Top Asshats of 2013

[Drawingablank]

I had a remarkably asshat free year with a few minor exceptions.

1. The asshat who kept radically self gifting beers from my cooler and not closing the lid tight afterwards. I didn't really mind them taking a few beers, but having to replace the ice constantly was so obnoxious and uncalled for. Since I was not on a road frontage, there is a good chance it wasn't even a stranger.

2. One night on the artcar taking out my 8 ounce flask to pass around and having a sparklepony whip out her cup and pour most of the flask into it as we looked on in shock. Right at the start of the ride too and hours away from being able to refill it.

As anyone who has done pre playa shopping with me can attest, I bring a huge amount of beer and booze. I am pretty liberal with gifting / sharing it on the playa, but these two behaviors really pushed my buttons.

On the positive side, the asshattery could have been a lot worse.

[Eric]

2. One night on the artcar taking out my 8 ounce flask to pass around and having a sparklepony whip out her cup and pour most of the flask into it as we looked on in shock. Right at the start of the ride too and hours away from being able to refill it.

I had someone start to do that to me once with my bottle of booze I had pre-mixed. I just went "hey darlin', that's a small bottle & you're not the only person drinking from it - pass it on, and share what you poured in your cup". Calling them out may embarrass them short-term, but it also teaches them civil behavior long-term.

[Drawingablank]

2. One night on the artcar taking out my 8 ounce flask to pass around and having a sparklepony whip out her cup and pour most of the flask into it as we looked on in shock. Right at the start of the ride too and hours away from being able to refill it.

I had someone start to do that to me once with my bottle of booze I had pre-mixed. I just went "hey darlin', that's a small bottle & you're not the only person drinking from it - pass it on, and share what you poured in your cup". Calling them out may embarrass them short-term, but it also teaches them civil behavior long-term.

It happened so fast and I was shocked speechless, as was MikeGyver who turned to me afterwards and said something like "I can't believe I she actually did that". I will be better prepared to deal with something like this if it happens again though.

[BBadger]

Wow, that's kind of a "Pull over driver! We have to unload some cargo." moment.

[fresh]

BM2013_031-753878672.jpg

[Elorrum]

[gyre]

2. One night on the artcar taking out my 8 ounce flask to pass around and having a sparklepony whip out her cup and pour most of the flask into it as we looked on in shock. Right at the start of the ride too and hours away from being able to refill it.

I had someone start to do that to me once with my bottle of booze I had pre-mixed. I just went "hey darlin', that's a small bottle & you're not the only person drinking from it - pass it on, and share what you poured in your cup". Calling them out may embarrass them short-term, but it also teaches them civil behavior long-term.

It happened so fast and I was shocked speechless, as was MikeGyver who turned to me afterwards and said something like "I can't believe I she actually did that". I will be better prepared to deal with something like this if it happens again though.

Politely reach for the cup.
Say thank you, and keep it, pass it around.

[BBadger]

What's the story behind this one?

[gyre]

Drone attack from a more technically sophisticated theme camp?

Meteorite?

[Ugly Dougly]

Performance art I hope?

[Simon of the Playa]

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... st#p979206

[pink]

Sky lantern hit a camp?

[Elorrum]

no I just googled for a picture of a tent city fire... figured that was a distinct possibility when I saw those stupid fucking fire bombs floating around.

[kiss-o-matic]

Drone attack from a more technically sophisticated theme camp?

Meteorite?

Hahaha... made my day.

Only one ass hat story here. I woke up one morning (forgot which -- wednesday?) to the "Home" song being played on far-too-many-iterations repeat. Kinda ruined it for me. They were far enough away for me to just complain in my tent but not actually wake up and explain said ass hattery.

[BBadger]

Only one ass hat story here. I woke up one morning (forgot which -- wednesday?) to the "Home" song being played on far-too-many-iterations repeat. Kinda ruined it for me. They were far enough away for me to just complain in my tent but not actually wake up and explain said ass hattery.

That Phillip Phillips song? It's like I can't go anywhere without being subjected to that song. On the radio. On commercials. Playing from someone's car. A gas station speaker.... It's not a horrible song in its own right, but heard over and over again it gets on my nerves.

If it's some other "Home" song, well... that Phillip Phillips "Home" song is the one I can't stand to hear on repeat.

