WHY I’M NOT GOING BACK TO BURNING MAN

[nymphgonebad]

If someone does not make a camp for me next year that has something other than trance I am not going back.

our camp had plenty of not-trance music. we plan to do the same next year. stop by and we'll party like it's 1999.

the princess

[nymphgonebad]

I know, I'm just sick of all boom boom boom being called trance, there is lot's of different boom boom boom with different names to it.

barbarian! it's oontz, oontz, oontz, not boom, boom,boom.

the princess

[nymphgonebad]

> This argument seems so silly to me everytime I hear it.

Really? You clearly weren't trying to sleep anywhere near where I was
trying to sleep. All I heard was boot-in-a-dryer. Until about 8 AM. They're
lucky I was tired enough not to go find their generator.
When I went out, I was able to find other music, but the shit that's
all-pervasive and audible from afar is predominantly electronic dance
music. Fuck if I'm going to try to figure out what fans call the individual
genres.

werd - sublimination was playing the same fucking drum n bass loop at progressively louder volumes throughout the week. so loud on sunday night that had i not been so tired, i would have disabled their sound system. motherfuckers.

the princess

[nymphgonebad]

1. Playa Nazis: These people make Burning Man (BM) lovely. They are the pinnacles of environmental stewardship, the defenders of Mother Earth, the thin green line between the sacred playa and 29,771 ignorant burners. Leave No Trace, except tire tracks, air pollution, motor oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, gear oil, power steering fluid, brake fluid, gas, etc. What, you thought that those thousands of vehicles parked on the playa don’t drip? How about all the 30-40 year old hippie buses? No smog checks, 6 miles to the gallon, and lots of old seals to leak. Very eco-conscious. But it’s OK, because the dreadlocked hippie crews are so artsy, so creative, so eccentric, so spiritual, and they brought great E. And I’m sure they all parked on a tarp with drip pans.

not to be too indelicate here, bigdave, but is anyone who tells you how to do something a nazi, or is it just the tree-huggers that chap your ass?

the princess

[deeohgeeman]

...it's only because I've found everything Burning Man has and MORE within Gigsville and Nuclear Family and Church of Wow and Clan Destino and the people that are continually orbiting and getting sucked into those vortices.

[deeohgeeman]

I found excellent jazz tunes at Camp Carp late Saturday night/Sunday morning. They let me hang out a bit even though I was dressed in my raver disguise.

[TheJudge]

...it's only because I've found everything Burning Man has and MORE within Gigsville and Nuclear Family and Church of Wow and Clan Destino and the people that are continually orbiting and getting sucked into those vortices.

I know what you mean. Its a big city. Even if you have a bike it still big. I met lots of people that never really ventured out more than a couple of blocks in either direction and their experiences were all incredible. You dont need to see it all to enjoy the experience of BRC.

[robbidobbs]

I simply don't hear the bitching from people who don't participate in the de-moopification of the Playa POST-EVENT. They can go fuck themselves if they get annoyed at me or someone like me who DOES participate in shovelling their shit. I cheerfully will march up to some bastard who is offending me by their disregard for MY time, and ask them to be sure to shovel their oil off the playa before they depart. Oh, you didn't bring a shovel or a bucket? Big surprise. And grass skirts just make me want to set the ignorant fuck's ASS on fire! I busted two camps this year who had major moop factories: 6 full sized pine x-mas trees, and a pile of willow branches with leaves quickly desicating and blowing all around. THINK! PEOPLE! The oil can be quickly disposed of, but every one of those fucking needles had to be picked up by hand. And don't get me started about glass bottles in the street. I swear people will walk AROUND a bottle that is in the middle of the street, waiting to be crushed. Rant complete. Of course I'll be back next year, and the next, and the next.

[crimbopple]

Transmission fluid evaporates? I see.[/quote]

Not that this makes it any less wrong but,
ever seen those car commercials? HUNDREDS OF THEM? Cars hauling ass across a wide open light tawny desert environ?

When we aren't there, a whole bunch of advertising supergiants are. They are making shitloads of car/SUV/minivan commercials out there.

