I went to a desert raver in Mojave during the crazy rainstorms of February 2016. Car got stuck in the mud on the way in and out. Was still fun and I'm sure most people out there are adapting and having a great time. Was nearly snowed on in Death Valley while up in the Racetrack Playa. Went to Burning Man in 2015 when it was probably the 2nd or 1st most dustiest year in its history.
People panicking or making a stink about this are either projecting their distaste for BM or "hippies" or "tech people" or haven't ever actually camped in a desert proper. The lede that's buried here is much of this crazy weather causing this scene is yet another obvious sign of climate change.
― octobeard, Tuesday, 5 September 2023 01:19 (eight months ago) link
heh heh, nah. i know the space. hippies or abbey. but our own septic juices the bechamel, u got that right.
― you need magical thinking ay my name is david blaine (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 01:25 (eight months ago) link
1) yes2) yes3) yes4) yes and why should that stop me?5) no duh
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 01:58 (eight months ago) link
The desert is by definition a place prone to extremes and should be treated with great respect. According to Wikipedia, in 2019, 78,850 people participated in the event. There's a lot of hubris on display in the very concept of Burning Man, no matter how many port-a-potties and medical tents they set up.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 03:29 (eight months ago) link
Desert Blast, "the largest outlaw fireworks show in the West," was always the one I wanted to get to but never did.https://www.wired.com/1994/12/desert-blast/
― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 5 September 2023 03:44 (eight months ago) link
Climate change activists tried to block the entrance to Burning Man and attendees mocked them as they drove through and the organizers called the cops
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 12:26 (eight months ago) link
projecting my distaste for BM or "hippies" or "tech people" while reading this
Burning Man yesterday after rain….double rainbow.The Playa was dry and walkable tonight.All the artwork,the Man and the Temple were on displayA memorable year. More rain. Less dust.Discussions of whether eating vegans counted as keeping vegetarian were strictly hypothetical pic.twitter.com/aSAr732ny9— Grover Norquist (@GroverNorquist) September 3, 2023
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 23:33 (eight months ago) link
Just want to make Grover small enough that he can be drowned in a mud puddle
― Beyond Goo and Evol (President Keyes), Tuesday, 5 September 2023 23:50 (eight months ago) link
Norquist and his wife attended the annual Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada in August 2014. Norquist explained that he wished to attend because, "There's no government that organizes this. That's what happens when nobody tells you what to do. You just figure it out. So Burning Man is a refutation of the argument that the state has a place in nature."
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 00:21 (eight months ago) link
is he a full-on libertarian or something? fuck that dude
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 00:34 (eight months ago) link
Burning Man is a refutation of the argument that the state has a place in nature.
Deep thoughts from someone who can't see past the end of his nose.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 01:04 (eight months ago) link
That's what happens when nobody tells you what to do. You just figure it out.
Never been to BM, but it looks like there's a whole bunch of someone telling you what to do, and what not to do
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 01:19 (eight months ago) link
"Nobody tells me what to do! I just figure it out!"- Ayn Rand enthusiast parked in Q4 A12 R33 #12
https://i.imgur.com/XQp3Ks0.png
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 02:21 (eight months ago) link
Where Burning Man's money went (as of pre-Covid 2020)https://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2020/01/09/burning-man-money-t-tax-documents-black-rock-city-budget/2827709001/
― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 04:00 (eight months ago) link
IT Director Heather Gallagher: $183,000, increase of $46,000Managing Director Heather White: $176,000, increase of $15,000
https://i.imgur.com/ze9TRgp.png
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 04:04 (eight months ago) link
classic boston accent name
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 04:05 (eight months ago) link
i went to school with a girl named heathah mcgwiah
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 04:11 (eight months ago) link
heather ledger itt
― close encounters of the third knid (darraghmac), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 08:49 (eight months ago) link
what are the rival "purplish blooms" namewise?
i think crocus, catmint and purpletop vervain, i'm calling christian slater's agent right now
― mark s, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 09:03 (eight months ago) link
There's a lot of hubris on display in the very concept of Burning Man, no matter how many port-a-potties and medical tents they set up.
There's a lot of hubris in the very existence of the cities of Phoenix, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Mexico City, and Venice; not to mention a good dozen metropolises in India and China. Civilization is Hubris. If anything BM is at least a creative expression of a city that ends up appearing and disappearing over the course of a few months and has inspired a lot more positive things than negative, unlike a ton of other festivals and events that free passes for infinitely worse shit.
What happens to some of those aforementioned urban centers over the next 25-50 years is far more concerning than any environmental or even moral issues Black Rock City would offer up.
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 11:09 (eight months ago) link
that get free passes
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 11:10 (eight months ago) link
_There's a lot of hubris on display in the very concept of Burning Man, no matter how many port-a-potties and medical tents they set up._There's a lot of hubris in the very existence of the cities of Phoenix, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Mexico City, and Venice; not to mention a good dozen metropolises in India and China. Civilization is Hubris. If anything BM is at least a creative expression of a city that ends up appearing and disappearing over the course of a few months and has inspired a lot more positive things than negative, unlike a ton of other festivals and events that free passes for infinitely worse shit.What happens to some of those aforementioned urban centers over the next 25-50 years is far more concerning than any environmental or even moral issues Black Rock City would offer up.
