I don't understand???

[Roberto Dobbisano]

It can also been seen as a rejection of the tendency to worship high technology and a rediscovery of a primal "kastom" heritage.

mmmmmmmmm, primal....

[Simon of the Playa]

spittin' and shittin' and sellin' yer soul...

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[mytripod]

Oh great. Now I'm picturing a flying saucer with a picket fence around it and a polka party in the front yard. All the dancers are wearing Lawrence Welk masks and polka dot shoes. Thank you very much for that nightmare. And a one, and a two...

[Ugly Dougly]

Not weird. Not Burning Man. No.
Who told you that?

[Eric]

Oh great. Now I'm picturing a flying saucer with a picket fence around it and a polka party in the front yard. All the dancers are wearing Lawrence Welk masks and polka dot shoes. Thank you very much for that nightmare. And a one, and a two...

I dunno. Sounds like a blast to me, and I even have an appropriate powder-blue tux somewhere (at least I did. hmmm...) I've got polka-dot pants, shirts, socks, pj's... I can paint some shoes.

Fishy? We still need to do our polka party!

[Elliot]

Since I'm Norwegian, can I portray Myron Floren?

[theCryptofishist]

Fishy? We still need to do our polka party!

Indeed. But as far as I'm concerned, we don't need Lawrence Welk. Nothing against the guy, but he's become the poster boy of what people thing polka is.

[Ugly Dougly]

It wouldn't be kitsch without him.

[theCryptofishist]

I genuinely love the music and don't need to dress it up as kitsch. In fact, I fear that going the kitsch route will diminish the opportunity to share what is wonderful about polka.

However, it is burningman, and I read what Eric's planning to wear, so I don't expect to win that one.

[Simon of the Playa]

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the only polka is cleveland polka.

[theCryptofishist]

PLUR, man, Polka Love Unity Respect!

[Roberto Dobbisano]

piraten.

[Eric]

I genuinely love the music and don't need to dress it up as kitsch. In fact, I fear that going the kitsch route will diminish the opportunity to share what is wonderful about polka.

However, it is burningman, and I read what Eric's planning to wear, so I don't expect to win that one.

Nah, like I said, I'm not even sure where the powder blue outfit is. Besides, I like polka too. It's relentlessly happy music, in the best way possible.

[Simon of the Playa]

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[Elliot]

...relentlessly happy...

That, I am in favor of!

[5280MeV]

I'm sorry but can someone explain this years theme to me?

I tried reading the summary twice and I still don't understand. What does the name cargo cult mean?

A cargo cult, in the abstract sense, is when a group of people are going through the superficial motions of doing something without having any understanding of how to make it actually work.

For example, the cargo cults of Vanuatu would make wooden rifles and march around, planes out of bamboo, etc, and the implication was that they were trying to emulate the American or Japanese troops of WWII and somehow make cargo arrive on the island.

People use the term "cargo cult science" to describe an attempt at synthesizing knowledge and replicating the successes of physics or chemistry by replicating the pomp and circumstance of these sciences - university departments, academic journals, papers, peer review, etc, but lacking in the experimental methodology needed to realistically accomplish their goal.

Burning Man is a cargo cult because people want to have a "transformative experience," but unlike the actual Druids who would perform the ritual properly, the Man is completely empty when he is burned. They don't actually fill the Man with living people, so there is no magic. It is all a big sham over nothing that looks like an actual sacrifice, but no one is actually burned alive:



So it is all really a waste of time and money.

[Savannah]

Burning Man is a cargo cult because people want to have a "transformative experience," but unlike the actual Druids who would perform the ritual properly, the Man is completely empty when he is burned. They don't actually fill the Man with living people, so there is no magic. It is all a big sham over nothing that looks like an actual sacrifice, but no one is actually burned alive.

Well, no one can prove it, anyway.

[5280MeV]

Burning Man is a cargo cult because people want to have a "transformative experience," but unlike the actual Druids who would perform the ritual properly, the Man is completely empty when he is burned. They don't actually fill the Man with living people, so there is no magic. It is all a big sham over nothing that looks like an actual sacrifice, but no one is actually burned alive.

Well, no one can prove it, anyway.

Wait, are you insinuating that Julius Caesar lied in his account of the Celts performing human sacrifice, or that Larry Harvey has been secretly stuffing people into the man all these years?

[ygmir]

*notes coming explanation*

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[Savannah]

Burning Man is a cargo cult because people want to have a "transformative experience," but unlike the actual Druids who would perform the ritual properly, the Man is completely empty when he is burned. They don't actually fill the Man with living people, so there is no magic. It is all a big sham over nothing that looks like an actual sacrifice, but no one is actually burned alive.

Well, no one can prove it, anyway.

Wait, are you insinuating that Julius Caesar lied in his account of the Celts performing human sacrifice, or that Larry Harvey has been secretly stuffing people into the man all these years?

The roar of the crowd, the din of pyrotechnics, and the cover of darkness hide the screams of the Wretched . . .

The Apocalypse has not yet arrived, so the sacrifice seems to be worth it.

[Simon of the Playa]

Wait, are you insinuating that Julius Caesar lied in his account of the Celts performing human sacrifice, or that Larry Harvey has been secretly stuffing people into the man all these years?
The roar of the crowd, the din of pyrotechnics, and the cover of darkness hide the screams of the Wretched . . .

The Apocalypse has not yet arrived, so the sacrifice seems to be worth it.

now you done did it.

[Savannah]

Wait, are you insinuating that Julius Caesar lied in his account of the Celts performing human sacrifice, or that Larry Harvey has been secretly stuffing people into the man all these years?
The roar of the crowd, the din of pyrotechnics, and the cover of darkness hide the screams of the Wretched . . .

The Apocalypse has not yet arrived, so the sacrifice seems to be worth it.

now you done did it.

I didn't wanna get cocky.

The Apocalypse is notably contrarian.

"Oh, you didn't think I was coming, did you? Well now I'm @#$%ing putting on my boots and showing up at your baby shower.

. . . @#$% yo couch."

[Simon of the Playa]

the apocalypse looks like This.

and she is coming to your fucking showah, you horuh.