post what you didn't like about 2011 here

[Hoolie]

Hoolie!

No I did not direct my thoughts at you lol. Just the general outlook.

Sorry if it hit you, I did not intend to throw anything harmful

No worries. I wasn't intending to lash out. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being misinterpreted. But it looks like you weren't addressing me anyway, so never mind...

[Miles]

But there was a stinky vibe all around the playa this year, who knows.

Funny, I didn't find the vibe much different than last year- It did take me a couple days to 'get into it', but I blame a bike-theft scare (turned out OK!) and a bit of jadedness on that. By Wednesday I was back in the full swing of things and smiling like a virgin again.

It's true that the rotten apples stick out above the good ones. But again, we can just complain and lament, or we can educate and nurture. It's not always going to have a profound (or even marginal) affect, but if we don't try, then are we any better than the frat boys?

[atomicray]

I suspect the average fratboy or other such related thug is not interested in anything you, I, or anyone else has to say because:

1. we are not one of the pack (they checked by sniffing your ass if you remember)

2. most everyone else who does not know anything about Burning Man thinks it is solely populated by 60's style hippies, and thus having no value (their words not mine, I slapped the guy that said it...he peed like a pre-schooler)

3. we are not of an age appropriate to offer a decent fight or to join their butt sniffing clan

4. they think that anyone older or younger than they are unintelligent, unworthy, and just plain uncool

So your good natured intentions are mostly wasted on these types...they are beyond reach at this point...some maturity or hardship need to set in for the seeds of hope to settle in and possibly germinate.

*****

I worked security at several hotels in Miami's South Beach, Ft Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, and Key West (for MTV) during spring break...so I speak from a place of first hand knowledge...the only real tools for convincing these types that they are acting in a way that is inappropriate is a taser, pepper spray, and/or cattle prod.

So many times I witnessed a WOOOOO moment...wooo is the universal call of those about to get seriously injured because of stupidity;

woooo...then a 19yr old girl jumps out a 2nd story window in an effort to land in the pool and then hits an umbrella and table on the way down

woooo...then a 20yr old guy runs across a 2"x6" that stretched between the hotel and the bar...then he slipped (bet you didn't see that coming) racking himself and then falling 8' onto his head

woooo...then a 20 something guy on the MTV beach set jumped off the cabana to impress the girls or guys or both and landing on the mic stand which scraped a nice chunk of skin/flesh from the hip up to his face where it went through his cheek

etc.

Nothing good comes of wooo except stories for other of the pack to tell about the victim which usually starts off with a "you should have seen this shit..."

No sir, at this stage given the short time of contact, the limited attention span, questionable active brain cell count, lack of interest, etc. I think it is a nearly lost cause...those that have a chance to be inducted will rarely start off as a roach...it is a result of the social machine that we live in...you are dealing with people who think that roofies are a first date option.

The age itself is not the issue...it is the mentality.

If there is some magic formula to convert a wooo type of thug into a reasonable person then I would support a national campaign.

Seriously.

Cheers

Atomic Ray

[creativecstasy]

People jumping on moving art cars without asking was my biggest problem.

A woman jumped on our art car as it was moving down a busy street. She didn't like our blank stares of disbelief at this breaking of two rules (not asking, and jumping on a moving art car), and she took an attitude that she was in charge and we should be less rude to her.

As a virgin, I was explicitly told several times this is what you're supposed to do to get on an art car. If you try to stop and ask, the car will already be gone. Just jump on, and respect if someone tells you to get off.

[atomicray]

People jumping on moving art cars without asking was my biggest problem.

A woman jumped on our art car as it was moving down a busy street. She didn't like our blank stares of disbelief at this breaking of two rules (not asking, and jumping on a moving art car), and she took an attitude that she was in charge and we should be less rude to her.

As a virgin, I was explicitly told several times this is what you're supposed to do to get on an art car. If you try to stop and ask, the car will already be gone. Just jump on, and respect if someone tells you to get off.

I suppose that if a an art car looks like it is the type that one could easily secure a ride...like hand rails, an open back section with a platform, etc. then I guess it would be ok if the hitcher respected the wishes of the driver(s).

The real issue beyond common courtesy would be those art cars that do not have any sort of manageable hand holds, extra seats, or other objects that show that the space was meant for sharing...someone just jumping on the hood of your car would certainly freak someone out

[creativecstasy]

People jumping on moving art cars without asking was my biggest problem.

A woman jumped on our art car as it was moving down a busy street. She didn't like our blank stares of disbelief at this breaking of two rules (not asking, and jumping on a moving art car), and she took an attitude that she was in charge and we should be less rude to her.