I suppose we add to it, but when we aren't there, transmission fluid is still being bled onto the playa. A perfect reinforcing fact to "the buck stops here" Yes, money has the final word. It's why bman hasn't been shut down and why there are still so many car commercials being made on our precious playa.

Anyhoo, my 2 ¢.

[PJ]

ever seen those car commercials? They are making shitloads of car/SUV/minivan commercials out there.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that. Commercials are shot using brand-new cars. New cars don't leak much--typically not at all.

[clandyone]

oontz, oontz, oontz

Oh mah gah... that's the first time I've ever seen that spelled out. Genius.

[crimbopple]

ever seen those car commercials? They are making shitloads of car/SUV/minivan commercials out there.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that. Commercials are shot using brand-new cars. New cars don't leak much--typically not at all.

True true.

I leak, shit man I leak a whole damn bunch. And ON the Playa sometimes even. [gasp!]

It may be wrong but hanging your tush out in the breeze of that wide open expanse is about one of the greatest sensations EVER.
SO if it's wrong, I don't wanna be right. {all the time}

[robbidobbs]

One: There are a LOT of salt flats to do car commercials at in the US, not necessarily YOUR precious playa.
Two: When the BLM sez it's going to do an inspection on such-n-such day, it don't care if there was fookin' SKEET SHOOTING going on the nite before. We must comply. Has nuthin to do w/ money. They know well in advance the orgs that are using OUR precious playa, and they cut us slack accordingly. But we still must pick up the debris left over from non-burners who are too lazy to pick up their own prior to our scheduled inspection. Yep, we get busted for other people's BS. Why not volunteer a w/e to help clean up sometime?
Three: Burningman has actually set the standard for cleanliness of other non-BM organizations. It's been said that we leave less debris than a family of 5 does in one weekend. The bar has therefore been *raised* by us. Learn your facts. We really are that cool.
Four: And don't get me started on digging up BURN SCARS!

[III]

>There are a LOT of salt flats to do car commercials at in the US, not necessarily YOUR precious playa.


exactly (aside from the fact that not all dry lakes are salt flats).

most of those commercials are shot on a lake about 40 miles east of lancaster.

[Cyberfairie]

I was horrified to walk out of my RV on Monday morning to find a giant (I'm talking 10ft by 10ft) dark spot on the playa at the edge of our camp. After the initial shock wore off I went over to find out what it was and imagine my surprise when the people who camped on the edge of our space said that they had sprinkled an entire can of cinnimon. Their response to me, "Hey, don't worry, it'll blow away." I could have killed them.

Thank God for the folks at Zenplicity. When I told them what had happened they grabbed a broom, I grabbed mine and we went back to the offenders and explained that no, it will not blow away and they needed to clean it up. The excuse we got was that it was one of their campmates fault and he had left already. Needless to say, our response was that perhaps they would spend more time deciding who to bring next year because now they have to clean up after him.

On the positive side, they did clean up the mess. But it was still a bummer considering that I did put a tarp under my RV's engine just in case and lined camp with tarps to avoid the spills that will always accompany a bar and then when we're ready to leave I find the biggest mess of our week.

[Flux]

Burningman has actually set the standard for cleanliness of other non-BM organizations. It's been said that we leave less debris than a family of 5 does in one weekend. The bar has therefore been *raised* by us. Learn your facts. We really are that cool.

Wow, that is very freaking cool! Thanks for passing it along.

[Badger]

Actually, Dave Cooper who is one of the BLM honchos told me that BM's Leave No Trace Program is undoubtedly the premier program of the many any that he's aware of. Probably none other like it in the world.

Unfortunately most of that translates into the fact that the DPW ( and some very dedicated volunteers) bust major ass post-event to clean up after a good number of fuckos on the playa who still refuse to play along or to 'get' it.

