Average BM Attendant Survey

[Abhorred]

First off, I know, I know, BM isn't supposed to be about the "average," but just bear with me on this.

My name is Duncan and I, along with two other group members, am putting together a presentation on the Burning Man community for a university psychology class; We're looking to gather a little bit of information from people who've attended, and figured that the best way to do it is through a few simple questions.

Having spent quite a bit of time on these forums already, I know that much of this information is available if you just look around, but I wanted to post it in a separate thread for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I wanted people to voluntarily release this information, and second, it makes sorting out all of the information significantly easier once the survey is done.

For those curious, here's a bit of background about the project: I've been interested in Burning Man for quite a few years. Though I've never been able to attend, I've often kept track of what's been going on in the community; This year, I enrolled in a class discussing human diversity, and our major term project is to give a half hour presentation on a subject or event that relates to, you guessed it - diversity. Naturally, Burning Man fit the bill perfectly!

Part of the project is to gather information on the "average" attendant of Burning Man; Through this survey, I hope to form a small cross-section of the community's participants and relate the information to a portion of the presentation.

There is no written component to the presentation, and none of the information gathered will be published in any way, nor will it be recorded for future reference. In other words, this is a seriously informal sort of thing.

So, I'd really appreciate it if you could fill out this brief survey; All questions are completely optional, so just leave the response area blank if you're uncomfortable answering any of them. Some of the questions are really generalized and might be a tiny bit tricky to answer due to their wide scope, so I apologize for that in advance. If you're not comfortable posting the information on the forums, feel free to email it to me at "abhorred AT hotmail DOT com"

Without further ado, here are the questions:

- Your age:
- Your gender:
- Your ethnicity:
- Your place of origin (where you live during the other 358 days of the year):
- Your sexual orientation (emphasis on completely optional here):
- How long have you been going to Burning Man?
- Why do you attend? What made you go the first time?
- What personal benefit do you get from attending?
- What sort of problems have you faced at Burning Man?

I intend to keep the survey open until at least next Tuesday afternoon, but that can be re-evaluated if the community's response is welcoming.

Thanks,
Duncan S.

[Badger]

Have you been to the event before?

[Badger]

Never mind. I read all of the above on the second glance.

[Isotopia]

Badger wants to know if we're doing your homework by answering questions about an event that you're not directly familiar with yet feel comfortable writing a college level paper on.

[Tiahaar]

>>>sigh<<< This might be how I came to love essay tests sooo much.
I think Badger would prefer the method used by one of my campmates. He also did a school project on BurningMan demographics but he came to the event this year and went around talking with a bunch of people and had a great time. Here's a place to start if you haven't found the 2003 stats yet: http://afterburn.burningman.com/03/cens ... index.html

I'm going back (year 3!!!) in 2005 because I have more new art to share and there will be great things to see and do : )

[calsur]

Abhorred,

You wrote:

"Having spent quite a bit of time on these forums already, I know that much of this information is available if you just look around, but I wanted to post it in a separate thread for a couple of reasons."

Calsur response : "You are a lazy fuck. Do your research yourself."

And Abhorred,

Why do you think this board uses the title “Author” for posts and allows total anonymity for all the stuff you are asking for in your post?

My reply to your post.

- Your age: Growing older but not up
- Your gender: I have to pick one?
- Your ethnicity: German/french/irish/Cheerkkee indian/english/scotch
- Your place of origin (where you live during the other 358 days of the year): Next to a creek with the coyotes
- Your sexual orientation (emphasis on completely optional here): As often as possible, preferably on top. But I enjoy a good 69.
- How long have you been going to Burning Man? 1
- Why do you attend? What made you go the first time? Because I wanted to go.
- What personal benefit do you get from attending? I do not know you that well
- What sort of problems have you faced at Burning Man? Stupid shits asking questions like you are, there is one problem at BM, DUST!

[Abhorred]

Yes, I'll readily admit that I haven't been to the event, but that does not prevent me from having an interest in it. My purpose with this survey is not to have anyone "do my homework," but rather to gain insight into how people feel about the event, applying it then to the context of a larger presentation (none of which I am asking for the slightest bit of assistance with); That's information unique to the individuals describing it, and is only gained by, well, asking.

