Burning Man has jumped the shark

[honeyfire]

Did someone strap TheJudge to a chair and make him email or something? *scratching head*


And gosh, i though the shark was meant to jump us...

Hmmmmm.
Evolution.
Jumping shark.
Hmmmm.
*wanders off to sketchpad...*

[iLLWiLL]

[quote="Zulegoona"

The main problem I see with that is those things work to try to establish definition to something that can only exist without definition. As soon as you define what you are you exclude those who don’t share your vision and the whole thing falls apart.

Burning Man can only really be what it is and that’s enough it doesn’t have to be a springboard for political change, or an organizing force for humanitarian aid. Those things can come from individual Burners working together but not from Burning Man it’s self. The Burning Man can’t have an ego because he is smoke and dust![/quote]

Thank you for shedding your insight on this strange topic based on someone's fear of change! :D
"Impossibility is a restriction of thought" -iLLWiLL

[fciron]

Last year (2008) was my first burn, I don't know what it was like back in the day but I know that this one rocked for me. I came home exhausted and inspired and planning for next year.

I have been trying to get my ass out there for almost ten years (I think I heard about it through art-car folks.) I had to get divorced and ship my kid off to college before it was possible. As a result I have been staring at it on the internet for a long damn time and people have been complaining that it jumped the shark since 1996.

Way back on page one of this thread Ron laid out a progression of "veteran burner burn-out" and I think he may be on to something. Yes the event keeps growing, there are more dumb-asses (I have to take your word on that but no one is disputing it.), and, yes, some people use the theme as a prop for lazy art (red, white and blue bunting does not make any statement about the american dream.).

So what?

I had never been and it's gonna take more than that to convince me to stay home. I went and I met a lot of great people and many of them were also new burners. I don't know anywhere that I could have had comparable experiences.

Maybe it's not like it was. Maybe it really was better and I blew it by not going back then. Well I don't have any choice but to go now.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

Thanks, Omar Khayyam, for putting it so neatly.

[BurleyMan]

I think its a matter of shear population.

Having a mass of creative minds doing individual, wonderfully unique pieces would make it quite difficult to see everything, no to mention frustrating for the curious. So maybe some uniformity to chaos is a beautiful testament to Man's artistic ability....yes?

[drutter]

I found the article well-written, but mostly wrong IMO. It sounds like the writer got paid by "the mainstream" to write something bad about Burning Man. So long, sucker, enjoy what's left of your soul! :p

It's true, the number of people who go to BM has gone up. Does that mean it can't still be just as awesome? I don't think so. What, should we limit it to 10 or 20 people so it can be extra amazing for them? Fuck that. I want the ENTIRE WORLD to practice Burning Man for one week a year. If only the world could be that open-minded, that accepting of new direction.

I think BM will get better and better. Perhaps as society starts to rethink its direction, and more and more people identify with the Burning Man ideals, it won't have to be an "event" at all. We'll always accept each other as we are, we'll always give things away, we'll always express ourselves however we want, we'll always be peaceful. Or maybe I'm just smoking the good stuff tonight, I dunno.

Peace, guys. Can't wait to see everybody in ten months.

[TheJudge]

I found the article well-written, but mostly wrong IMO. It sounds like the writer got paid by "the mainstream" to write something bad about Burning Man. So long, sucker, enjoy what's left of your soul!

You caught me red-handed, Drutter. I am secretly a spy for the GOP, paid in mountains of cash to spread reverse propaganda. What I say is completely bought and paid for by someone who is carefully documenting your every move, and secretly programming the unwashed masses to see things the way big brother wants you to see them.

[ygmir]

reading some of the discussions here, I remembered this old thread and was able to find it (yay success for the Luddite).
Interesting discussion (IMO), from some time ago..

[Elorrum]

The things we worried about, and the things that occurred. Having a selected theme… oh my! The nerve!

Not so much an event breaker.

[ygmir]

The things we worried about, and the things that occurred. Having a selected theme… oh my! The nerve!

Not so much an event breaker.

yeah all that.
My take away, then and now, is people love drama and panic. Everyone wants to be psychic and predict an outcome, and then get to use the venerable "I told you so!"...
Add that people love to judge others, and take great pleasure in telling others "you're doing it wrong!!", and maybe sneer at them a little, from their own pedestal.
An old fighter pilot friend, had a saying I do love: "One things for sure: Nothings for sure".

[Elorrum]

My take away, then and now, is people love drama and panic. Everyone wants to be psychic and predict an outcome, and then get to use the venerable "I told you so!"...
Add that people love to judge others, and take great pleasure in telling others "you're doing it wrong!!", and maybe sneer at them a little, from their own pedestal.
An old fighter pilot friend, had a saying I do love: "One things for sure: Nothings for sure".

Some people are really feeling hurt by the changes. Maybe they can’t afford it anymore, maybe they held the principles dearly and cannot abide that it’s really just a business after all, available to the highest bidder for their tourism. Maybe they don’t have an entrenched position, and can’t compete for tickets. The response to change isn’t simply one of being able to enjoy drama, or of being able to sneer at others. For some the change does represent loss.