[mdmf007]

Im especially keen of the asshats that hide or lockup "green" bikes like they are personal property. Or will show up at an event or piece of art and bury the green bike under 10 of their mates bikes to make it less visible / accessible. I gave a pair of bolt cutters to a group of guys walking around liberating green bikes.

[Ratty]

There are a lot of ways to satisfy your personal 'getting even' without being a vandal. Don't mess with someone's ride.

But that's just me. Raised in Los Angeles. They hang car thieves.

[FossaFerox]

You do know that locking up a yellow bike (yes, they're green, but they're called yellow bikes) is a violation of the rules set forth by the people who OWN the bikes and constitutes theft, right?

Liberating it, even if it involves vandalizing a selfish prick's lock, is a noble undertaking.

I saw ONE yellow bike this year. Someone left it at our camp when we were giving out whiskey and otter pops on Thursday or Friday. A few of us took turns riding it in small circles in the street before leaving it at the side of the road right outside our camp. It was gone within 10 minutes and we never saw who took it.

They're extremely rare and in high demand, mostly because some people grab them on day 1 and treat them like their own personal property which leave fewer in circulation as the week goes on. It goes against the spirit of the program and the spirit of the event.

Fuck 'em.

[Captain Goddammit]

Ironically, every time Charlie and I wanted to ride, we found two Yellow bikes and went. Sometimes it took 5 or 10 minutes at worst. I did a few minor repair/adjustments on a few. The stickers on them said "if it's broken, fix it".

[theCryptofishist]

They're extremely rare and in high demand, mostly because some people grab them on day 1 and treat them like their own personal property which leave fewer in circulation as the week goes on. It goes against the spirit of the program and the spirit of the event.

Well, I like that the specifics were released pre-event so that people could choose to buy bikes that could be left behind post-event and inducted into the fleet. Now, we have to spend the next 10 months hammering those specifics into all those coming from far away. 700 isn't near enough bikes for a city with a population 100 times that.

[gyre]

I've never understood the lack of shuttles.
The city shape is not good for pedestrians.

[BBadger]

People could set up their own shuttle fleet. It's not something I'd want my BRC "tax dollars" going towards though. Overall, I'd rather have more MVs that are open to the public. They're not shuttles per se, but it's a nice way for people to travel around to some place on the playa.

[FossaFerox]

People could set up their own shuttle fleet. It's not something I'd want my BRC "tax dollars" going towards though. Overall, I'd rather have more MVs that are open to the public. They're not shuttles per se, but it's a nice way for people to travel around to some place on the playa.

Didn't that happen this year? I thought they had some of the MVs taking shfits running set circuits through the city and inner playa while making regular stops. This could be a figment of my wild imagination, but I was under the impression that was what the "subway" wound up being...

[Simon of the Playa]

the 535 asshats on the hill...

[Roberto Dobbisano]

.

[fresh]

I've never understood the lack of shuttles.
The city shape is not good for pedestrians.

I thought that the subway system was a great service this past year!!! Hopefully it will be expanded since the bike ban will finally go into effect this upcoming year.

http://www.blackrockcitysubway.com/

[FossaFerox]

I thought that the subway system was a great service this past year!!! Hopefully it will be expanded since the bike ban will finally go into effect this upcoming year.

http://www.blackrockcitysubway.com/

Scooters and dirt bikes are exempt from the ban, provided they have gas powered engines, right?

[pink]

We had one top camp asshat, who started mooping cilantro on Thursday pre opening (but it's organic!) bits flying off everywhere and continued with 'helping' while setting up our dome in a way that caused two injuries (to other people of course), including a broken thumb, didn't teach the classes he said he would, wore moopy feather wings trimmed with mariboa, and then hoarded a yellow bike, along with other general asshattery. All while arguing why what he was doing wasn't wrong the whole time. He was not a newbie.

We gave him the playa name of Narcississy. NOT invited back next year.

[GreyCoyote]

"Narcississy". Absolutely EPIC!

[Drawingablank]

We had one top camp asshat, who started mooping cilantro on Thursday pre opening (but it's organic!) bits flying off everywhere and continued with 'helping' while setting up our dome in a way that caused two injuries (to other people of course), including a broken thumb, didn't teach the classes he said he would, wore moopy feather wings trimmed with mariboa, and then hoarded a yellow bike, along with other general asshattery. All while arguing why what he was doing wasn't wrong the whole time. He was not a newbie.

We gave him the playa name of Narcississy. NOT invited back next year.

Sounds like he should have been invited to camp elsewhere this year too.