Burning Man... Yikes!

[seaurchin]

Tens of thousands of people have been stuck for days at the Burning Man Festival in primitive living conditions, after rain turned the desert floor into mud. One death has been reported.

Thousands told to shelter in place at Burning Man fest in Nevada with access closed due to flooding

Thousands of Burning Man attendees trudged in sloppy mud on Saturday — many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet — as flooding from storms swept through the Nevada desert, forcing organizers to close vehicular access to the counterculture festival. Revelers were urged to shelter in...

news.yahoo.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/03/us/burning-man-storms-shelter-sunday/index.html

 

[seaurchin]

I didn't know much about the Burning Man festival until these headlines caught my eye and led me to spend a couple of hours reading about it.

It's not really my kind of thing, though it may have been years ago. Still, wow! Very interesting imo.

Well, aside from how this year turned out. That took it from a "no, thanks" to a "hell no!" for me.

 

[Matata]

I loathe this event used by nearly 80,000 people to "commune with nature" as an excuse to hold a rave in an ecologically sensitive environment. We've hiked and backpacked through this area for decades. When a desert environment is damaged, the damage lasts for a long time. We often find settlers' wagon wheel trails that have remained unchanged for 200 yrs and the challenges of weather. I hope this situation is the beginning of the end of Burning Man altogether or at the very least causes its move to a less sensitive environment.

end of rant and I haven't told you how I really feel

 

[Matata]

What do you mean? I mean, it doesn't look like there's anything there to damage. Just... dirt.

Not trying to be argumentative, just don't understand your post.

200 year old wagon wheel tracks, wow. Also, love your "Burning man" face!

First let me confess that I am biased toward people who have no respect for this particular desert because I am so fond of it. I have yet to speak with any Burning Man attendees who express appreciation for the desert. Most are focused on the human to human experience. What adds to my prejudice about the attendees is that almost half are highly educated white men with incomes in excess of $100,000 a year so I see this event as self-indulgent privilege and I would prefer they self-indulge in an area that is better able to recover from their presence.

Life in this desert is small scale, some is microscopic. You have to get up close and personal to see the beauty of this desert from the tiny flowers growing on small low-growing plants, to the sparkling minerals on the surface of the clay and sand to the gorgeous colors exposed in dirt and rock by the harsh weather conditions. The desert is fragile and it takes a long time for plants and animals to recover from damage done to it by humans and non human processes. Destroying plants and disturbing the earth makes a harsh environment more difficult to live in for everyone.

The playa where Burning Man is held was once a lake and it is still home to aquatic life that is important to migrating birds as well as local birds. Human and vehicular traffic disturbs the life cycle of the eggs laying dormant waiting for seasonal rains and thus reduces precious food sources for the animals, birds, insects that depend on it.

The natural systems that disturb the ecology of the desert environment do significant damage as plants are very slow to colonize and grow. When disturbed or destroyed, some simply vanish. When human activity is added to those natural stressors, damage and destruction is compounded.

 

[seaurchin]

First let me confess that I am biased toward people who have no respect for this particular desert because I am so fond of it. I have yet to speak with any Burning Man attendees who express appreciation for the desert. Most are focused on the human to human experience. What adds to my prejudice about the attendees is that almost half are highly educated white men with incomes in excess of $100,000 a year so I see this event as self-indulgent privilege and I would prefer they self-indulge in an area that is better able to recover from their presence.

Life in this desert is small scale, some is microscopic. You have to get up close and personal to see the beauty of this desert from the tiny flowers growing on small low-growing plants, to the sparkling minerals on the surface of the clay and sand to the gorgeous colors exposed in dirt and rock by the harsh weather conditions. The desert is fragile and it takes a long time for plants and animals to recover from damage done to it by humans and non human processes. Destroying plants and disturbing the earth makes a harsh environment more difficult to live in for everyone.

The playa where Burning Man is held was once a lake and it is still home to aquatic life that is important to migrating birds as well as local birds. Human and vehicular traffic disturbs the life cycle of the eggs laying dormant waiting for seasonal rains and thus reduces precious food sources for the animals, birds, insects that depend on it.

The natural systems that disturb the ecology of the desert environment do significant damage as plants are very slow to colonize and grow. When disturbed or destroyed, some simply vanish. When human activity is added to those natural stressors, damage and destruction is compounded.

Oops, I decided to delete my post and look it up myself. Sorry, didn't realize you were working on a reply.

Here's something I found. Very surprised to learn there is "aquatic life" there.

About the Black Rock Desert Playa - Friends of Black Rock High Rock

The Black Rock Playa in northwestern Nevada is one of the largest, flattest, surfaces on Earth, covering approximately 200 square miles. Standing on the playa taking in the 360-degree view is an experience you won’t soon forget. What Is a Playa? Desert playas are dynamic, harsh ecological...

blackrockdesert.org

 

[lambskin]

Is it on private land?