Would have doing my research at the event been a better idea? Absolutely. There's no question about that, really. Not having the means to attend, however, should not preclude all attempts to become informed.

Tiahaar, thank you very much for the link; I had already seen it, but I really appreciate the help.

Calsur, I make no apologies for seeking out the information. In my opinion, I made it plainly clear that answering was optional, and to leave blank whatever you felt compromised your sense of comfort. That's the whole point of posting this survey - making sure that whomever I collected information from was perfectly informed about it, rather than simply taking data from other sources without prior consent. I might have little choice BUT to do that, though, and it's not a position I enjoy being put in. Personally, I like to know if someone is going to be adding me to a group profile or collecting information I've posted online, however anonymous it might have been in intent.

[Bob]

As the nominal purpose of the event is participation at the event, you might forgive people for thinking that participation by proxy, once or twice removed, is kinda lame.

People have been doing surveys at the event for years. Feel free to join them, or ask if you can use the data. It's bound to be more representative than polling a bunch of fake online identities and associated sock puppets on the eplaya.

[geekster]

I have to agree with the others here. Those would be good questions to take to the event and ask people face to face. Maybe build a little booth and take your survey while also offering something in return such as psuedo-information for those seeking plausible answers to life's mysteries. Actually, you might be able to hook up with http://www.plausiblefutures.com/ and come up with some wild twists with just enough truth to make people wonder ...

Might make a nice piece to tie in with this year's official theme which I have decided will be ... "Pick a future, any future" or was it "Eschew the Inevitable"? I forget.

[Q_]

Maybe you can do your presentation on how the Burner communitiy isn't answering your questions. You could probably read more into that, than if everyone just gave you a straight answer. Or you could try making up stuff, that always seems to work well.

[calsur]

Abhorred,

I make no apology also. I did 10 years as a staff research associate at UC Irvine and when one of my students came to me and asked a question like you did I would tell them to do some research and point them at some manuals. My thinking on this was always to Teach problems solving skills. To teach that you do not have to go to somebody higher up but develop your own solutions. That is just the way I am.

[theCryptofishist]

My thinking on this was always to Teach problems solving skills. To teach that you do not have to go to somebody higher up but develop your own solutions.

Sadly, the american educational system doesn't seem to want to do this to a great extent. I spent my 30s self-teaching it. Interesting.

[unjonharley]

My thinking on this was always to Teach problems solving skills. To teach that you do not have to go to somebody higher up but develop your own solutions.

Sadly, the american educational system doesn't seem to want to do this to a great extent. I spent my 30s self-teaching it. Interesting.

/\
Don't know why they would ask in the firet place. People don't want to learn the elders. Example: I take my grand son to a parking lot to learn to drive. He gets under the wheel and starts out. I say stop! He says why. Sent him to drivers ed where he didn't want be.
Well he has a lic. I wouldn't ride with him. That is an example of todays students. Over the years I have fired many people for not following instructions. Thair self centerness costs production time and money.

[Q_]

Don't know why they would ask in the firet place. People don't want to learn the elders. Example: I take my grand son to a parking lot to learn to drive. He gets under the wheel and starts out. I say stop! He says why. Sent him to drivers ed where he didn't want be.
Well he has a lic. I wouldn't ride with him. That is an example of todays students. Over the years I have fired many people for not following instructions. Thair self centerness costs production time and money.

We learn differently, I think that you have to be older to really respect the elders, to understand that many of their experiences can cross over to the new generation and add value. However, it is a different world and we opperate in a different manner. That doesn't make us bad or un productive, it just means that if you want something done by this generation you are going to have to put up with shorts sandles and being habitally late. However, I think that this generation is very productive and is doing great things. Driving a car isn't a big deal, it is way easier than beating Halo on God Like mode. Different challenges await the new generation and as it has happened for many years, the new generation will just build on top of the technology that the last generation created....

