I have been finding burning man and its culture more and more annoying as of late. “We’re changing the world and bringing people together!” No, you’re not. You’re getting fucked up on drugs and dancing to shitty music in the middle of the desert. If you find that sort of thing fun, awesome, have fun, but it’s certainly nothing of importance.
SO many of my friends place SO much importance and spend SO much money on a party in the desert. It just astounds me.
No, it’s just a big party in the desert. Nothing more.
What are the demographics of BM, anyway? That shit is EXPENSIVE AS HELL. I’m sure the main demographic know a lot about oppression…of not being able to freely do some expensive hallucinates.
And yeah, your attitude is what burns me (heh). Can you name anything tangible and good that has come out of burning man? Anything at all?
I have friends who go to Firefly. It seems like a fun time and something I might enjoy (because it’s not so huge and dirty). It’s still just a desert in the party.
And as someone who grew up on a party in the desert (Lake Havasu/Parker area), getting shit-faced in the desert is not being an outlaw. Oh, man oh man oh man.
I never said anything about it being “shitty”. It sounds fun, actually, though I’d rather do a much smaller event (like Firefly). But it’s still just a party in the desert. As someone who has spent a lot of time doing real work in the real world (volunteering, REAL protests, etc), I just find this attitude that some party in the desert as important and life changing as a bit silly, pretentious, and, well, quite privileged.
Connecting with people is fun times and great, but it’s not necessarily going to change the world.
It’s not that you guys want to go have fun in the desert. It’s the attitude that often comes with it. Like this “outlaw” bullshit. Please. It’s a big party in the desert with a big ass burning figure that can be seen from space. Nothing “outlaw” about that.
And thanks for the info, btw; I’m glad that they are raising money for good causes. That is, indeed, a good thing.
Like I said, it’s mostly the pretentious attitude that comes with it, and as if just “anyone” can go to burning man and enjoy it – when in reality, it’s really expensive and not really an experience the near majority of people are going to be able to afford (both money AND time).
In fact, every single one of these events (including Firefly) is pretty damn expensive.
I have a LOT of friends who are super into this scene, and mostly I’m just tired of the huge amount of emphasis and effort they put on music festivals.
I really hate 'bragging" but I have done a lot of volunteering and protesting in my time – real, hard effort – and it just bugs the shit out of me that so many people are having a party in the desert instead of getting real work done.
Of course ,the money raised is important, and that’s good, but I don’t know if I think it’s enough to justify the event. Not that the event needs to be justified – go have fun! – but it would be nice if people would stop pretending like it’s a BIG HUGE AMAZING WONDERFUL WORLD CHANGING!!! deal. When mostly, it’s just people getting together to have a good time in the desert.
The money raised? Just an after-thought, rather than the actual focus. So, it’s nice, but still seems rather lopsided considering all the attention BM gets.
That’s assuming the NSA can/does keep us safe… Security Theater, much? 
Is the land privately owned? Hmmm I’m not sure about that, now that I think about it. If it’s public land, then, no, people shouldn’t be free to piss and shit wherever they please. And while piss is probably not going to cause much harm, shit laying about in the hot desert? Can and does.
And do you REALLLLLLLYYYYY want to walk around a party in the DESERT where people have been freely pissing? Let me tell you: No, no you do not. Most people don’t. Icky!
Piss where appropriate. As someone who grew up camping, you can easily find a place to piss while not causing a mess and stinking up the place. Don’t be an asshole.
(Seriously, I can’t believe someone is trying to defend assholes randomly pissing anywhere they please. People will defend ANYTHING.)
Who owns the land that BM is held on? I need to do some googling.
Do they have their own security on scene, do you know? Burning Man security? Doesn’t have to be cops, but I would hope there is some sort of security presence.
Okay, I thought the defense of pissing in public on PUBLIC LAND was a little silly, but man oh man, you need to back up just a tad bit.
We do need some form of government, though . Anarchy isn’t exactly a proven system that works. I rather enjoy being able to throw, say, a rapist in prison. Even if our system isn’t perfect, it’s still better than “nothing”.
Personally, I feel like the internet has changed the fucking game, in so many ways, and we’re just not really sure how to deal with that. But can the internet be tamed? Ultimately, I don’t think it can, and I think that’s what will keep our society progressing in positive ways – at the same time, it’s also causing us a lot of growing pains in the meantime.
Maybe I’m more optimistic than i sometimes give myself credit for…
If he was peeing in a spot that was not a designated spot to pee/deficate, then a fine is probably appropriate. The conviction? I’d say most likely not. But now I ask: WHERE WAS HE PEEING?
Not in a bush, I imagine. Something tells me this guy was wasted and peeing in a very open spot. Right? I bet I’m right.
There are probably A LOT OF PEOPLE peeing in dark corners at Burning Man – and they all seem to avoid getting arrested. Interesting and telling. Why would the cops single out one dude?
O_o I really, really don’t think anyone was actually advocating that people pee anywhere they want to, at any time, all willy-nilly like.
Hempfest, anyone? The consensus seems to be that the cops need pretty good, there.
There has to be a security presence with that many people, and unfortunately, I’d say that only cops are trained enough to be able to handle that many people.
Then find a place near a port-a-potty, or bring your own place to piss in. I thought that was the point of Burning Man: To make your own community, and bring your own things. This would include a place to piss. If you can’t bring something to piss in, then go somewhere near a designated area.
Amazing what problems one can fix when you think critically, huh? “lol”
I have a lot of friends into the culture, so I know a fair amount while not knowing certain specifics, which is why I asked.
“We are a functioning city. We don’t need the police.”
Maybe at a small scale, but as it gets larger, that will be debatable, I am sure.
I’ve also been doing some research on the rate of sexual assaults at Burning Man – and how many of them aren’t reported. I don’t have enough information to make a firm opinion or statement yet, but it’s not looking all that fantastic for women. Surprising (except not really).
It appears there were 22 arrests at least year’s Burning Man, which is not too shabby, in my opinion, considering how stupid people tend to get when they are intoxicated and probably dehydrated. If the cops were really trying to cause some damage, I would think there would be a LOT more arrests than 22…
Not when you have a ton of other people in the area taking residence on that desert mesa.
One of the best places unless you’re raped, right? Somehow, I imagine you’re not of a demographic all that at risk of getting raped…