[Jodi]

this was my first year at burningman and i was thoroughly impressed with people and their capabilities.. as far as dust, portopotties, playa nazis, etc., I did my part and helped, cleaned, when it was needed, peed in the potties (exited soon after), and soaked in everything this event had to offer..

i think one of the great things about this event is that you don't have to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders for a week.. you can (try) relax and make the best out of the experience.. not to say i don't care about what's going on around me, but i just concentrated on enjoying the company of anyone i was with along with making their experience a good one, therefore, it become the most amazing experience of my life.

[Ugly Dougly]

>There are a LOT of salt flats to do car commercials at in the US, not necessarily YOUR precious playa.


exactly (aside from the fact that not all dry lakes are salt flats).

most of those commercials are shot on a lake about 40 miles east of lancaster.

You know yon Black Rock playa is not really good for skidding on - like you see in the commercials. The alkali has a way of grabbing wheels - not that I've tried it, and I wouldn't recommend it.

I know nothing about the Lancaster playa, but I'll bet it's not alkali...

BTW, why does a car skidding out of control increase it's appeal????

[Rob the Wop]

I've driven on all kinds of dry lakes beds. While I've never taken pH readings on any of them, they all have something in the soil that makes them barren. ALL of them are fun to do donuts in. At higher speeds that thin layer of dust over the hard packes soil makes for awesome brodies. So for "normal" cars dry lak beds are fun. For dirt bikes, 4 bys, or other off-road vehicles- dry lake beds are boring as hell. There are fun dirt roads EVERYWHERE in every desert I've seen.

[stuart]

ever seen those car commercials? They are making shitloads of car/SUV/minivan commercials out there.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that. Commercials are shot using brand-new cars. New cars don't leak much--typically not at all.

clearly you have never worked on a car add. They do a lot of crazy shit to those vehicles to make um squat and roll just right. They aint nothing like stock. Then, if there is any performance aspect to the add, they beat the living shit out of the thing over and over and over. It's pretty messy.

[stuart]

If someone does not make a camp for me next year that has something other than trance I am not going back.

our camp had plenty of not-trance music. we plan to do the same next year. stop by and we'll party like it's 1999.

the princess

it's official, I now have to publicly tell the thread that this was a funny ha ha type post.

[Dan Lyke]

I missed Burning Man this year. Well, okay, I didn't go, but the surprising thing is that I missed it less than I thought I would.

Which is fine, as others in this thread point out, we change and it changes, but beyond the folks who are still cool with Burning Man whining about the old-timers whining that Burning Man is not what it once was, I'd like to see more of a discussion of possibilities.

I'm more interested in forums for some of the surreal art that happens at Burning Man. Sure, some of the big stuff is great, but it seems like in the years I've been going the smaller art and off-the-cuff things have been falling by the wayside, and I'd like to find more forums for that in my everyday life. Or other experiments in radical community, I've enjoyed what I've found and experienced on the playa, and I'm always amazed that people don't find lots of human interaction out there, but I want more ways to bring that interaction back here, where I live the other 50+ weeks of the year.

Maybe we need a forum for the disenchanted, so we the jaded don't go harshing your collective mellow, where we can struggle with what's next without getting side-tracked into "you're just being an old codger". Because yea, fine, maybe I am, and you kids get offa my lawn (Theme camp idea! Right next to the "sandlot baseball" camp, so we can piss and moan about broken windows!), but that doesn't mean we're not still looking for something. We're just discovering that we've stopped finding enough <em>more</em> of that something out there on the white clay to warrant the weeks of frantic "finish the project, help all the other people with their project, oh crap I've got to dig out my camping gear" that accompanies the trek.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled pissing and moaning about MOOP.

[Angry Butterfly]

You know, I had fun, and it was worth it to me. Ill keep going as long as it's fun and worthwhile, when it isn't Ill stop.

[Ardust Plaza]

It's good that Burning Man has a leave no trace ethic, as this gets people to thinking about clearing up after themselves in general. Big Dave raises some valuable points about the toxins that, despite the commendable efforts of the team, get left behind. Seems like you have something good to offer the BRC community Dave - why don't you assist with making Burning Man even better? We need the assistance of people who are aware of envirnomental issues. The path of service would be a noble one for one such as yourself....