As a virgin, I was explicitly told several times this is what you're supposed to do to get on an art car. If you try to stop and ask, the car will already be gone. Just jump on, and respect if someone tells you to get off.

I suppose that if a an art car looks like it is the type that one could easily secure a ride...like hand rails, an open back section with a platform, etc. then I guess it would be ok if the hitcher respected the wishes of the driver(s).

The real issue beyond common courtesy would be those art cars that do not have any sort of manageable hand holds, extra seats, or other objects that show that the space was meant for sharing...someone just jumping on the hood of your car would certainly freak someone out

I get what you're saying now. I saw a few folks jumping on random SUVs as they moved in or out of the city, and thought that was both stupid and dangerous. Similarly, I wouldn't jump on a golf cart type of art car, just the big ones with platforms and seats all around.

[Elorrum]

I'm sorry I don't have time to read this carefully right now, but I think I have my rock band or theme camp name right here. thank you.

goddess warship camp

[theCryptofishist]

Is mace legal in Nevada?

I believe that it is "weapons" and not "firearms" that are banned at the event. I may be wrong.

...do you really think Larry is living in a pup tent ($20 million dollars made from ticket sales...that is a few steps up the class ladder I would think)...

Oh crap, now we get to prepare for another round of "larry makes too much money"...

[theCryptofishist]

People jumping on moving art cars without asking was my biggest problem.

A woman jumped on our art car as it was moving down a busy street. She didn't like our blank stares of disbelief at this breaking of two rules (not asking, and jumping on a moving art car), and she took an attitude that she was in charge and we should be less rude to her.

As a virgin, I was explicitly told several times this is what you're supposed to do to get on an art car. If you try to stop and ask, the car will already be gone. Just jump on, and respect if someone tells you to get off.

It's stupid advise and following it will occasionally result in serious injury or death.

[The CO]

As a virgin, I was explicitly told several times this is what you're supposed to do to get on an art car. If you try to stop and ask, the car will already be gone. Just jump on, and respect if someone tells you to get off.

I will wet blanket this. creativecstacy, the person or people that told you that are fucking stupid.

DO NOT JUMP ON OR OFF MOVING ART CARS!

It is the best, most assured way to get injured at Burning Man.

Art Cars/Mutant Vehicles have minders for a reason. It is because people can get injured OR FUCKING KILLED trying to jump on or off. Don't be that person.

If you can't get the MV to stop, there might be a reason. Don't be the asshole that tries to jump on and winds up with a life-flight to Reno.

*edit*
From DMV regs:
Additional Driving Guidelines for Mutant Vehicles
In addition to adhering to the driving rules indicated above, Mutant Vehicles must:

Create a clear field of vision for the operator, including rear and side mirrors
Have ground guides (walkers) if the vehicle is large, has a limited field of vision or is dangerous to pedestrians
Have a safe access area and procedures for loading and unloading passengers
Clearly display the Mutant Vehicle license in a location specified by the DMV

[RedHeaven]

I finally moved back to the Suburbs, more of a small town feel. I spent time at art projects and dive bars in the 4-5:00 neighborhoods. After 3 years on the Esplanade, I had the friendliest burn in a long time, but I made that happen by spending my time in Small Townesque areas.

My big peeve was expected. Large Sound Camps. In 07 and 08 I had some decent times at certain sets there but when I went out this year they were soooo overcrowded and SUPER unfriendly. You would think that a nice hippyish act like Beats Antique would attract a friendly crowd but seemed like it was just too intense of a jungle out there to feel a good dance flow. Peoples elbows were stiff as a board and nudgy. Nobody smiled much. Infected Mushroom was a fun act but the vibe was pretty brutal. You have to have a buddha bubble and go with friends to feel any kind of cozyness.

So I stayed away and went to see live bands at Hair of the Dog instead. Their party on Friday night was so friendly and welcoming I think I found my place in BRC on my 6th year finally.

A couple other negatives: The Neo Nazi with the Misfits Tshirt yelling nazi things at HOTD. HOTD kicked his ass out. Also, some asshole came up to me and said "you know, youre really beautiful even though you are chubby" I said WTF DUDE? He said "I didnt mean to hurt you, this is my first time and I thought we could say what we wanted to people" I wanted to say "Well yer doin it wrong, buddy!" but I ended up crying for 3 hours straight instead. Meltdowns are bound to happen though. I was treated like a queen the next day so it made up for that.

