Say goodbye to what burningman is suppose to be about

[tamarakay]

God I'm sick of seeing that, or similar, rants. What exactly is that suppose to mean anyway? From all the reading i've done on BM, burningman means so many different things to so many different people. To some it's an amazing spiritual experience, almost to the point of an evolving religion. To some its a giant rave. To some its an experiment in culture and community. To some it's great excuse to get naked and party. To some it's a combination of all of that.

If you are so god damned jaded that all you can do is complain, DON'T FREAKING GO
If the event has become more of an obligation than a gift and you are so burdened with building whatever it is you are building that you have lost the joy of it, DON'T BUILD IT.
If your theme camp has become so much work for you that it's no longer a gift, but a drag on you physically, mentally, and emotionally, DON't DO IT

or make your burn what you want it to be. Find your own joy again. But please! Stop telling us how much we suck cause we aren't burning the way you think we should, or the org has decided to experiment in other ways outside of the playa, or enough people want to experience this joyful thing that we actually bought tickets and the event sold out.

So, snark away. I obviously need to go get more coffee anyway. And maybe some food.

[MyDearFriend]

(((Tamara))) you speak for me too though I still have that noob nervousness about airing my opinion on this.

Burning Man provides opportunities to folks who have their shit together. Kinda like the rest of the known universe.

One of the biggest draws, for me, is how together you really have to be just to survive in BRC. Seems like the bar got higher this year to even get there which does not bother me one bit. Sorry.

[Sham]

Can I still get naked?

[Dr Helix]

Can I still get naked?

Hmmm, I mean, uh well, uh........................sure

[tamarakay]

Thanks MyDearFriend. I'm feeling better now. All coffee'd and nourished.

Shambalalalalalala! Does it still count as nudity if you roll in glitter and wear fuzzy boots?

[FIGJAM]

I said goodbye to what burningman is SUPPOSE to be about a long time ago.

I said hello to what burningman IS about last year......

but i'm not telling.

[Dr. Pyro]

You know, Tamara and Julie are absolutely right. Here Burning Man is about 3 1/2 weeks away and I'm already sick of it. To hell with it, I think I'm going to stay home and play with my Barbies all by myself. Or something.

[tamarakay]

God I'm sick of seeing that, or similar, rants. What exactly is that suppose to mean anyway? From all the reading i've done on BM, burningman means so many different things to so many different people. To some it's an amazing spiritual experience, almost to the point of an evolving religion. To some its a giant rave. To some its an experiment in culture and community. To some it's great excuse to get naked and party. To some it's a combination of all of that.

If you are so god damned jaded that all you can do is complain, DON'T FREAKING GO
If the event has become more of an obligation than a gift and you are so burdened with building whatever it is you are building that you have lost the joy of it, DON'T BUILD IT.
If your theme camp has become so much work for you that it's no longer a gift, but a drag on you physically, mentally, and emotionally, DON't DO IT unless your name is Doc Pyro then the you just have to suck it up.

or make your burn what you want it to be. Find your own joy again. But please! Stop telling us how much we suck cause we aren't burning the way you think we should, or the org has decided to experiment in other ways outside of the playa, or enough people want to experience this joyful thing that we actually bought tickets and the event sold out.

So, snark away. I obviously need to go get more coffee anyway. And maybe some food.

There, edited to fix.

[jella]

You know, Tamara and Julie are absolutely right. Here Burning Man is about 3 1/2 weeks away and I'm already sick of it. To hell with it, I think I'm going to stay home and play with my Barbies all by myself. Or something.

Now cut that out ! everybody get back to burn prep and frog hunting ~~~Pointing finger~~ Happy Friday

[junglesmacks]

Thanks for this Figjam.. too much to quote in here. I like his ratio analogy at the end..

[youtube][/youtube]

[Simon of the Playa]

"GUNS, SEX AND VIDEOTAPE"


ok, i can do without the gun thing, and have been warned never ever to even think about it, but i digress.

i hear the videotape was better in the nineties. Like all beta and shit...again, I digress.

where were we?

oh yeah....SEX

that most certainly doesn't happen any more, so i guess it's over...

Burning man Sucks, Don't Go.

[junglesmacks]

Simon.. did you find a ticket yet?

[Ugly Dougly]

What if Burning Man DOES veer in an inappropriate direction? Is the correct response SILENCE then?

[OregonRed]

What if Burning Man DOES veer in an inappropriate direction? Is the correct response SILENCE then?

No. I'd think the correct response would be to steer it back. After all, the participants make the event what it is.

[Dr Helix]

What if Burning Man DOES veer in an inappropriate direction? Is the correct response SILENCE then?

No. I'd think the correct response would be to steer it back. After all, the participants make the event what it is.

Look, the Burn is the greatest single reality show on the face of the planet. It doesn't need to be steered or driven. It finds its way good or bad. If it ends up collapsing under its own weight then so be it. Chaos Theory is proven once again. And as much as I love it (and I LOVE IT!!) it really is just a camping trip in the desert with cool art and good times. And at the end, I go home. And start thinking of next year. That is all. Now having said all that, I am getting married out there. So meaningful? You bet.

