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Okay so the problem isn't that it turns into a capitalist hellscape the problem is some people come together make something beautiful some rich capitalists sees it and come steals it for themselves that's the problem they steal everything from poor people and the middle class so you can't escape it because the second the rich people see it they're going to want it for themselves
I went to BM a few times 20 years ago and it was a lot of fun. And it was starting to turn into a tech bro escape back then. I knew some old timers who would leave before the weekend burn because that's when all the partiers would arrive. When my friend told me it was the one place she felt like she could be her true self, I stopped wanting to go back. I didn't want to live my life fitting into capitalism and then pretend I was in Utopia for one week a year for thousands of dollars that could have been spent on traveling.
I know a number of people who go out a week or two before the event starts to build the large scale plays art, that’s referred to as “Working Man” and much more like the event was a decade or more ago.
This comment resonates with me so much. I live on the other side of the world and never attended Burning Man, but seeing all the content online, and many of the people who attend, I got exactly the same feeling.. If you go there just to share your outrageous (but carefully planned) outfits on the 'gram, then yes, you are pretentious, not your true self.
Instead of Burning Man, we’ve started having a yearly “Brunching Man” - just dress up in ridiculous post-apocalyptic desert garb, eat pancakes and dance around to house music while getting sloshed on mimosas in a park. No need to travel to the middle of nowhere just to dig sand out of every crevice in your body. Funny thing is all the passerby know exactly what we’re referencing since Burning Man is so thoroughly in the mainstream now 😂
As an non American who had heard of Burning Man but didn't understand what it was. I went from, that's cool I'd like to attend one day, to, I'm never going there, real quick.
@@jaylucas8352 Change of heart. Deleted my replies as they were childish and full of ego. Enjoy BM if you want. But I hate traffic, littering, and hypocrisy. If it upsets you that I don't want to go to a place because of those reasons that's a you problem. Have a good one ✌️
@@reporterin-ha942 I’m so upset I’m visibly shaking......now I actually need you to go next year I’ll even look into getting the hard to get tickets or travel discounts . The fact you don’t seem like you want to go is just driving me mental. Please , please come to the desert, I think you’ll like it.
When I worked with a rather "radical" non-profit organization my boss was invited to the burning man to speak to (do traditional drugs for) venture capitalists in hopes of convincing them of dedicating some money to save the environment. He was trapped for 6 days in the desert with rich assholes and hid in a tent reading Dune and hating everyone.
I remember the University of Nevada Reno student paper about twenty years ago had an article--'light a $100 bill on fire while you stand naked in front of a sandblaster in your backyard" as an affordable equivalent lol
That’s missing one important aspect, you also need to move everything you need to live for a week into your backyard and set it all up in front of the sandblaster as well.
As a Californian who worked in liquor retail, there was never a shortage of asshat dudebros between Outside Lands and Burning Man snapping up all the PBR and Tecate, demanding a bulk discount, and arguing that we didn't keep 500 30-packs on hand for their needs. We got into the habit of very casually asking them what they needed it all for and if anything was mentioned about reselling beer or any other alcohol, they got thrown out.
it's really pent up squares who don't know how to let go in "default world." they are special people who need their own private little sanctuary to do it. if your life is such crap that you need THAT much crazy hedonism just to get by every year, then man, there's something wrong with this picture! and i say this with compassion. the real work to heal the self and find true happiness, it's tough work! and it doesn't "cost" an admission ticket! how can ppl be so naive.
I’m part of burning man culture - I go to regional burns that are way smaller and, to my understanding, carry the same feel as the big burn had in the past. What I love about it is just getting together with my friends, seeing amazing big pieces of art, and being in a space that really revs up my creativity. And camping is fun too. That being said, I really have no real desire to go to the big burn. The regionals enough are a strain on finances in the usual way that going on a vacation would, but holy hell is Burning Man just a fucking nightmare to get to, and way too expensive. It’s kinda gross how rich people will just kinda drop in there on their planes when what I love about burns is that this is a festival built from the hands of everyone participating, not just an event put on and sponsored by Pepsi.