<I apologize to those that are sensitive about going off topic>

<yes I realize that I made some generalization statements>

[unjonharley]

Being late cost a lot money. I will let you be late(as in two min.) two times then your gone. It is not fair to owner, managers or coworkers. You will wear approved close or not work. Only so many can flip burgers and mouth off to the boss. It's damn hard to eat what comes out of your mouth. It would be better to conform to the job you hold then go hungry

[Q_]

Being late cost a lot money. I will let you be late(as in two min.) two times then your gone. It is not fair to owner, managers or coworkers. You will wear approved close or not work. Only so many can flip burgers and mouth off to the boss. It's damn hard to eat what comes out of your mouth. It would be better to conform to the job you hold then go hungry

whatever dude. The new work environment is different. Employers are learning that people can actually be more productive when they are happy. I feel like I am adding to something greater than myself and working with the man instead of for the man. Not everyone can have a dream job but I come and go as I please and ussually sit in a bean bag chair, I work with my boss not for him, and we get a lot done and I have actually put in way more hours then if I was forced to show up everyday at 7:00 am. In a service industry I can see where time is important and if you need to show up to cover a shift, I get that. But many of the really bright and talented kids I know work in a different world. Where there are video game arcades in the office and we are all competing for the highest score on the Monopoly pinball machine. To tell me that kids of this generation cost production and money is simply just a false statement. It was kids that you are talking about that wrote the code that runs this BBS. Lynyx was writen by a college student along with Napster, and tons of other great software that affects your day to day life and you don't even know it. The computer that you are using is running an OS that was either made by a College kid, hippies at apple, or nerds at Microsoft. Just because we don't show up on time and conform to the traditional ways of doing business doesn't mean that we aren't productive. In fact, we are probably the most productive generation that ever lived, mostly because we have the tools to do so.... We aren't lazy we just don't have to work the same way the the older generations did...

[Q_]

I apologize for the thread drift......

[unjonharley]

Q, You would not last a week in this job starved state. I'm the one that pays for you lay-a-bout additued in end.

[Q_]

Actually I am probably paying for your social security right now...

[unjonharley]

Actually I am probably paying for your social security right now...

/\
Heh heh heh and I will be long gone before it runs out too.

[theCryptofishist]

Being late cost a lot money. I will let you be late(as in two min.) two times then your gone. It is not fair to owner, managers or coworkers. You will wear approved close or not work. Only so many can flip burgers and mouth off to the boss. It's damn hard to eat what comes out of your mouth. It would be better to conform to the job you hold then go hungry

whatever dude. The new work environment is different. Employers are learning that people can actually be more productive when they are happy. I feel like I am adding to something greater than myself and working with the man instead of for the man.

I think some of this is other than "old" and "new" but rather more "office" and "service". And food establishment that DOESN'T follow health code is not only breaking the law, but not a place that I want to eat. (And I doubt being "happy" at work is going to help you when you're clutching your gut with food poisening.) OSHA--good stuff, no one should be injured or crippled at work do to carelessness or corporate indifference. And if you're serving food--even the great chefs can't have a temper tantrum and refuse to show up and get away with it as a regular thing. Q_, I agree that there is much that can and should be done to promote satisfaction and productivity by allowing flexibility and the discovery of "meaningfulness" in job situations. But context--as in so many situations--is key. As long as you do your 40 hours and are physically there when needed, you don't have to be there at 7:00 am. But if you were a short order chef working at a breakfast and lunch place are arrived at 3:00 pm. . . You're just very lucky to have a boss whom you can work with and who can get good work out of his force without having to cross into martinet.

[jbelson]

Abhorred,
You say that you been around these boards for a while. Well then you should know that the fucktards here are no help for almost anything, myself included.

http://afterburn.burningman.com/03/

I lied.

[Tiahaar]

See the faun ears and long flowing hair in my avatar? I'm wearing that same outfit at work right at this very minute (with the addition of a black shirt...have to make some compromises to industry) and I'm at a high-tech vision system company. See, you can work and be yourself too. Have a great Halloween everyone.

[theCryptofishist]

IF you have the skills to work at high tech vision system companies.

[geekster]

I think if you were wearing those ears driving a tractor or milking cows, nobody would mind. You might get some honks from passing cars, though.