When it comes to the environment, human beings all over the world live like f*cking pigs. Let's face it, we all throw mountains of trash into holes in the ground as well as everywhere else. By definition, as a species, we fall into the class of parasites, feeding off our host organism without sufficient care for its future. It would be better for us to realise that we have the potential for SYMBIOSIS and that this is our only hope for the future. So if you want to pick on someone, pick on Exxon or SUV drivers or Halliburton or Bush or Monsanto etc - not on BRC which at least makes an effort, even though we are still taking our trash and throwing it in holes in the ground. Nature bats last, parasite scum.
http://www.stopesso.com

[Sobretta Franjipan]

Well Dave I have to say I avoided this thread expecting negativity (which is exploding all over the e-playa) but you've given me the best laugh of the day. Many valid points but I'll be returning. Somebody's got to wear those pee funnels. Hopefully Walmart is stocking them as we speak (er, write).

[Sobretta Franjipan]

"Okay, who wants to do the "Spooge in a Pool" theme camp...?"

I think evaporation would be a problem for tracking levels... not to mention dust getting into the pool and making it mucky. All around I think this could win "Worst Theme Camp Ever"

Mmmmm, if we're going for worst theme camp why not add that one fills their eyes/ears/nose/orifices with vegetable oil and cover themselves in peanut butter before entering the said "Spooge Pool"?

it's a starting point...

[Ugly Dougly]

If someone does not make a camp for me next year that has something other than trance I am not going back.

our camp had plenty of not-trance music. we plan to do the same next year. stop by and we'll party like it's 1999.

the princess

it's official, I now have to publicly tell the thread that this was a funny ha ha type post.

News flash! ALL posts are meant to be taken seriously, except for this one.
Thank you for not using smileys.

[Ugly Dougly]

Which is fine, as others in this thread point out, we change and it changes, but beyond the folks who are still cool with Burning Man whining about the old-timers whining that Burning Man is not what it once was, I'd like to see more of a discussion of possibilities.

Sorry about the buzzkill, but if an "old-timer" notices a change for the worse, perhaps you should pay heed to the canary in the coal mine, rather that rationalizing about how it's not totally bad. My 20th ceutury $.02.

[bigdave]

Seems like you have something good to offer the BRC community Dave - why don't you assist with making Burning Man even better? We need the assistance of people who are aware of envirnomental issues. The path of service would be a noble one for one such as yourself....

Sorry. BM doesn't seem very noble to me. I have done my time, and then some, in service: I did my intership at an environmental non-profit, have been promoting recycling for years, and have done a lot of work for progressive political causes.
I've simply moved on. I'm too much of a rationalist & skeptic to be a good Burner.

When it comes to the environment, human beings all over the world live like f*cking pigs. Let's face it, we all throw mountains of trash into holes in the ground as well as everywhere else. By definition, as a species, we fall into the class of parasites, feeding off our host organism without sufficient care for its future. It would be better for us to realise that we have the potential for SYMBIOSIS and that this is our only hope for the future. So if you want to pick on someone, pick on Exxon or SUV drivers or Halliburton or Bush or Monsanto etc - not on BRC which at least makes an effort, even though we are still taking our trash and throwing it in holes in the ground. Nature bats last, parasite scum.
http://www.stopesso.com[/quote]

Humans are not 'parasites' in the strict sense, though we are certainly messy & stupid. The Earth is not a living organism, I don't buy the GAIA stuff. I don't consider "nature" to be somehow moral or sacred. This is where I really part from the irrational enviros. Nature is cruel, brutal, and has no morality. It just does what it does. Insects wage war. Animals die of horrible disease. Lions rip baby antelope apart. You see a beautiful sunset, I see a ball of flaming hydrogen out in a sterile universe. You see a beautiful desert, I see a cruel environment that would KILL YOU in one day if you didn't have human-invented technology to cope.
Hopefully "Nature" in its present form, will not bat last, but be transformed by ethically applied human intervention. The human mind, our neural networks, the accidental products of billions of years of evolution, are the only moral agents in the known universe.
We are foolish to revere nature, which created us only long enough to see possibilities of a just world, and then destroys us.