I was part of the "culture" too. Behind the scenes. Regional and national. Built many a temple. Then one day, idk how else to put this, I just stopped being so fvcking myopic. I noticed how the whole thing started with a yt dude pissed he couldn't play with his rich yt friends on the beach without being bothered by homeless people of color Or how indigenous peoples begged - begged - these rich yt folk to please stop coming and throwing their parties on their lands. They never, and still haven't, stopped. So now? Now the indigenous people get paid. And NOW those same burners cry "I mean, we pay them! We're creating jobs! What's wrong with you!!" Lololol (notice we're back to POC) Or how every single burn looks like a Republican convention (oops. Back to those pesky POC again) Or every burner DJ of color has a name like they're out of JK Rowling story. 'DJ Gorilla' or 'YellaMinx' or 'KungPaoBeats' or whatever dafuq. (guess who we're focusing on again?) or how the entire notion of "positive vibes" or "PLUR" is created for the continuation, defending of, and the propagation of yt nationalism and the creation of an ethnostate? (yup. It's almost like we can't get away from POC or something?) So? So I stopped cosplaying as a member of a community - and actually became one. Good luck 🤞🏼 🤞🏼
I have been to burning man twice in 2019 and 2022 and I can honestly say it has been one of the best experiences of my life. It has fundamentally changed the way I perceive notions of community and generosity. I went to a 300 dollar per person camp where we had to build our own showers and evaporation systems. The conditions in the desert were TERRIBLE but the experience is worth it. Everytime I have come back with a revived sprit of generosity and a renewed faith in humanity. I highly recommend the experience. Also I am a latino woman and nobody ever asked what my ethnicity was for any census.
They don't ask you for your demographic info for the survey. You have to fill out the form yourself. It's online. So you saying, "no one ever asked me" is not how it works 😂 the better response from you would have been "I didn't fill out the survey" 😂
In this online survey I was only asked my zip code and I live in central Paris, France so I was probably counted as a white person based on that.@@sjferguson
I was in NY in early august 2018... Around the west/east village there was a pop up shop with burning man "costumes" that was so expensive. The creative people who made the artistic fits were obviously amazing talented but it was a big insight to the aesthetic of the festival and how rich some attendess must be
The marriages of those couples at Burning Man is not about you. You have no reason to be ashamed or proud of it. They got married where and how they wanted to get married, and it is none of your business. Keep your ego out of it.
World is full of things that are „for everyone“ but only those who can afford it can attend and Burning Man is not different. Theoretically, we all can dine in a Dior restaurant in Paris, sleep in a Hilton hotel, attend Plácido Domingo concert…but only those of us who can afford it are really invited. This is the world we live in.
Good point, Sophia! I've been in very upscale boutiques and restaurants and definitely felt they tolerated me (and loved my money), but they knew I could never be a regular.
If someone is already spending $100+ a month on actually buying new clothes and contributing to global waste, then this is a saving and better for the environment. Also, allows people to figure out what they like without filling up their closet. It’s not something that I would value personally but there are definitely those who would 👗💕
@@katella Absolutely yes. Shopping gives the similar dopamine hits to gambling but with an added bonus of a physical item to show for it. And $100 per month isn’t even /that/ much when you consider how easy it is to spend hundreds in a few hours if you wanted to.
I feel so bad for the people who must have been part of the og burning man crowd. Especially today, it is easy enough to critique the premise, but I still believe that these islands of escapism are valuable and important. Be they festivals, volunteer-driven summer camps and fan conventions, or community music scenes. I find they allow us the space to question what parts of society are actually important to us and why, but on a more basic level I have to imagine that a bunch of the people who were there early on found themselves part of a community and a project that was inevitably co-opted and mutated, which must have been really painful.
I have never been, but some of my friends were going to Burning Man in the 90's and back then it was like all artists, musicians, bike messengers, etc. It sounded fun (other than the heat and dust which I am not a fan of). It definitely got warped into something very different.
I am friends with many people who attended Burning Man in the mid to late 00s and they all pretty much hate it now. They still go to regional burns though
feel bad about yourself. lots of og are still involved. running the third largest city in nevada for a week is super fun regardless of the idiots that visit us
The "OG Burning man community" was still based in yt privilege, hubris, and gross wealth inequality. Nothing different from that and any other rich country club. No thanks.
I only went to Burningman once back in 2001 when it was still possible to sneak in the back and go with a few hundred buck of supplies. I hated it but I can’t totally condemn the event because I know A LOT of people that can only get funding for their art if they take it to Burningman or can only make ends meet if they market their hand sewn clothing as Burningman costumes.
