by mshaman » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:23 am
After searching the forum, I've seen a very clear pattern in the posts. Lottery system + transferable tickets = scalping and hoarding. Add to that profound increase in demand, and you've got a perfect storm. 3 factors this serious are enough to cause a cataclysm for any organization.
Why do I presume a radical increase in demand? Because no one, anywhere in my network, NO ONE is sitting on tickets, and we have seen precious few gloats from scalpers. But I have seen press EVERYWHERE on every social network with burners talking about how cool Burning Man is.
I can only conclude that every "Ode to Burning Man" on you tube, every documentary on TV, every website commemorating the burn has finally reared its head, and everyone else thought it would be cool to come home, too. Don't hate them, think of it as a natural consequence of our constant glorification of ourselves and our playa experience. As a result, I suspect we've diluted the experience to the point that theme camps and art collectives can't function. After a bad year, a lot of people will go home with no intention of coming back, and some sense of normalcy may return. But in the mean time, I think the community has created much of the scarcity it's experiencing by so tirelessly saying "look at us, we're so cool" to the world.
The road of life is littered with flat squirrels who couldn't decide.