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 11:21 (eight months ago) link
the art is bad too, not even really art
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 18:02 (eight months ago) link
engage in disgusting hedonism
okay, what's wrong with this exactly?
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 18:30 (eight months ago) link
"I don’t care how exotic the drugs or how interesting the art is: once people such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk show up to your party, there is no longer anything countercultural about it. You are not rebelling against the man. You are the man."
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/commentisfree/2023/sep/05/why-all-the-burning-man-schadenfreude-where-do-i-start-
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:00 (eight months ago) link
burning man is so lame that's the funniest part, just the dumbest, lamest 90s cyber cafe white dread bullshit
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:12 (eight months ago) link
I mean let's just tell off Glastonbury, Sonar (which shows off very similar art) and everything else then. And I guess sex, drugs and having fun is no longer okay! Just because some huge assholes go to the same thing. Like all events and concerts too. Jeez I guess I'll never leave the house and just hate the world, okay? This outrage at BM is completely ridiculous. Should we make fun of all the regional burns too?
Wrt to my city comparisons, the very fact Venice is still around is hubris. Building any give urban center at any point in human history has profound impacts on the surrounding environs and even the weather. My point stands.
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:12 (eight months ago) link
I'm grateful to burning man for luring the most annoying people away from the bay area for a week every year.
― Chyiv Kyiv (Fetchboy), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:18 (eight months ago) link
It'd be nice if they actually did try to establish a real city out there so we'd have more than a week's reprieve.
― Chyiv Kyiv (Fetchboy), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:20 (eight months ago) link
Also somebody has to burn that guy
― Beyond Goo and Evol (President Keyes), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:22 (eight months ago) link
Like so many things in human experience, it's an interesting concept made significantly less interesting by the people actually involved.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:24 (eight months ago) link
glastonbury and sonar can have some decent music and don't have inflated reputations as proof of concept of anarcho-capitalism
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:30 (eight months ago) link
you're not allowed to buy or sell things, but fair point on the music
― what you say is true but by no means (lukas), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:35 (eight months ago) link
I feel a lot of the people posting above have never gone. Honestly, I felt similarly before I went in 2011, but I chose to go without expectations or cynicism. One of the best times of my life and gave me a creative energy I still channel to this day, hence my defensiveness. I also love watching and going to concerts and professional sports games so I'm used to being around large crowds non sober people sprinkled with oligarchs and massive dickheads.
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:38 (eight months ago) link
Should we make fun of all the regional burns too?
I mean, sure?
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:39 (eight months ago) link
xp I have tons of friends who go and even work there but it is def not for me, I do see the positives (although there are also negatives) and tbh nobody who is a regular there seemed the least bit put out by the weather issues
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:40 (eight months ago) link
if they burned a giant straw goat at it these lads would be all over it tbf
― close encounters of the third knid (darraghmac), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:40 (eight months ago) link
OK yeah then I would go
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:41 (eight months ago) link
i dont offer this as a criticism to be clear if anything its advice
― close encounters of the third knid (darraghmac), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:41 (eight months ago) link
it's always good advice to work in a big straw goat to burn somehow
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:42 (eight months ago) link
Definitely don't go there for the music, but you can find some good shit. Those Tycho sunrise DJ sets were nice. My first year there I was putting on Tesla coil concerts with music I composed!
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 20:42 (eight months ago) link
Jeez I guess I'll never leave the house and just hate the world, okay? thanks for understanding.i particularly appreciated the logic of "you can't judge a ding dong infested ecologically irresponsible rave because Venice was created 1600 years ago"
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 21:22 (eight months ago) link
― close encounters of the third knid (darraghmac), Wednesday, September 6, 2023 4:40 PM (forty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
if half the people wanted to burn the man but the other half didnt
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 21:25 (eight months ago) link
are you going to burning manim going to man*recognize each other as enemies*
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 21:30 (eight months ago) link
friend who went said she felt like it was people searching for religion and it kinda had the vibe but ultimately fell short cause it was too much entertainment, modern life
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 21:32 (eight months ago) link
Big Devil Sticks thanks god every night for Burning Man
― cracked fixed view mire (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 6 September 2023 22:06 (eight months ago) link
silicon valley elite getting into drugs is def a very weird bad vibes situation, and now grover norquist and that evil lawyer too i guess
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 22:08 (eight months ago) link
this Doug rushkoff book about the emergence of that kind of thing is pretty lolhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberia_(book)
― brimstead, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 22:12 (eight months ago) link
When you consider so many of those guys have disruptions that are evil not good, it really does lend bad vibes to the whole no rules nature of the thing
― omar little, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 22:12 (eight months ago) link
thanks for understanding.
Likewise. I see scant nuance in the hate here. The same arguments can be used to tear down most of the shit everyone celebrates in this forum. It's very reductive. Perhaps I'm coming off overly optimistic, and trust me, there's a shit ton wrong with the event and many people interpret some toxic BS from it, but you can say the same for so many things in our lives that I feel much of the hate is projection of frustration around other shit (inequality, tech hubris, bs hypocritical libertarian ideologies) that it overlooks a lot of positivity. I'm just trying to balance the discourse. But I guess I'm online - in a world that has lost nuance or the ability to avoid putting a thing into a single bucket.
― octobeard, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 22:47 (eight months ago) link