Academic Look

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Sep 15, 2004 3:49 pm

I attended Burningman back in 2001 and truely had the time of my life. Unfortunately I haven't had the means to return since then, but it'll be in my heart forever. In light of the recent event, I dug up an article I wrote a couple years ago analyzing the culture. I thought I'd share it here:

http://www.hawkee.com/burningman/

Enjoy!
- Scott

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:42 pm

For next year, I'm going to add a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses (with the lenses removed) to my Catholic schoolgirl outfit. That's the outlook for my academic look.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:17 am

Sensei wrote:For next year, I'm going to add a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses (with the lenses removed) to my Catholic schoolgirl outfit. That's the outlook for my academic look.

I'll be gifting tweed jackets and (empty) pipes, plus have a "Spill Ink On Your Fingers" at my camp. Bring your own pocket protectors and slide rules.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:56 pm

I don't recall when or where, but at one time I saw someone with a pin on pocket protector, and have wanted one since but have never been able to find one....

Brian

MoisturePup · Post by **MoisturePup** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:21 pm

BAS wrote:I don't recall when or where, but at one time I saw someone with a pin on pocket protector, and have wanted one since but have never been able to find one....

Brian

A pin-on pocket protector? Do they even sell those things anymore? I wonder where the TV shows get them when they want to protray a geek.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:27 pm

Um, I still use them.

I feel like a criminal now.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:31 pm

No Badger you’re an outlaw

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:11 pm

So did anybody actually read my article? Seems like this discussion went off on a tangent.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:19 pm

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:33 pm

DVD Burner wrote:No!

Thanks for the support...

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:09 pm

No offense Snib, but it is kind of dry. I got two paragraphs in, snoozed out, and next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor this morning. Now my neck is stiff and I need to shave.

You did call it An Academic Look... I don't think that is the way participants at BM want to look at it. Elsewhere possibly, here not.

I'm guessing you are a PHD, or well on your way to one. Maybe if you kept going to BM you could wear off some of that educated luster and live a little. Spice things up and learn how to cuss. You know the drill, doncha?

=)

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:14 pm

Thanks for the feedback Tony, I appreciate it. I did write this for a class while I was in school, but I'm not working towards my PhD at the moment. I finished about a year and a half ago. I just thought it'd be nice to introduce a slightly different way of looking at Burningman.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:17 pm

I bet you got a good grade on it then. It's well written. And for what it is that's what counts, right?

Thanks for sharing. =)

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:33 pm

tonytohono wrote:I bet you got a good grade on it then. It's well written. And for what it is that's what counts, right?

Thanks for sharing. =)

Gosh I don't even remember. I'm pretty sure I got an A for the class. My presentation was much more interesting because I included pictures and videos. That's really what sells Burningman.

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:41 pm

Wait a dog-gone minute... You tried to sell Burningman? You bastard.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:59 pm

I enjoyed your paper, I do think sociologically Burning Man is a new sort of animal evolving as it goes. An aggregate community of interest. In many ways the participates don't have a lot in common other than Burning Man and I think that is it's greatest strength and what I find most interesting about the community.

Snib · Post by **Snib** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:07 pm

Zulegoona wrote:I enjoyed your paper, I do think sociologically Burning Man is a new sort of animal evolving as it goes. An aggregate community of interest. In many ways the participates don't have a lot in common other than Burning Man and I think that is it's greatest strength and what I find most interesting about the community.

But there is also the aspect of debauchery that many in the community share. I think that root is what defines the event to many outsiders. What I'm trying to do is shroud that definition with something that's more universal and acceptable.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:17 pm

debauchery? at Burning Man?

Oh dear me...

=)

philosopher · Post by **philosopher** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 3:14 am

It's hard to write about Burning Man, so I appreciate the thought that went into the paper that kicked off this thread. I'm going to attempt some such writing myself in a conference presentation next year with an argument that higher education can learn some things from the uniqueness of BRC, that "you-had-to-be-there" thing.

Imagine, for example, if admission to a university required you to agree to the same thing that's written on the back of a Burning Man ticket. I think the caution we see in modern universities is more appropriate to the Middle Ages than to our society's current experiment in what Gabriel Vahanian called technological utopianism.

This isn't idle speculation on my part. I teach a class of several hundred students (not my preference, but that's another story) in a state university and am trying to find ways to make it work much better. I'm pretty sure that more media and theatre would be beneficial, but there wasn't much of a production budget last time I checked. I'm also pretty sure that if there is to be any success in pushing the envelope, it will not be a simple thing to accomplish.

But it could be fun. That, and real in the strange way that BRC is deeply real even while it is transitory and overtly artificial.

BlueBirdPoof · Post by **BlueBirdPoof** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:26 am

philosopher wrote:
Imagine, for example, if admission to a university required you to agree to the same thing that's written on the back of a Burning Man ticket. I think the caution we see in modern universities is more appropriate to the Middle Ages than to our society's current experiment in what Gabriel Vahanian called technological utopianism.

(Bolding BBP's) Given your job, I assume you know that hte root of our university system are midevel, and supposed to train people for the priest hood. There's been a whole lot of twisting, turning and pulling to get it to work as it does, but every once in a while you turn a corner, see the roots laid bare and go "My god! What a monster."

Then it's back to declining latin nouns.

Academic Look

Academic Look

pin on?