Burning Man counterculture seeks social, political influence

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 9/1/03 | Don Thompson

[MikalM]

Burning Man, the wild counterculture festival held annually in one of the nation's most remote areas, is coming to cities across America.

It's time to try to influence the very culture against which this year's record 30,500 Burning Man participants rebelled, the phenomenon's founder and resident visionary said in an interview.

[cryptical]

I'm glad they're going to bring forward a culture of going to the wilderness and getting ripped, because that's never been thought of before.

[Fzob]

Gee, I can hardly wait for this freak show to go national. </ sarcasm>

[wimpycat]

The 60's are over, man.

[new cruelty]

The Onion:No One Makes it to Burning Man Festival

[Bogey78O]

Burning Man is a magnet for freaks. I have many friends who go and I assure you it's the norm.

[tallhappy]

People talk about Aztlan and Reconquista and things like that.

This sort of stuff is much more troubling or worrisome than that.

It's a bit too much like 1920's Germany.

[per loin]

Retromotive, man, retromotive!!!

[madprof98]

Gee, I can hardly wait for this freak show to go national.

It has. Haven't you followed the Dean campaign?

[Salman]

Two full-time employees of Black Rock City LLC are helping develop regional spinoffs beyond those already growing in places like New York, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Austin, Tex., -- and making sure they adhere to the philosophy of the original.

Sounds like a growth business. Are they listed on NASDAQ?

[HIDEK6]

"Many people will have the Burning Man experience and feel a part of Burning Man without ever coming here," said Harvey, serially smoking cigarettes and sipping iced coffee as his aviator sunglasses turned opaque in the swirling dust.

H'mmm. Maybe we can get these assholes to join the anti-anti-smoking movement.

That would keep them off the streets!

[Vigilantcitizen]

"People talk about Aztlan and Reconquista and things like that."

"This sort of stuff is much more troubling or worrisome than that."

Aztlan: Group which openly states it wants to return the south western United States to Mexico, by force if neccessary.

Burning man: 20,000 people out in the middle of the desert doing drugs and not bathing for a week.

I'd say there isn't even a close comparison.

[tallhappy]

Correct. Burning Man is much more dangerous and threatening to our freedoms and future.

Not even a close comparison.

[Vigilantcitizen]

"Correct. Burning Man is much more dangerous and threatening to our freedoms and future."

Please, do explain.

[Buckwheats]

Idiotic delusions of grandeur. This will succeed like communes did.

[Soliv123]

Sounds like a new group of hippies who denounce the excesses of consummerism before having a party and then declaring that socialism is the way to have a world wide village of caring friends. It seems like they would all just purchase houses near each other and live like Hank Hill and his Good Neighbors. Maybe they could start a bunch of vegetable gardens with group dinners in the back yards. Wait a minute, isn't that what a bunch of relatives in a small town do as a life style anyway? They all just want to live in Mayberry, N.C.

[randog]

...the festival's values of libertarian freedom, radical artistic and self-expression, and anti-consumerism...

Hmmmmm, an awful lot of them do enjoy their gas-guzzling Winnebago's, though. Speaking of, I saw one driving through town today with a trailer in tow. The driver had better think about consuming a new wheel bearing for that trailer before too long. At least he made it into town--we saw a lot of his "spiritual brethren" stranded on the highway (in broken-down Winnebago's, of course) today.

[thoughtomator]

The moment they seek influence the basis of their counterculture evaporates.

[Tax Government]

Nobody with even half a life would go to this thing. It's the SF diseased state of mind, transplanted to a desert.

[Tax Government]

Nobody with even half a life would go to this thing. It's the SF diseased state of mind, transplanted to a desert.

Anti-commercialism == anti-commerce and anti-freedom. What an uncredible basis for a social movement.