrote:
squeakasaur wrote:
C.f.M. wrote:"I need to form a question. Can anyone help?"

I can think of some questions:

You can't come up with one single question on your own?

You think asking other people to give you a thesis for a silly paper for some class that won't matter in a few years is going to give you an idea of what Burning Man is?

Aaaand go from there.
Wow do you think you could be anymore of a bitch :/

1. No i can't.
2. and no I never said that. I said that by writing the whole PAPER I would hopefully have a better idea of BM.

Don't be such a dick. You have no reason to. So please don't post again unless you actually have something good to say :/

Hahah she could totally be more of a bitch, you got off light

You think you can write a paper on an event as lame as burningman without ever being there? Good luck

/Rolleyes

I don't understand you people. Have you ever heard of " If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." ?

Its a short paper. Maybe 3 pages long. It is tiny. And I have A LOT of friends to help me if I need. I was hoping that I could maybe get some ideas from people on the eplaya but I guess you guys are all just a bunch jack asses.

Please don't post again.

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:47 am

You think some little girl that has never been to the playa can dictate how we respond to her posts?

HA!

If we don't have anything nice to say we will say something mean. I, however did not resort to meanness, just truth

Post by **AntiM** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:55 am

See Sqeak, there are some fundamental issues you are not aware of. Every year there are folks writing papers who have never been. Now interviewing real burners is a valid idea... but not so much online. The spoken word is different, the written word can simply be lifted without effort. Not saying that is what you would do, but it can happen. And you miss the interpersonal interaction which is what creates context.

So many people want to talk about Burning Man, and those who have been tend to get defensive when those doing the talking have not yet attended. Because you can read and listen all you like, it is never the same as boots in the dust. Your paper won't be quite the revelation you are hoping for, you'll see.

Ah, the eplaya. This is an open forum, with little censorship. You're going to get answers you don't like. The trick with the eplaya is you have to do a self-sort. What is helpful, what is snarky, what is drivel. No one gets to tell others what to post, well, except for me and the other moderators. And we go after commercial spam, egregious TOS violations, and such, nothing else. Content? Never. Insulting the eplayans and telling them not to post... oh dear. They'll do it more.

Don't let this put you off the event. Never confuse eplaya with the playa. In person most of these "jack-asses" are great people. Oh, and you're an eplayan now too, so tread as you would be trod upon.

Persevere. Formulate some specific questions and let's go from there. Read over the Ten Principles and see if they give you any ideas to write about.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:02 am

AntiM wrote:See Sqeak, there are some fundamental issues you are not aware of. Every year there are folks writing papers who have never been. Now interviewing real burners is a valid idea... but not so much online. The spoken word is different, the written word can simply be lifted without effort. Not saying that is what you would do, but it can happen. And you miss the interpersonal interaction which is what creates context.

So many people want to talk about Burning Man, and those who have been tend to get defensive when those doing the talking have not yet attended. Because you can read and listen all you like, it is never the same as boots in the dust. Your paper won't be quite the revelation you are hoping for, you'll see.

Ah, the eplaya. This is an open forum, with little censorship. You're going to get answers you don't like. The trick with the eplaya is you have to do a self-sort. What is helpful, what is snarky, what is drivel. No one gets to tell others what to post, well, except for me and the other moderators. And we go after commercial spam, egregious TOS violations, and such, nothing else. Content? Never. Insulting the eplayans and telling them not to post... oh dear. They'll do it more.

Don't let this put you off the event. Never confuse eplaya with the playa. In person most of these "jack-asses" are great people. Oh, and you're an eplayan now too, so tread as you would be trod upon.

Persevere. Formulate some specific questions and let's go from there. Read over the Ten Principles and see if they give you any ideas to write about.

I plan to interview a couple of my friends who have been going for a couple years actually.

And I just put all those jerks on my ignore list. So they can post all they want and I wont see it.

Also "What kind of environmental impact does 50k people coming to a remote place for seven days have?" <-- seems like a good question. Right?

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:04 am

YOU BASTITCH!!!!

Reminds me of the other night when her mom was being REALLY loud, you can tell Squeek was trying to tune us out, but she couldn't, no way.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:45 am

Wait, I can "ignore" people, and their posts won't show? Man, some threads will be shortened...j/k.