I guess I will have to stay away from the large sound camps even if I like an act. Maybe sunrise sets are better, didnt make them this year (was occupied in heaven) but they are not Must See things anymore for me after the clusterfuck vibes I got at Opulent and Hookahdome. No thanks. By no means am I blaming Hookahdome or Opulent. Both camps kick ass. Im judging the patrons so dont mean to dis the hard work of the camps themselves.

And....NO WHITE OUTS! Felt weird and too easy. I was jonsin for one by Saturday. I felt like I was only half there at times with all the good weather

[jobi]

I discovered that I am not a fan of Infected Mushroom's new material. It is so different from their other stuff that it seems like they should have released it under another name. That's the artist's prerogative though..

[atomosk]

This year's Burn had a lot of wonderful qualities, but I agree with previous posters who felt that the "vibe" (yes I'm a California hippie) has been shifting away from the principles that I was indoctrinated into. I believe therein lies the rub. It's not that Burning Man is "mainstream". It's that more people are coming to the event without any indoctrination at all. I don't want to blame young people because I don't think it's all on their shoulders. The event could not continue if no one new ever attended. I do agree that I witnessed more negativity and less open acceptance.

I think this is a good point. I still feel burning man has gone more main stream because it seems that young men are the fastest growing demographic out there. It seems that the burner culture has been invading rave culture and then music culture and then club culture and general artsy subversive culture for a long time. I think that many people coming out for the first time aren't coming out because they are intrigued by the experiment and want to contribute in meaningful ways to the intentional community, but they're coming because they've heard so much about it and want to see it for themselves. Just like they may have heard about similar music festivals, but without any real outreach to explain the participatory aspects. I can also say that from Reno or even to the bay, it's not hard to get there, and you really don't need to bring much. (maybe sometimes not enough though )

For disclosure, I'm a male in my 20's, but I was fully indoctrinated before I went and didn't consider the music that could be there at all. I didn't dance or like electronica. Burning Man did change all that and as a result I've fallen into some raving and clubbing and djing, but that seems completely backwards compared to what most people are doing there.

I do think it's interesting to consider that this is more of a city than a small town now, where people are more standoff-ish and the level of initial trust between strangers does diminish with the larger size, but I might also mention that in small towns (like the ones I grew up in) there is MUCH less initial trust between strangers than in cities because we're used to keeping secrets from the people we know to prevent gossip, and we're not used to talking to people we don't know. I think that there's some lack of initial trust because the demographics are changing and not because the population is increasing. I think we need to do more to reach out to the potential community of young people before they come so we're all more on the same page about the experiment.

[The CO]

Also, some asshole came up to me and said "you know, youre really beautiful even though you are chubby" I said WTF DUDE? He said "I didnt mean to hurt you, this is my first time and I thought we could say what we wanted to people" I wanted to say "Well yer doin it wrong, buddy!" but I ended up crying for 3 hours straight instead. Meltdowns are bound to happen though. I was treated like a queen the next day so it made up for that.

RH, your are beautiful even though we have never met. When we meet, You will be continue to be beautiful.

Remember that some folks are just discovering the concept of a true compliment. They may not get it the first few time around. Feel free to educate them in how to give a compliment that is not backhanded. Todays yahoo can be tomorrows citizen with a little learning.

Don't let the uneducated get you down. And stay beautiful.

[EastcoastEd]

As a virgin, It's comical to listen to everyone bitch and moan about the same exact shit that goes on in the default world. Doesn't matter the event bikeweek, music festival, the beach, or the campground on memorial day; you're going to get the unwashed freeloading drainbow , the douchebag fratboy , the attention addicted whores , the daytripper , the tagalongs , the "once a year" camper , and class envy from "mr. moneybags" to the "petty thief". If one is not accountable, courtious, helpful, self-relient, and contributing; then one is TRYING to be the opposite, or too clueless to know the difference.

[Mr. Googles]

We had an amazing time this year, but unfortunately due to not being able to get enough time off from work, we had to leave Saturday around noon.

My only complaint was a dick move done by one of our neighbors when we were leaving. We packed everything up, and visited a friend a few blocks away before we left. Our window was cracked, and someone poured all their grey water into my car through the window. It ruined my amp, my laptop, and left a huge mess.

I'm totally cool with a joke on the playa, but that was uncalled for!

Other than that, I saw lots of moop around the bathrooms every day. We picked up what we could, but we saw many people just ignore it..

[ShittySarah]

Worst thing: Someone stole my golden Poop Funnel and it was never returned.

[Ugly Dougly]

Is mace legal in Nevada?

I believe that it is "weapons" and not "firearms" that are banned at the event. I may be wrong.

There is a BLM loophole for axes. Go for it.

[Lady V]

This thread is making me sad somehow.

