I’m not sure what you’re drinking where your urine attracts flies and roaches to that ecosystem.
As you failed to recognize, adults don’t need to use hyperbole.
Not attending to your nonsense further, jimp
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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?
Yeah, that was my thought too. I haven’t been to BM but I HAVE been to the biggest party in the world, New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, which is crawling with cops - all there to make sure everyone is safe while they get drunk, stoned, high, party, and catch beads. It sure is nice to go and get crazy on the streets and know you are protected from getting robbed or murdered.
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Yeah, my guess is there’s a wee bit more to the situation than has been presented to us in general. Like I wouldn’t be shocked at all to find out that he was getting cited for the peeing, then he mades a big deal about it, and the officer threw it out there that he’s letting him off with JUST a big ticket while he could easily write it up as the much bigger offense he totally legally could write it up as that would end up with him having to register as a sex-offender, and then that part of the conversation is reported as a “threat” of having to register. The kind of person who so casually refers to law enforcement officers as “pigs” without them having shown any real senseless abusiveness doesn’t strike me as someone who is the best source for unbiased coverage of the event or the conversation that really happened and the circumstances around it.
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Field sanitation is a very important matter. It’s amazing how quickly things can pile up if there aren’t proper methods in place to handle waste. And once the flies start landing on the poop, people very quickly begin getting sick, because those flies make a stop on the food. Then people are getting the runs and adding to the problem.
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Depending on where you are at, the nearest bush may not be near at all, check google images for black rock playa - lol.
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It is not so much about the specific infractions but about the attitude and new aggressiveness of law enforcement. That guy who peed on the playa did a bad thing, one does not (and most burners do not) pee on the playa. Also the ticketed vehicle was a BMorg work vehicle involved in setting up the event, reportedly they have always been left alone in the past.
The feeling is that there is going to be retaliation for the failure (in the courts) of Pershing County’s attempt to extract a lot more money from the event.
See: http://brcvpc.com for detail about the lawsuit by BMorg.
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Oh! and the event has not started yet, these actions were against BM DPW workers who are setting everything up for the rest of us when we arrive on Monday, bless them.
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I can’t wait to not see you there!
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Yes, as all civil societies on the planet have had for many thousands of years.
Luckily, I live under control of a government made up of average citizens I’m free to petition or become a member of and that has laws segmented between federal, state, county and city that are each progressively easier to get changed.
You self-select who you interact with and they very likely have similar views to your own. The people you interact with, being practical human beings and realizing they interact with you regularly, probably avoid telling you not to do things.
However, while defining that group as “society” is convenient for your worldview, it isn’t reality. You live in a very large network of people that extends far beyond the few you have relationships with and they have a diverse set of opinions. Getting everyone to live peacefully together sometimes requires minor sacrifice. Sometimes these sacrifices go too far and we change the law. But we put in place a system where laws can be changed and by and compared to previous systems throughout history, it has worked pretty damn well.
Yes well, your little bubble of “society” is also protected and supported by government. That you only see oppression is because you seem to not realize you live in the larger world.
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.
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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”
Not that you really wanted an answer, but Burners Without Borders is a tangible, good thing.
http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/
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Hi Marilove,
For someone with such a strong opinions about BM, you seem to be lacking some basic knowledge.
Burning Man is held on Public (Federal) land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the Department of Agriculture. Generally, BLM land has the least rules of any land in the US and very thin law enforcement presence.
Having “event security” in the usual sense of the phrase is an anathema to Burning Man ethos, but we do have several overlapping organizations that serve aspects of that role, including the Black Rock Rangers, Perimeter Patrol, Earth Guardians, EMT,…
We are a functioning city. We don’t need the police.
That said, some law enforcement presence can helpful as a back up, and I absolutely approve of the heavy police presence on Hwy 447 for the drive in and out. But the aggressive police action of the last several years contributes little to “public safety”.
Quite the contrary, actually.
Hope that helps
Love,
Tophat
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Has that outcome you described, specifically, happened at BM in the past? I think it has not
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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).
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Yeah, the NOPD train police all over the world in crowd control. They work round the clock from the Friday before through the end of Mardi Gras. On Mardi Gras day everywhere you look there are drugs and naked bodies - and the Po PO - so it’s not like they are there to shut down the party but they are just such a presence. When you hear the crime stats on Mardi Gras and you see what is going on, it’s really a miracle they have so little crime - especially when New Orleans normally is such a hell hole that way. I know Burning Man is a little different, but I didn’t immediately assume they’d be killing the scene.
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On a related note, I have noticed that the willingness to pee anywhere willy nilly (as someone so aptly put it above) is often related to where you live. It seems to be tacitly accepted in Northern Europe, where it rains often enough to wash away the smell. Less acceptable here in Mn. where summers are hot and often dry for weeks on end.
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