Feb 15th announcement on ticket sale/theme camp tickets

[mshaman]

2/14/2012-- The last press release mentioned that there would be another announcement on Feb 15th. The application process for theme camps opens Feb 15th. This is no coincidence. If the LLC wants to spin policy toward art collectives, theme camps, and mutant vehicles, it must get any additional information it wants built into the application process and set applicants' expectations for how to participate in the process.

As we have seen, good policy promotes desirable outcomes and behavior, and bad policy promotes bad outcomes and behavior. I've made my opinion of the 2012 ticket policy clear: It promoted scalping, hoarding, and discouraged large-scale projects, which as I've discovered by informal survey, is the most compelling feature of Burning Man vs. the regionals. Thus I assert it is bad policy.

The "sacred six" now have an opportunity to put a band-aid on the situation, or to exacerbate it with a policy that creates more undesirable outcomes and behavior among ticket-purchasers. If the group keeps its promise to make an announcement on the 15th, then the policy, however good or bad, is already defined and has been worked into the application for art installations/theme camps/mutant vehicles. If the process is heavily biased toward theme camp/mutant/vehicle/art installation participants, expect every slack-ass loser who has never done anything but get stoned, drunk, and puke on the playa to suddenly want to be a part of your collective, or to throw some half-baked "theme-camp" proposal at the wall to see if it will stick.

I don't envy the LLC on facing this mess, but I hope that it is now armed with the wisdom that individuals will act in their own interest when faced with a new system, and that the job of policy is to keep the interests of the individual and the community in alignment.

[HandJamMasterC]

After reading many posts pro and con on reserving some tickets for theme camps vs. all tickets being totally up for grabs, and thinking about this for awhile, I've come to the conclusion that it might be ok to reserve tickets for theme camps. What kind of city will BRC be without an airport, newspaper, BMIR radio etc?

Take it to the other extreme - what if all tickets were up for grabs ( including DPW's, Larry Harvey's and the gate crews etc ) - you wouldn't have a Burning Man. So, to be practical, you just have to decide where along the sliding scale you want to go.

[trilobyte]

It's more coincidental than you think. The Feb. 15th date for the start of theme camp registrations was set long before the dates for the drawing or registration. At the end of the first week of February Marian had mentioned in her post on the official blog that it would take a couple weeks to formulate a plan. Last week, Andie's post said that it would be coming on the 15th.

[ZaphodBurner]

@mshaman : "If the process is heavily biased toward theme camp/mutant/vehicle/art installation participants, expect every slack-ass loser who has never done anything but get stoned, drunk, and puke on the playa to suddenly want to be a part of your collective, or to throw some half-baked "theme-camp" proposal at the wall to see if it will stick."

This already occurs as people try to get what they perceive as optimal placement. It's a known issue, so, yeah...I can imagine it will only get worse.

Frogbird PMed me something which framed my entire argument in one sentence: "They just scattered 43,000 tickets to the wind - I think that radical inclusion has been satisfied."

[5280MeV]

Frogbird PMed me something which framed my entire argument in one sentence: "They just scattered 43,000 tickets to the wind - I think that radical inclusion has been satisfied."

Just FYI to Mods and Eplayans: I am ok with this particular line from PM being made public, please ask if you want to quote me from a PM.

I recognize both arguments to this very touchy subject, and I respect them both greatly. I also believe, based on my limited experience with BM, that scattering tickets to whomever may come is important and critical to the spirit of the event.

I am worried about interactive projects that foster further participation. The airport provides the opportunity for people to gift ultralight rides, the BRC Beacon I believe accepts articles or contributions from other burners, I heard about an independent group of people who were going to dress up as sharks and swim around the pier, and countless people leave memorials at the Temple. Big collaborative projects obviously can and do enrich the environment of the city and inspire further self-expression. Case in point: the Man himself!

Given that there is already a precedent for official support and gift tickets to certain types art projects on the playa, I don't see ~1,00-4,000 "project tickets" as a radical departure from the way that the event has already progressed.

I do strongly believe that the vast majority of tickets must be available to anyone who wishes to the join the city, and I also strongly believe that any sort of 'veteran status' has no place in such a discussion. I don't think that the goal of such an allocation should in any way be there to hold specific camps together. Furthermore, groups of virgins who can at this point demonstrate a realistic and workable plan for a project to better the city and clear evidence progress or investment at present should have the same consideration as any other project.

Finally, I also strongly believe that any sort of a "project ticket" must entail an obligation to enrich the city, and not be an award or recognition for past contribution in any sense whatsoever.

Disclaimer: These are just the thoughts and opinions of one relative newcomer who professes no special insight and little experience with the culture of Burning Man. In any other sort of culture, I would be keeping my mouth shut right now.

[mshaman]

@Frogbird and @Zaphod Burner, you rock.