Self-Selection or Hazing?

[inqurious]

I've seen many cases of community decline over the years (message boards, IRC channels, EVE online, Super Happy Dev House, Squaw Valley, etc. etc.). It seems that anything truly great inevitably enters an an eternal september.

The greatness attracts crowds, crowds are average by definition unless you only attract some subset of people that will make things awesome. But the best events have some amount of self-selection. The playa's harsh environment appears to filter out a good amount of randos because it's hard, hot, and expensive. The quality of the burn still obvious attracts many people.



Some open questions:
* Has burning man reached a growth point where its exhausting the people who might want to come? I.e. out of everyone in the world, has everyone who might want to come mostly already come?
* Does the harshness of the playa act more as an effective self-selector or hazing?
* Why did I drink so much coffee today?

[Savannah]

Some open questions:
* Has burning man reached a growth point where its exhausting the people who might want to come? I.e. out of everyone in the world, has everyone who might want to come mostly already come?

NO.

* Does the harshness of the playa act more as an effective self-selector or hazing?

BOTH.

* Why did I drink so much coffee today?

Fuck if I know. Pass the carafe.

[catinthefunnyhat]

I seriously thought this thread was going to be about the ePlaya snark...

[theCryptofishist]

Indeed. Maybe it belongs in "Politics and Philosophy"...

[jerroc]

This Question is asked so much, and has been discussed at length. I even tried once and was disappointed at the response or lack of concern i found. There is a change happening no one doubts this. You, me or the BMorg can not stop this. But we can try to inspire the virgins. Hold to what we believe BM means to us. Gifting can be infectious. If all else falls there are the regionals.

[AntiM]

I seriously thought this thread was going to be about the ePlaya snark...

Me too. Dust as a plonk mechanism.

[Bob]

Squaw Valley? Fuck, how old are you?

[Lonesomebri]

You have no idea how much I was longing for that dust storm to blow in.
In no way has everyone who would enjoy or want to go to BM, already been. Some folks can't afford it, some poor planning skills, others may have various limitations, and people are changing and being created everyday.
I can see where a shift in the zeitgeist happens though. People can go along with the community accepted practices, and when a large percentage are "new" people, those standards shift. While people will go along with the good, they also can just adopt to going along with the bad. People more concerned with raving and Dr. Suess, less interest in LNT and self-sufficiency. When surrounded by others who take LNT, community and self-sufficiency very very very seriously, everyone takes it seriously. When surrounded by music festival goers and DJs and darkwads and featherqueens and bike thiefs and amusement park visitors and people who think gifting involves what you can get and that participation means cutting in line or taking photos....... Where were we?

At the beach picking up trash yesterday, a dude on the opposite end starts doing the same. Works the same way seeing someone toss shit on the ground or in porta-potties.

My sister-in-law asked about BM; I told her it was a massive art event with lots of fire that is held out in the desert where everyone camps for a week. It's hot, sweaty, you have to bring in everything you need, and there are huge dust storms that blow thru. She said "That's too bad." I laughed and told her, no it isn't.

[MyDearFriend]

The dust is good; the harsh is real. Too many people in this world sweat bullets over pieces of fucking paper. It is a tremendous boon to go to the desert and face only real problems. Too many times we forget that problems involving symbols are self-created and have no more power than we give them. If I fall asleep in a dust storm (as I did) and wake up (as I did) then I win.

It was really wonderful to work at Arctica this year. People were THRILLED to trade their worthless pieces of paper for ice, real ice, with the power to keep food fresh or chill cocktails. All that happy energy made it an absolutely awesome experience.

[ygmir]

The dust is good; the harsh is real. Too many people in this world sweat bullets over pieces of fucking paper. It is a tremendous boon to go to the desert and face only real problems. Too many times we forget that problems involving symbols are self-created and have no more power than we give them. If I fall asleep in a dust storm (as I did) and wake up (as I did) then I win.

It was really wonderful to work at Arctica this year. People were THRILLED to trade their worthless pieces of paper for ice, real ice, with the power to keep food fresh or chill cocktails. All that happy energy made it an absolutely awesome experience.

more people should admire you, as I do.

[Aurelia]

THANK YOU !
after many years of coming home to BRC this year I am filled with the questions of time for me to stop
is this because of personal weakness or because the shift is to other importance.
It doesnt matter
I do appreciate that others are considering their time with the question of self-selection or hazing
Is my identity so full of being an active burner that I Can stop ?

[factoid]

Lonesomebri and MyDearFriend have nailed it so hard as to put the entire nail industry out of business.

[graidawg]

there is an element of others saying "you are worthy" both times i before i have gone i have crisis that nearly prevented me going, both times people i have only met on here and fb stepped up offered me a helping hand. in the end i did it under my own wallet, but its nice to know sometimes when I (or you) think we are not good enough others will correct you.
Burning Man creates something special, a change in the way people think. not in a drippy hippy kind of way but in peer to peer way.

[shroom]

The distance and time away from work/school/home is my biggest obstacle. I live in Georgia and have to plan 2 days before and after to make it and have the money for all that travel. BUT that makes me want to come more, it makes it more special and more real. The dust storms make me feel like I've been in the desert. I've only been once but will return next year. The people I've talked to about it either think I'm crazy, have no interest, or have an interest but the time and expense turns them off.