"What kind of environmental impact does 50k people coming to a remote place for seven days have?" <-- seems like a good question. Right?

That's a good question and easy to write about, as there's a plethora of information/data/statistics available on that exact topic.

Post by **AntiM** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:58 am

squeakasaur wrote:
Also "What kind of environmental impact does 50k people coming to a remote place for seven days have?" <-- seems like a good question. Right?

Not bad ... but a factor is "What are they doing"? Perhaps a compare and contrast with an event where it did not end well. Woodstock 99 (?) comes to mind with the fires and rapes and violence and trashed event venue.

LOL, dammit, you lured me in!

Plonk feature, yeah. You can see the posts if you want. I don't get to plonk, it is my "job" to read each and every post. Woo-frickin-hoo some days.

pinemom · Post by **pinemom** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:29 am

hahaaaaa, every year another pre-college freshy wants to write a paper......

Funny too is the fact that they have never been.

When is this said paper due....even?

If its 2 weeks after the event...I suggest you do a basic outline...then fill in the blanks when you get back....to defaultia.

And lordy lordy girlfriend.....you gotta knock that block off your shoulder if your gonna be a good burner!

We all raz each other here...and guess what....we all LIKE each other!!!

A little toooo snarky for you here? You'll never make it in the desert!

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:51 am

now, please show us your tits...

i'm alot better at making up questions once i've seen some nipple.

Bounce530 · Post by **Bounce530** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:09 pm

Simon of the Playa wrote:now, please show us your tits...

i'm alot better at making up questions once i've seen some nipple.

I'm better at making excuses. (at least I like to think I am)

H.G.Crosby · Post by **H.G.Crosby** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:12 pm

i'm just better, period.

Fresh and Perky, and a touch uppity...that's debutante material right there, boys.

and you know how much i love debutantes.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:26 pm

pinemom wrote:hahaaaaa, every year another pre-college freshy wants to write a paper......

Funny too is the fact that they have never been.

When is this said paper due....even?

If its 2 weeks after the event...I suggest you do a basic outline...then fill in the blanks when you get back....to defaultia.

And lordy lordy girlfriend.....you gotta knock that block off your shoulder if your gonna be a good burner!

We all raz each other here...and guess what....we all LIKE each other!!!

A little toooo snarky for you here? You'll never make it in the desert!

It is due sometime next month :/
Seriously, I dont care if I haven't gone! I am doing this to LEARN about it. So that I am not just another person who goes not having a clue what its about.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:28 pm

AntiM wrote:
squeakasaur wrote:
Also "What kind of environmental impact does 50k people coming to a remote place for seven days have?" <-- seems like a good question. Right?
Not bad ... but a factor is "What are they doing"? Perhaps a compare and contrast with an event where it did not end well. Woodstock 99 (?) comes to mind with the fires and rapes and violence and trashed event venue.

LOL, dammit, you lured me in!

Plonk feature, yeah. You can see the posts if you want. I don't get to plonk, it is my "job" to read each and every post. Woo-frickin-hoo some days.

hmm okay c: Thanks.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:30 pm

C.f.M. wrote:Wait, I can "ignore" people, and their posts won't show? Man, some threads will be shortened...j/k.

"What kind of environmental impact does 50k people coming to a remote place for seven days have?" <-- seems like a good question. Right?

That's a good question and easy to write about, as there's a plethora of information/data/statistics available on that exact topic.

My biggest problem is I need sources. Sources from databases that my school has. Which is dumb. I can do interviews though and I plan to do at least 2.

Laughing Forest · Post by **Laughing Forest** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:31 pm

...

Where is the love?

Post by **AntiM** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:32 pm

And look, you're inspiring performance art.

Yes, Piney is right, do relax. Embrace the snark, come over to the dark side. I think she has cookies.

What I will be interested in is your perspective after the event and how you would write your paper differently. Would make a great blog journey.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:35 pm

:
Wow do you think you could be anymore of a bitch :/

1. No i can't.
2. and no I never said that. I said that by writing the whole PAPER I would hopefully have a better idea of BM.