[graidawg]

What if Burning Man DOES veer in an inappropriate direction? Is the correct response SILENCE then?

did you watch the halcyon video? the bit about burning man is made by the people that go to burning man. if it does go in any direction its because thats the way the people there want it to go

[Ugly Dougly]

Did you ever hear about something called a rhetorical question?

[tamarakay]

"GUNS, SEX AND VIDEOTAPE"


ok, i can do without the gun thing, and have been warned never ever to even think about it, but i digress.

i hear the videotape was better in the nineties. Like all beta and shit...again, I digress.

where were we?

oh yeah....SEX

that most certainly doesn't happen any more, so i guess it's over...

Burning man Sucks, Don't Go.

And if you decide not to go Simon has some friends that need your tickets.

[tamarakay]

Did you ever hear about something called a rhetorical question?

And it is a good and valid discussion question.

[Ugly Dougly]

Thank you! Yes, instead of embedded inside a video rant, ask yourself, what are you doing to "steer" Burning Man?
What do you want to change?
What is your strategy for accomplishing this?

[Roberto Dobbisano]

نشستن، بسته علمی و نوشیدنی کمک GODDAMN KOOL-AID!

[gyre]

Did you ever hear about something called a rhetorical question?

Does this need an answer?


How about the universal response for every situation?

'What!? Are you a cop?'

[Ugly Dougly]

Is this what you had in mind?

[Eric]

Burning man Sucks, Don't Go.

Proudly the Fandango philosophy for years now.

We're also one of the larger villages. Go figure.

[tamarakay]

I apologize if I have offended anyone. I read the news before I ate breakfast this morning and a particular article hit all my buttons and caused flashbacks, then went to Facebook and got popped with about eight of the "say goodbye to what..." type posts and got mad.

It was a rough memory morning.

However, I do stand by my words. Find your joy again. Maybe just be a participant for a year, go and act like you are a newbie. Camp with a different group, or do anything but just trashing people or the event isn't effective.

[akmojo]

You know, Tamara and Julie are absolutely right. Here Burning Man is about 3 1/2 weeks away and I'm already sick of it. To hell with it, I think I'm going to stay home and play with my Barbies all by myself. Or something.

Doc... define "something"

[Isotopia]

For every no ticket sob story out there makes God laughs a little bit harder.

And so do I.

It's GREAT! America is at its finest when something is commodified.

Hell, I bet even Hitler can't get a ticket over there on YouTube.

[Cheyenne]

After all, the participants make the event what it is.

Don't worry - we are coming, thats alllll you need to know

badger badger badger badger badger....

[Elorrum]

Hey, Tamarakay. No harm no foul (no blood, no ambulance, as Chick Hearn was fond of saying.) You get it. It's a vacation, It's an obsession, a frolic with serious, overwhelming logistical underpinnings. I agree with the shutoff valve on the whining. A little tough love about perspective is welcome too.

Thankfully, in my opinion, the principles are too big to fail.

I have never felt like I was around more than several hundred people or so there. I have my neighborhood, the trip to the jots and back, the regular short path to the playa main, and then eplaya folks' addresses dotted around the city... it's a campground, some folks become familiar, some folks become friends too. I cannot fathom what trying to experience a group of 50,000 is like in a more personal sense, my brain just can't do that. Wanting 50,000 or more people to be in agreement with me is a ridiculous wish. Is it worse, is it better, in decay, ascendance? Me and my neighbors will be fine I'm sure. I have installed a small shut off valve on my preparations, I devised it last week. It cuts out at annoyance and bother and dismay about plans not coming to fruition, things not getting built. Fuck it anyway, right. I thought about how I want to smile at things I see: smile so much that my face gets sore. I am going to laugh and slap people on the back standing with me while saying. "Do you fucking believe that?!" I will say "Thank you! thank you! That is so awesome!" I want to shout while I'm setting up camp, "Can I get a HELL YEAH?!" and hear the people around me answer. It's infectious and even the whiners get it.

Decorating my bike isn't going to make any difference. Somebody else's choice in self reliance, music, cost of costumes, gear, r.v. tent, opinion about my clothes ... ain't gonna change my smile. The video by Halcyon said it well: Everyone is going to be exposed to something amazing, everyone. I will carry the principles, and try to walk the walk. I'd like something to come from me as well, helping someone who's never expected it, smiling at people who aren't used to being said hello to. I'll spend a morning mooping a sound camp and see if it spreads beyond me. I helped with a project, gave a few donations. It can start small.

*er, thank you. I just cannot wait.

[Foxfur]

what are you doing to "steer" Burning Man?

Oh you would not believe what I am going to do..... You just have no idea at all!
This year's gonna be better than last year alright, Muhuhahahaha!
For me, especially for me, this is the biggest damned secret I've EVER had to keep.
It's gonna be HUGE!
My god Dougly, I just can't wait to show you just how huge it is


(Admins? Can we bump the max font size up to, say, 1000, please?)