Thousands of stranded Burning Man attendees were finally headed home in hours-long lines on Monday and Tuesday.
What a wonderful experience.
I loved every minute of the week.
So many genuinely kind and caring people.
The most staggering revelation I had was that many of my preconceived judgments based on stereotypes were way wrong. We camped with people that I would not normally connect with in the default. Some of these people I think have the potential to be strong, lifelong friends
There’s more in common Than there is a difference.
People go on and on about Tech, Bros and sparkle ponies, but scenarios like this, allow those of us, with the best intentions to shine. I hope this year’s Takeaway is more about the strength of unity than anything else
were the kind and caring people more kind and more caring than the people in your community who spend their time and resources in bettering the community? did they shine and/or were their intentions better than volunteers in your community?
To me yes.
I believe environment opens people up in a way not found commonly outside of the event.
It’s also a selection bias situation. Those that go are more inclined to bring open maybe.
I grew as a person, made friends, and shared feelings with strangers openly.
10/10 experience.
This is what it’s all about. Grew up in the festival scene, met my wife on the dancefloor, in daily contact with friends I’ve had for decades from those days.
Not everyone can travel to another country for ‘away from home’ experiences but they are vital to a growing mind.
Festivals like this one are an analogue for that. You meet people you wouldn’t necessarily meet and you rely on one another for safety, entertainment and connection.
Taking those lessons back to city life is natural and a part of why these events are important experiences for many people.
So happy you had a 10/10.
One love.
Just curious- did you check the weather report before you went into the desert and did you check it again when you arrived at your destination as is basic practice when going to any desert location?
Not original commenter, but, I was able to look at the Apple Weather forecast right before I napped at 2pm Friday. The forecast then pretty much said showers for a few hours that day, but definitely was nowhere close to the amount of rain that actually fell. The weather there can be unpredictable.
I took a photo of the forecast on Thu to show campmates, this is what it looked like then: https://sincere-zenith-02b.notion.site/Forecast-Photo-88c591169ea74fd7961136a7f4409a63. Friday was the day with the heaviest rain.
A crew of people is there for a whole month before the event starts, and it pretty much always rains at least once that month, and we read about them having to stop work, shelter, and avoid medical emergencies. This year, Tropical Storm Hilary passed through a week before the event start, and the community as a whole was keeping a keen eye on it.
You may have seen the word ‘playa’ in reference to the event grounds. In the general English context, ‘playa’ means ‘dry lake’. The entire event is literally held in a dry lake. If you want many square miles of ground that can sometimes be asphalt-like, you go to a dry lake. And for the land speed records, it also happens to be super flat. It’s the accumulated standing water that does that.
It’s widely known to most attendees how impassable Black Rock Desert is when it rains. My camp and all the camps around us had food and water for at least a few extra days, and we had more than adequate morale the entire weekend. This year, I personally brought at least 2 weeks worth of kilocalories, and packed 3 raincoats. I handed out 2 of the raincoats to campmates pronto.
If you look at the back of the event’s paper ticket, and then the official survival guide, for this year, and years prior, they mention rainstorms, and what to do in such a scenario.
Slow news day I guess? Has there ever been a burning man that didn’t end with a traffic jam?
Wouldn’t it normally have a huge traffic jam as people leave, anyway? Even regular concerts do.
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How great of them moving things forward for the economy and the environment. /s
Honestly, Burning Man has become a way for rich people to pretend that they are progressive. That and an excuse for drugs (I dont have a problem with the drugs, but they could at least be honest about it)
The census data does not support that claim
The majority the incomes are middle class (50,000 - 100,000) and as the majority of the participants are from California, that does not go very far.
Fair enough. Do you have a source for that? (Not denying it, just want to see data that I obviously don’t have). I don’t really get why the California part supports a counterclaim either, but maybe that’s borne out by your data.
Income is heavily affected by cost of living. We pay much higher rates for housing, fuel, and groceries than most of the country. Even in more of the rural areas incomes, generally SKU hire to make living somewhat affordable.
I get that about the costs in Cali – but that doesn’t mean lots of people in Cali are automatically poor or can claim not to be well-to-do. In fact, I’d say that’s a dangerous idea, because rich in California can also tend to be richer than elsewhere, for the same reasons you cited.
Is it correct to say the data in this census was self-reported?
Edit: also, do you happen to know the average cost of a ticket to Burning Man? Googling produces weird results due to a strange pricing scheme.
I guess what I’m saying is the largest qty of people going are of a middle/low income based on the average location called home.
The rich represent a fairly small portion. Some of the people in my camp are way above my income but their generosity was astounding. IMO BM brings out the exceptional qualities of people.
Don’t know the average but I think base price is about $600.
I heard that the main chunk of your tickets cost goes to renting out the desert and paying for the federal Ranger and local police support
$600 is tremendous for most people in the US right now – and it doesn’t really matter why the cost is that high, only that the cost is that high given the aim of the festival.
If the figures from the census are self-reported, in a situation like Burning Man, I would question their accuracy. It’s possible that no one has reliable data, but all data should always be treated with a similar vigor. Obviously everyone who goes to BM thinks they are making a statement, but the people who would benefit the most from such a statement likely can’t afford a $600 ticket.
So I guess the tl;dr from me is: I don’t think there is evidence that BM is the populist movement it wants to be anymore.
I agree with that.
I believe there are discounted tickets and even free tickets offered to minority artists as well as grants for art installations.
bunch of rich psychos larping as homeless people
Oh no rich people that have a party in the desert are sad
