Burning Man

Yeah it’s that time of year again, when I take a poke at the Burning Man Festival.

First off, it’s a gathering in the dessert, in freaking August. Need I really say more?

Probably not, but here I go.

Okay, I’m a bit of a hippy at times. I’m all about getting together, having a party, dressing weird, and basically having a good time. So far, so good. The fact that you cannot charge for anything and it works as a gift economy is pretty neat. Add lots of strange of art and it sounds pretty interesting.

The price of admission isn’t cheap. It’s also out in the middle of nowhere so transportation costs are an issue. Then there are turn key camps that are set up for people -for a price. The Burning Man people are trying to deal with that sort of thing, but I don’t know how that’s working out. The people who go to the gathering tend to be very well off and mostly white. (What the heck are white people thinking, going out in the dessert in August?!)

The people who are all about experiencing free love and a money free event live in exactly the opposite fashion during their regular life. Often they are wealthy businessmen who’ve benefited massively from a capitalist system. They won’t give up a bit of their status either.

So why is Burning Man so popular? I think it appeals to that part of the human psyche that remembers our tribal past. People have the chance to shed their civilized veneer. Of course, all the sex and drugs have their attraction too.

There are other lesser known events out there that are worth checking out. (maybe with less drugs?) There’s nothing stopping people from getting together with a bunch of people and having their own event. That’s how Burning Man itself got started in the first place.

-Sixbears