New burners need to be educated, no matter their age. We haven't been to B Man since 2006, and are going again in 2012. In talking to 20-something virgins in our northern CA town, we hear the same thing: B Man is a big rave, people do drugs and have random sex with people 24/7, and alcohol is free. They do not even seem to understand that B Man has anything to do with [i]art,[/i] let alone the 10 principles.

I heard the story about Anonymous camp on BMIR (spent way too many hours watching the UStream this year and it streamed BMIR). The guy was on the radio; he said he was naked, went to their bar, no one talked to him, the actress Anne Hathaway was at the bar, a guy politely asked him to leave saying the camp was having "a private party." He left his drink at the bar. That private party bit sparked a good half hour of discussion: spectator vs. participant.

Our camp will again emphasize the feminine in all of us (receptive, nurturing, evaluative) over the masculine in all of us (protective, heirarchical, active)--particularly now, because everything being said in this thread suggests that B Man is now echoing the default Western world: the masculine (get out there, do, see everything, change stuff, move!, be the best, win!) continues to override the feminine (wait until things are clear before acting, receive, give, seek harmony), and it's the imbalance that messes everything up.

[Miles]

Our window was cracked, and someone poured all their grey water into my car through the window. It ruined my amp, my laptop, and left a huge mess.

Hope this is fake. That's just about the biggest dick move I've ever heard of. Unbelievable.

[Mr. Googles]

Sadly, it's a true story. My girlfriend was a real trooper to sit in it all the way to Utah.

Lady V, I think you hit the nail on the head with this one.. I'd love to possibly be a part of your camp next year!

[Fufa]

It seems people forgot to ask permission before you take someone's photo... So many people just pointing and shooting without saying a word. I was attending a friend's wedding at the temple on Thursday, and out of nowhere at least a half a dozen people showed up out of the crowd with large, professional cameras. None of them spoke to any of us, just started taking photos of the bridal party and guests. Then, again without speaking to anyone, they disappeared into the crowd. On Sunday, I was riding around topless in the relentless heat, and a young man stood in front of his camp with a stupid smile on his face and held up a disposable camera pointed at me as I rode by. I yelled at him "NO, THANKYOU!" He didn't take my photo, just twisted the camera to take a shot of my friend riding behind me. That's just 2 specific examples I can remember, but I saw people getting snap-happy everywhere. Not just getting pics of people in the background, but full close-ups.

I was camping with 8 birgins, and when I brought this up they seemed to think there was nothing wrong with it, and that in coming to (quote) "a public event" like Burning Man, you should expect to get your photo taken and face the consequences of inappropriate (particularly naked/partially clothed) photos ending up on the internet. The careers that myself and my boyfriend are in, are of the kind that in the wrong hands all it could take was one photo to lose a job (think healthcare, teaching, working with children, that kind of stuff). We obviously take it seriously the idea of strangers taking our photos and us having no idea what happens to those images later. We're not going to invest many years and a lot of money in a career, just to be screwed by someone with a bad stereotype about Burning Man.

[kvd]

Peeve 1:
On 8:30 between A and B was a huge "anonymous" camp of luxury RVs housing people who'd flown in and had everything catered, from food to showers to an on-the-spot costume seamstress. There was even a servants quarters in this faux little paradise, in that the paid workers didn't live with and weren't supposed to fraternize with the customers. How they could do this without greasing some of the BMorg's dirty palms I don't know. (I know there were several east coast CEOs and at least one state governor's wife, and I heard at least one Hollywood scumbag name being dropped as well.) Another one across 8:30 from there, luxury RVs, a rack of dozens of identical bikes, etc. had a big party Sunday night, in hindsight I regret not crashing it to see what the fuckers were up to.

There are rich people out there. They like to party. They like art. Deal with it. Good on 'em for doing an anonymous camp. I had more trouble with the rich assholes running the "Christina" art boat than any anonymous camp.

And onto 20-something males, two points. One is that, like the females, males are subject to crazy doses or hormones. Ruled by them. Sure, there's no convenient bloody monthly marker or such to validate this in most peoples' eyes, but we're ruled just the same. Ask any bio-female trans person what it's like to take testosterone. A female shooting T pretty much feels like fucking every girl they see and fighting every male they see in order to then fuck the girl he's with. The other point is that I believe that these fellas will, at some point in the week, experience things that will change them. Only slightly, sure, but think about nudging an asteroid and where it ends up a year later, five years, ten years. BRC actually fixes many of these problem children. I welcome them. I welcome the chance to plant the seeds of change in them, and I'm confident that BRC does that.

