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Please be aware that Burning Man is limited to a maximum of 50,000 people, due to a combination of reasons, including some of those stated above, as well as agreements made with the BLM.

Also note that using a generator in an RV for a week produces pollutes less than driving your car to work for a week (if you do).

Being new in the BM scene, I’d like to make a few comments regarding what I got from my main experience. Note that they may be a bit confusing, as I am still assimilating the wealth of experiences and information into my mind.

When I went to Burning Man, I did not know what to expect. I’d heard that it was an art festival, that drug and sex were rampant, and that the general social concept was social acceptance.

After going there, I feel that Burning Man is what you want to make it. If you want to make it about doing drugs for a week, you probably can. If you want to make it about sex for a week, you probably can (if you have the libido), although I’d be saddened if you can’t make just about any other week in your life all about sex, no matter where you are. If you want to make it all about enjoys the art, and possibly contributing to it, you can do that as well.

What impressed me the most at burning man was the utter lack of judgement on everyone’s part. In fact, everyone I interacted with seemed keen on learning what one thought and I never felt that my actions or words were judged. People were overtly friendly and all social barriers and stereotypes were down: no frat-boy types trying to prove their manliness, no hippie types standing on soap boxes, no freak-types trying to show how unique and special they were, not one of those self-images was apparent in this social environment. People dressed as crazy or standard as they pleased, and no one was apprehensive about anyone else.

The idea of gifting was also great. Everybody brought something out to the playa with which they could contribute. Even at small scales. There was a group of guys and gals living in an RV, and every morning, they would stand outside with a sign that said “Practice safe sun”, and if you so wished, they would put sunscreen on you. Simple thing, yet really positive in nature. No expectation of any kind of payback.

However, my primary and most important impression of BM is that it is a practice ground: artists go there with ideas they are developing and test them out there…develop them further, and once they are satisfied (even it if takes multiple years of iteration), bring them to a city to display. I brought out a geodesic dome, which started as a habitat, but as the week went on, I found things I needed to do to it to make it a better habitation. I experimented w/ some ideas, and took mental notes of what I would prepare for next year to make it a better place.

Socially, people can experiment with different parts of their personality: they can be something completely different for a week (note the part where I mention that the stereotypes are gone). You can completely let go of that self-perception you have of yourself and just left yourself be yourself. You can do things that normally you would not do, and see if you like it, maybe take back with you a bit of whatever attitude and personality you may have discovered in yourself at BM. This particular aspect is difficult to do in our standard norm-filled society, where people have their defenses up, are usually more agressive, and it is difficult to not have your own defenses up. I personally was able to identify parts of my personality that I really liked, and I brought them back with me to LA. My friends say I have changed in some ways, but in reality, I merely rediscovered aspects of me that had gone in hiding due to the stressed associated with living in a city.

Finally, I found that BM serves its purpose as a great creative focus. People like me, who work in industry, usually have to keep a very logical mindset at work, and have little or no creative outlet for large ideas. I found that BM is the place where I can focus and share my creative ideas: I am planning to build some art for next year (I am not an artist by profession, and hardly do anything artistic in the city) and having a target where I know I can take my art and develop it further is great. Often we stifle our creative art because we have nowhere to take it to. this place provides you with an opportunity to open up your creative side, because there will be a place where you will be able to express it.

Insofar as BM people being green, that is probably a misconstruct. Burning man’s primary focus is art and its expression. Being open minded, BM people usually preach green, and go out of their way to not leave a mess behind. In fact, I was amazed at how barren an empty the playa became was people packed up and left – no trash or marks left behind. However, BM is not a conference on ecology or habitat. it is a conference on art.

Anyway, those are my impressions. In case you are wondering about what is done w/ BM funds, and about BM art being shared with the world, check out:

http://www.blackrockarts.org/grants

All the best to you.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/greencore-solar-powered-air-conditioning-ac-cooling.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/solar-stik-portable-solar-power-generator.php

And talk about an opportunity for hybrid RVs:

http://www.rvtravel.com/blog/rvsinthenews/2008/01/new-hybrid-rvs-look-like-they-belong-to.html

In terms of overall resource use – I think that this is most people’s main vacation for the year. If they weren’t going to Burning Man they be expending resources vacationing somewhere else.

Why is that the rhetoric just starts flying? Because when it comes down to it, I don’t really *care* how it makes you feel. I asked a fair question. Anybody care to answer it?

I guess the blind uncritical acceptance vis a vis any discussion I have with burners kinda creeps me out. It makes me think of evangelical christians who accept the bible as the undisputed word of god. No arguing with those guys either. I guess what I find lacking is a healthy sense of skepticism or a critical eye. I’ve belonged to many, many anarchist movements and I can give you a list an arm’s length about how I think they’re doing it wrong. And where I think they’re doing right.

I can’t say the same for many burners I’ve met. The exception being DPW folks, who get in, get out, get paid, realize it’s a job, can make light of it, of themselves and have had first hand experience dealing with the powers that be.

yes! and hooray for it! hooray for every single soul that gets the chance to have their imagination pushed to it’s limits while it’s body is being barraged by an extreme climate. y’all can talk shit all day all you want, but my guess is you’ve never been and so you have no idea what burning man really is. maybe it’s not “your thing” . . . but why do you give a fuck whether other people have their minds blown and experience something that makes them feel re-inspired to be a part of the human race once a year?

progress never comes from staying in the same old. everything great in history has had it’s critics – so my take is, the louder the critics, the more noteworthy the event. obviously it is impacting even those who don’t have a clue what it really is.

and the thing is that I was thrilled to go my first time, couldn’t wait, heard stories, watched videos, and then when I showed up, it was NOTHING like I could have imagined. it was better, worse, harder, more intense, hotter, louder, dirtier and more incredible than anything I could possibly have been prepared for. it changes how I see the world. I go back now to re-charge my imagination and to bring those ideas into my life here, which I imagine is the case for lots of people.

Emma Goldman once said “If I can’t dance – I don’t want any part in your revolution”

If 50,000 people are really there to change society then change it. Other than that it might as well be Lollapalooza with a different aesthetic.