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Burning man is stupid.

Discussion in 'Non-Dama Drama' started by Cheech_Sander, Aug 30, 2017.

  1. Cheech_Sander

    Cheech_Sander Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2016
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    It's that time of year again, when 70,000 people descent on a godforsaken litterbox in the middle of nowhere to experience the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment for distracted people, and then proceed to talk about it for the next two months.

    I personally have never been, mainly because I hate festivals, I hate deserts, I hate large groups of people, and I don't do drugs (anymore). I have no problem with Burning Man at its core. I think it's an interesting social experiment and probably a lot of fun if you are into that kind of thing. The thing that turns me off is the piousness and hypocrisy, mainly on these points:

    • burners will talk your ear off about "the gifting economy" and talk about how there is no money. Oftentimes it comes coupled with a heavy dose of corporate resentment. They gloss over the fact that burning man is run by a for profit limited liability corporation.
    • burners talk about self sufficiency, but left to their own devices in the arrid desert would starve or dehydrate and perish in mere days if they were to be stuck there. They also create immense environmental impact, both carbon based from the hours of traffic and flights there and trash based.
    • Spiritual enlightenment cannot spring from a distracted environment. I won't even say that psychadelics aren't real spiritual techniques. Maybe they can be. But you can't really go deep spiritually with naked centaurs and dinopeople distracting you.
    Just call it what it is; am excuse to blow off and do drugs in the desert for a week. Nothing more, nothing less. Pretty much everything that annoys me is summed up in this clip:



    /rant
     
    Aug 30, 2017
  2. cpthangover

    cpthangover Slayer

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Inland Empire, CA
    I am so glad somebody else said this.

    No, I don't want to go. While I don't judge you for for taking dangerous amounts of psychedelics and having casual s̶e̶x̶ orgies, but It's not something I want to do.

    "but man, it's a life changing spiritual experience".

    ...

    I guess I am lucky I only have a few friends who are into it.
     
    Aug 30, 2017
  3. Congarranza

    Congarranza DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Location:
    Camarillo, CA
    Best part: "sounds like cochella." *he then proceeds to wiggle his hands and engage his spirit fingers*
     
    Aug 30, 2017
  4. Congarranza

    Congarranza DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Location:
    Camarillo, CA
    And for those that need an animated explanation of blazing guy:

     
    Aug 30, 2017
  5. J-Swish

    J-Swish Honed Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2016
    Location:
    Reno NV
    Every year the week before Burning Man all of the burners flood into Reno to buy groceries...and then come back through on their way out. Every year they leave sooo many dirty bikes and whatever shit they don't want. My respect level for them is very low.
     
    Aug 31, 2017
    A_Bachman likes this.
  6. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    that's honestly all it is lol. an escape from society and a gateway to copious amounts of drugs and desert sex.

    On another topic, the people who are all about the "spiritual enlightenment" bullshit nowadays are so fucking annoying lol. I'm no expert, but I feel like achieving actual enlightenment is something that takes years of practice/mediation to do, I don't think rolling in the desert will get you those same results..
     
    Sep 3, 2017
  7. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
  8. MicahDama

    MicahDama Honed Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2016
    Location:
    Illinois State University
    But I like going places and doing psychedelics?
     
    Sep 25, 2017
  9. Cheech_Sander

    Cheech_Sander Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2016
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Sep 25, 2017
    goenKendama likes this.
  10. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
    That's only the bikes. . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
    Sep 26, 2017
  11. Sackxay Lovan

    Sackxay Lovan n00b

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2017
    I've seen cool things on youtube that arent related to drugs or sex. There is a man who made a plasma popper and he has a booth where you can shoot down bottles with it. The gamer/science buff in me wants to try this!
     
    Sep 26, 2017
  12. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    This is one of the best videos ever.
     
    Oct 22, 2017
  13. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
    @Cheech_Sander apparently we got this all wrong. (where's that tongue-in-cheek icon) Here's a piece I ran across from a Temple University sociologist and author.

     
    Nov 20, 2017
  14. Qonnor

    Qonnor Slayer

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2017
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    ^^ this dude is trying to sound so professor-y the whole time. The hardcore burners I know will tell you that it's become too corporate and has lost its charm. That said, they still go so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
    Nov 21, 2017
    goenKendama likes this.