3.8
August 26, 2011

Burning Man “is soooo Amazing.”

Everyone there seems to agree. Me…I’m not sure.

The art…yes. The big boots and faux fur and Mad Max style…no. The drugs…nanh—I get high off life, the present moment, that’s my lineage. The sharing…yes. The eco-inspired camps…yes. The dust…yes and no. The burning and driving and creepers? Nanh. The parties…sounds good. The get-out-of-daily-life-for-a-week? Sounds good.

Still, something about the wild abandon seems desperate—as if it’s a gathering for those who, all year, are cubicle-bound or suppressing something…why not bring a little of this joy passion sex style art to every day, and celebrate all year long?

I attended once and loved…half of it. But the lack of caring about our planet at Black Rock City is extreme, or was then (I am always open to it improving, haven’t heard that it has). From the endless rich folks in RVs running AC and generators and dousing The Man in kerosene to light toxic plywood on fire to the raped and pillaged Amazon and Walmarts on the way in, to the overflowing trash bins on the way out…it honestly felt like, as you say, a conventional society’s way of trashing and partying in a show of rebellion without the real, ethical, caring thing. That said, nothing is black and white—there was mindblowing creativity in abundance. But can we celebrate in a truly rebellious, kind, caring, non-violent, eco-responsible way? That would be a true middle finger to The Man.

Maybe they do that, too.

 

PS: hi, AG. ^

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