I feel kind of the same way about the rich folks or the celebrities. This is our change to be the influence. There's no room for them, as celebrities to be celebrities, in our culture in BRC. I like giving them that gift, and I like that they appreciate it. Not that I like that more than the wide-eyed virgin who wanders into our camp on their first walkabout, not at all. I just think that we get to plant seeds into these folks, too, folks who have some wider default-world cultural influence and when the seeds grow, they might echo our values.

[theCryptofishist]

A female shooting T pretty much feels like fucking every girl they see and fighting every male they see in order to then fuck the girl he's with.

Unless, of course, he wants to fuck the boys.

[CapSmashy]

Is mace legal in Nevada? What might be interesting, I could claim performance art?

Get pepperspray, much more effective on drunks. And with it being a natural product, it does not have the potential for unintended consequences like a chemical based spray like mace can have.

Provided you are not a minor or a felon, up to 2oz of aerosol based self defense pepperspray is legal in Nevada.

[C.f.M.]

...well, all I'm going to add, three pages into this, is that I'm glad to see it wasn't just me.

The aggro boys were a much larger contingent than I've noticed in years past, and I believe their presence contributed to the overall ick.

[RedHeaven]

[quote="The CO"][quote="RedHeaven"]Also, some asshole came up to me and said "you know, youre really beautiful even though you are chubby" I said WTF DUDE? He said "I didnt mean to hurt you, this is my first time and I thought we could say what we wanted to people" I wanted to say "Well yer doin it wrong, buddy!" but I ended up crying for 3 hours straight instead. Meltdowns are bound to happen though. I was treated like a queen the next day so it made up for that. [/quote]

RH, your are beautiful even though we have never met. When we meet, You will be continue to be beautiful.

Remember that some folks are just discovering the concept of a true compliment. They may not get it the first few time around. Feel free to educate them in how to give a compliment that is not backhanded. Todays yahoo can be tomorrows citizen with a little learning.

Don't let the uneducated get you down. And stay beautiful.[/quote]

Great advice and thank you The trick I need to learn is to how to say these things before reacting. Playa Strength. Feeling your wits before the sun, not after the sun melts you down. I guess I felt this guy would get the point if I just cried......and I think he did. I still have to be myself, too, and my tears didnt infringe on his time like his "compliment" did mine. He was just being a dumbass, and maybe I was subconsciously searching for a place of meltdown?

Maaaaaaan I was just reading the original post of this thread......Its a bummer how the main stream brings in the cruds. Same ole story, new world.
However I felt like I met the best people this year amongst the overall observation that people have gotten younger and more immature, there for the raves and party only. It is still the best event to meet all ages and people with purpose and drive. I met more awesome souls this year than ever, but after 6 years I finally figured out how to put myself in that pocket more. (More Burbs, less Sound Camps) I knew where to find the nugs (and it was not at Beats Antique at Hookahdome sadly)

We can hope that the heart of Burning Man will inspire those who havent felt that core beat yet. Keep being the change we wish to see in our world.

[Eric]

RedHeaven- go to your profile and enable BBCode (see image below). It will make your quotes & stuff show up right (and you are beautiful & never forget it!)

BBcode.PNG (22.22 KiB) Viewed 976 times

[theCryptofishist]

[The trick I need to learn is to how to say these things before reacting. Playa Strength. Feeling your wits before the sun, not after the sun melts you down. I guess I felt this guy would get the point if I just cried......and I think he did. I still have to be myself, too, and my tears didnt infringe on his time like his "compliment" did mine. He was just being a dumbass, and maybe I was subconsciously searching for a place of meltdown?

If it makes any difference, I don't seem to be able to hold it together to say what needs to be said politely and clearly, either. I can be quite the terror to clueless people helping me when I don't need it.

[Gen ov eve]

Locked yellow bikes. Duck taped yellow bikes. Yes, I found a yellow bike covered in black and white duck tape, and took it all off before riding it so that I wouldn't look guilty. Other than that, as a 26-year-young virgin, I had a MAGICAL time. Spent most of my time meeting people, wandering, helping to build things, and looking at the art. Even as a person into very particular styles of edm, I felt there was a bit much, BUT, you gather 50,000+ people, encourage every one of them to bring what THEY love to a harsh desert, everyone SHOULD be happy, if they are participating. I was warned by a friend anout people stealing, and that I'd see more law enforcement in uniform than I'd ever seen in my life - they were false on my part. Neither happened to me. It could have - but I landed with a magical camp of kind people, and surrounded myself with great people the entire time. Burning Man IS what YOU make it. I wasn't doing anything illegal, either, so maybe that is why I did not notice law enforcement? I'm getting active, and I will not let the torch fall.