So, on Monday night/ Tuesday morning, someone burnt the Man early. There was much hushed conversation the next morning about what was going to happen; whether the burn was still going to happen on Saturday; whether the event was ruined; and so on.
Phooey.
I don't spend a month's pay, drive thousands of miles, and pour my heart and soul into creating a camp so that I can watch a man burn. Screw that. I do it all to be part of the community that rises from the dust, building from nothing that which has never been seen before in human history: an entire city of people who care for each other, take care of one another, give each other gifts of stunning generosity, and don't ask for a damn thing in return. And at the same time, the sheer scale of human creation that takes place simply cannot be explained. From the parched barrenness of the playa sprout strange and wonderful sculptures, vehicles, and structures. Imagination reigns supreme.
In the center of all this creation and creativity lies an ethos. It is only by throwing off the tentacles of the modern capitalist system that any of this is possible. Capitalism is of course necessary for Burning Man to exist - all this stuff has to come from somewhere - but in order for Burning Man to remain vital, it must end at the gate. The relentless push for profits strangles our natural creativity and locks us all in a struggle for wealth that allows no time for play, for exploration, for humanity. Corporations put profit before people, efficiency before quality. And this year Larry Harvey and his ilk invited them into our event! In the name of environmental protection, granted, and with several caveats, but nonetheless. The pavilion beneath the Man was to be filled with products. Green technologies from the likes of GE were to be displayed, for people to see and be inspired by.
While this is doubtless motivated by the noblest of intentions, the fact is that Burning Man works because it does not take a stance. John Taylor Gatto says "institutional goals, however sane and well-intentioned, are unable to harmonize deeply with the uniqueness of individual human goals." And it is the unique, individual human goals that make Burning Man what it is, even in the face of a trend to centralize and standardize the "mission statement" of the event.
Not to mention that the hypocrisy of pushing green habits onto the population is a bit much... I mean, how many thousands of gallons of propane are shot willy nilly from fire cannons during a single Burning Man? How much fuel does it take to get thousands of RV's, cars, trucks, semi's, and moving vans to the playa? How many toxins are released when all the neon, plastic, and paint burns?
At any rate, companies were invited for the first time in the history of Burning Man, and the way I see it, the community corrected itself. Don't fuck with us, Larry Harvey and crew, and we won't have to fuck back. Don't underestimate the largest gathering of authority-despising, free-thinking, pyro-maniacal misfits in human history when it comes to keeping our event pure. We have the tools....