 

[seaurchin]

Is it on private land?

It is apparently a private event held on public land.

 

[seaurchin]

At the beginning of this year's Burning Man, (before the rain) climate protestors blocked the road leading in to the festival. They parked a 28 foot trailer across the two lane roadway, and chained themselves to it, causing miles of gridlock.

A ranger from the local tribal law enforcement agency rammed the trailer with his patrol car, then pulled a gun on the protestors, threatening to "take them all out."

The incident is under review.

MSN

 

[Matata]

At the beginning of this year's Burning Man festival, (before the rain) climate protestors blocked the road leading in to the festival. They parked a 28 foot trailer across the two lane roadway, and chained themselves to it, causing miles of gridlock.

The irony is rich. Climate protesters block the road of some of the 80,000 people traveling to Burning Man. I'd bet few is any of those waiting turned off their vehicles and sacrificed their air conditioning leading to a concentration of toxic emissions that are one of the things the protesters were protesting. Oops.

 

[LilAlex]

It is apparently a private event held on public land.

All kinds of wacky things are committed by private parties on public lands in the West. Read about Ammon Bundy and the Malheur, etc. Plenty of folks think that anything that isn't private is theirs for the taking. Tons of national forest and BLM lands in the West means lots of grow operations and drug labs and illegal logging and dumping.

Burning Man is not our scene. In this instance, and with respect to @Matata's post, I am not convinced that the high-income white men in attendance are any worse-behaved or more destructive than the others who are there. But I get that it is a sensitive landscape.

 

[Matata]

with respect to @Matata's post, I am not convinced that the high-income white men in attendance are any worse-behaved or more destructive than the others who are there.

There are few attendees (according to the census data taken for the event) with incomes below $50,000. Non-Hispanic whites are 81% of attendees. It is an event for those who have money, most of whom are white with men @ approx 54% and women at approx 46%. Burners are majority white and rich which affords them the privilege of attending the event so there aren't many others there who are worse-behaved or destructive.

 

[LilAlex]

almost half are highly educated white men with incomes in excess of $100,000 a year so I see this event as self-indulgent privilege

^ I see; so the other almost-half are white women of a similar demographic and, presumably, privilege. I did not get that from your post. I somehow inferred it was rich white men and maybe their broke-a$$ dates...?

 

[seaurchin]

Tickets are $575-2,750 per person plus $150 per vehicle. That’s quite a bit for people on lower incomes.

Also, when I was young and poor, camping was too much like my regular life to appeal to me. For that much money, I’d have insisted on a much cushier vacation anyway.

 

[monarch64]

There are few attendees (according to the census data taken for the event) with incomes below $50,000. Non-Hispanic whites are 81% of attendees. It is an event for those who have money, most of whom are white with men @ approx 54% and women at approx 46%. Burners are majority white and rich which affords them the privilege of attending the event so there aren't many others there who are worse-behaved or destructive.

Cough <tech bros> cough

 

[musicloveranthony]

I have been to Burning Man previously and I was invited to go this year with a friend who was running a camp. I'm very grateful my anxiety held me back. I've always felt troubled by the ecological impact of the event and have always thought the proclamation that the event doesn't involve exchange of money is pure BS.

 

[OreoRosies86]

The concept of Burning Man is so ridiculous to me. This is like watching another Fyre Fest disaster.

 

[monarch64]

^ I see; so the other almost-half are white women of a similar demographic and, presumably, privilege. I did not get that from your post. I somehow inferred it was rich white men and maybe their broke-a$$ dates...?

Oh idk, could it be maybe that young women are encouraged to go to festivals to make money just as they are encouraged to be cart girls at country club golf courses, go to bars for the “free” drinks, and

The concept of Burning Man is so ridiculous to me. This is like watching another Fyre Fest disaster.

Right?! But fyre fest was partly based off BM. And dude is out of prison now and planning another FF. Pretty sure this one will be full of incels and influencers.

 

[LilAlex]

Oh idk, could it be maybe that young women are encouraged to go to festivals to make money just as they are encouraged to be cart girls at country club golf courses, go to bars for the “free” drinks

Not following this -- how do women make money at Burning Man? I just assumed that they paid like everyone else and therefore could afford the (high) price of entry. On the site, it looks like only kids under 12 are free (nice!).

And nobody I know is encouraging young women to be cart girls or go to bars for free drinks. They have some agency there.

My point was just that, from the demographics cited above, the festival appears to be 80 - 90% wealthy white people (see also: Taylor Swift tour) yet only the male half was called out on this thread because, well, y'know...

 

[Matata]

yet only the male half was called out on this thread because, well, y'know...

Because that's the way it was stated in the article where I found the stats