Don't be such a dick. You have no reason to. So please don't post again unless you actually have something good to say :/

I don't care if I sound like a dick (or bitch) or not. And please, tell us that you're in high school and NOT college.

If you can't do the basic footwork of conceptualizing and forming a question related to an event that you've never been to then that suggests to me that you should consider abandoning the idea altogether.

Hell, write about climate change denialists and their head-in-the-fucking-sand school of bullshit.

Hell, I'll even provide you a link to get started.

http://www.skepticalscience.com/

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:39 pm

AntiM wrote:And look, you're inspiring performance art.

Yes, Piney is right, do relax. Embrace the snark, come over to the dark side. I think she has cookies.

What I will be interested in is your perspective after the event and how you would write your paper differently. Would make a great blog journey.

I actually have to write to Burning man after I come back about my experience since I got a scholarship ticket. c:

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:55 pm

motskyroonmatick wrote:Burning man is a coup for consumerism, contributes to the causes of GW and is very far from green.

It's the bitter truth. Loading yourself up with blinky things, glow sticks, trinkets, costumes, and then driving out to a week-long party in the middle of a pristine desert... cranking sound and fire and running flatbed-sized generators to keep the lights and PA systems running. it isn't green, and it isn't anti-consumerism.

We try to keep it as green and anti-consumerism as possible. We go to junk stores and try to make our own playa clothes. We use rechargeable batteries. We do enough to make us feel like we're doing what we can, and then we shade ourselves in what feels like square miles of plastic tarps. And it's true that when we leave, the vast majority of burners make a very good effort to leave no trace...

But wait until you see what way too many fucktards leave on the side of the highway on the way home.

My mom works in a factory that makes the microchips for blinking tongue jewelry and things like that. Those chips get shipped to China or somewhere, added to the jewelry, packaged, shipped and marketed around the world so that ravers can have blinky-tongue. Black Rock City is arguably the blinky-tongueiest place on the planet.

squeakasaur · Post by **squeakasaur** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:03 pm

ZaphodBurner wrote:
motskyroonmatick wrote:Burning man is a coup for consumerism, contributes to the causes of GW and is very far from green.
It's the bitter truth. Loading yourself up with blinky things, glow sticks, trinkets, costumes, and then driving out to a week-long party in the middle of a pristine desert... cranking sound and fire and running flatbed-sized generators to keep the lights and PA systems running. it isn't green, and it isn't anti-consumerism.

We try to keep it as green and anti-consumerism as possible. We go to junk stores and try to make our own playa clothes. We use rechargeable batteries. We do enough to make us feel like we're doing what we can, and then we shade ourselves in what feels like square miles of plastic tarps. And it's true that when we leave, the vast majority of burners make a very good effort to leave no trace...

But wait until you see what way too many fucktards leave on the side of the highway on the way home.

My mom works in a factory that makes the microchips for blinking tongue jewelry and things like that. Those chips get shipped to China or somewhere, added to the jewelry, packaged, shipped and marketed around the world so that ravers can have blinky-tongue. Black Rock City is arguably the blinky-tongueiest place on the planet.

Thanks : D

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:10 pm

"It's a short paper. Maybe 3 pages long. It is tiny. "

So, yeah, I have a question. The most important question in this discussion so far:

Holy fuck! They give Scholarship tickets for a 3-page paper?!

I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars participants will spend on art, booze, food and gifts for people this year and still have to buy tickets.

I'm not trashing on Squeak, I'm saluting her for fucking the man. How do you do that? "Hi, I've never been to Burning Man but I want to write a short essay for my class, so, can I have a ticket?" WAY cooler than arson!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:16 pm

squeakasaur wrote:
AntiM wrote:And look, you're inspiring performance art.

Yes, Piney is right, do relax. Embrace the snark, come over to the dark side. I think she has cookies.

What I will be interested in is your perspective after the event and how you would write your paper differently. Would make a great blog journey.
I actually have to write to Burning man after I come back about my experience since I got a scholarship ticket. c:

Here, try this. Write down what you think Burning Man is about RIGHT NOW, before you go. Then seal that away, and don't look at it until you get back. Then write about how you had NO IDEA! I promise you'll have a revelation.