If you beat a dead horse long enough you can start poking at its entrails, and before long you are practicing the ancient Etruscan art of Haruspex, or divination by inspecting a pile of bloody organs. I believe that we have reached this point, and so I am excited to continue the conversation!
I think that we have arrived at a nexus here - at the very heart (tee-hee!) of the matter. Plug and play was a pretty good early theory - like the Bohr theory of the atom - but it doesn't really capture the essence of what everyone, old burners, new burners, or even burners yearning to burn for the first time, is so terribly annoyed about.
What is amazing, after reading the comments on the burning blog post about this,
http://blog.burningman.com/2012/05/tenp ... /#comments, is the audacity of the Zoo camp apologetics. It all centers around being loving, nonjudgemental, etc. At the same time, perhaps the most inconsiderate MV on the playa - the subject of all sorts of complaints, the dreaded stick monster - is either a member of the camp or affiliated with the event!
My point is, the actions of this camp are inconsiderate in almost every possible manner. The apologetic comments on the Burning Blog seem to beg people to not be judgmental, to just love them - because that is apparently what Burning Man is all about - an environment in which no matter how much you shit on your neighbors, they will smile and love you unconditionally.
This is exactly the psychology of a toddler.
Not only that, the level of self-reliance is consistent with that of a toddler. In the blog of one blissfully unaware housewife attending the party (
http://www.taryncoxthewife.com/?p=9769) one sees a level of understanding of the environment around her approximately on the level of a toddler.
Another point worth bringing up is that I understand that Zoo camp provided costumes. Forget any sense of self-expression, everything is done for you - you don't even have to be creative. So there is no real learning or growth going on here. No need to explore ones actual individuality, to face the elements on your own, to understand your inner artist, to tackle challenges. Growth is stunted. But how?
Most people don't want to act as a toddler, or at least don't want to be perceived as acting in such a manner. I believe that this is where the champagne comes in. One thing that some of these camps somewhere in the PnP spectrum seem to have in common is luxury and access to "exclusive" MVs and events. This is required to create the illusion of superiority, to enable one to act as an inconsiderate child and yet still feel above the average person. Without that, the whole thing just becomes embarrassing.
Like it or not, from the evidence provided I think that this phenomenon is not uncommon BRC and has been going on for years. However, it lacks a good name. There are other annoying and potentially dangerous behaviors that people engage in at BM, and they are called sparkleponies, darkwads, and other clever names. I have not heard a compelling name for the phenomenon that I am describing.
I suggest the following: "Champagne Toddler"
Disclaimer: I apologize in advance to any adult babies or other practitioners of that sort of kink who may be offended by this post or feel that I am in any way referring to them. When it comes to self-expression, you guys are 100 times more radical and burnier than me. Appendix (haha... get it?): I am somewhat concerned that "Champagne Toddler" does not roll off the tongue well enough. Perhaps "Toddler-bubbly" would work? Please give me your feedback and suggestions.