I used to really enjoy watching all of the TFD content, but now, if I see that Chelsea is the host, I skip it. As an avid, and lifelong member of the cosplay/renn/LARP/fantasy community, it's not welcoming to hear "I know multiple couples who've been married at Burning Man it's the worst fact about me I don't like it any more than you do it constantly makes me question every choice I've made in this life" It's grossly offensive that she is throwing shame at just *knowing* folks who have been married at Burning Man. Chelsea throws quiet a bit of privilege at others, and it is extremely off putting and certainly doesn't make me want to support the rest of TFD that I really like (most of the animated content) if it also support her.
I go to burning man, I am lower middle class, old, and think it's pretty great. We hate the billionaires who screw it up and mostly ignore them to do our own thing. And we do clean up our camp and take everything back with us. I play in the classical orchestra there.
I went to burning man in 2020 and it was mostly full of these types. I vibe heavily with genuine burners. but burning man is in no way at all inclusive anymore. period. it’s sad.
@@TeeganLee yeah, you're right, I haven't experienced an official burn. I should try that! but the long-time burners I met on the playa in 2020 expressed that they felt like it was a truest burn in a long time. and I had an amazing experience and I would recommend anyone to go to burning man at least once in their life. but the idea that burning man in *inclusive* is still incredibly laughable to me.
@@ttangg55 if you’re local-ish 4th of July weekend is a popular time to camp out there. It’s called “4th of Juplaya” but is not an organized event at all, just a bunch of folks all camping separately, but lots of them are burners and there’s a fair amount of burneryness.
The last burning man I went to was on a beach... that should tell you how long ago that was. Personally I was always suspicious of the leadership that formed when they wanted to move it to the desert. Lots of people were conned IMHO to get this venture going and enrich those that took what was a basic decentralized flash-mob-with camping thing. There was friends who go every year to set up, many taking vacation from much higher paying jobs and their only reward is attending and people treated like servants by the cabal that are paid.
Burning man can be all about community resilience, building together, and exploring values outside of the context of daily life. For many of us it’s an important place for growth and reflection. It’s a city of 80,000 people- there are many experiences possible! While it’s not without environmental and cultural issues worth interrogating, it can also be deeper and more meaningful than the sensationalism portrayed in the media.
I’m an artist who grew up “poor white trash” but was able to slip into Burning Man to help build. I laugh at how much Ego worship there is and trash left behind. But the artist and child in me was amazed at what is created. The Man is just that, a symbol of White Privilege. Rich or middle class white people go out and celebrate their privilege. Hopefully as they Burn down the massive “the man”, they also burn their ego a bit & return to the world a bit more conscious and grateful… But humans don’t really work like that soooo
If only it could evolve into "Self-immolation Fest"... I would pay top dollar to watch billionaires dousing themselves in gasoline, and then lighting themselves on fire in the name of he who "reaps what he sews" and through "hard work and dedication", for it is "HE... the man with the most bacon who prevails and is immortal" You then see these billionaires on the ground doing the "STOP!!! DROP!!! AND ROLL!!!" boogie in a state of regret faster than you can say "was it worth all that?" now THAT is what I call entertainment
@@quantum_shhhhart you must have missed my "taking a shit while running at full speed" response... that's George Carlin, and if you watch CKY 2, they play that clip of George Carlin doing that act... you then see Chris Rabb wearing only a jock strap, a pair of white sneakers, a white cloth 80s aerobics style headband, and mirrored aviator glasses... Rabb himself then takes off jogging, then suddenly... you see a volcanic eruption of the brownest runniest diarrhea EXPLODE from his ass, much of it staining his nice white jock strap 😄😄😄 all of it captured to the sound of the song Rock Lobster by the B 52s being played... it's funny as FUCK At the end, he claims to have taken 18 laxatives prior to doing that stunt.... but there is no fucking way he took that many!!! Because had he, or anyone else, did something that stupid... he would either be hunched over balled up like a fetus thinking he's shitting his guts out... or he would be DEAD. Laxatives are nothing to play around with
I had a teacher who talked about burning man, white, middle aged, upper middle class background, thought shakespeare was god's gift to literature. Most students in my school, including myself, were working class Native kids, and he didn't understand at all. One time he tried to reward me with cash for the coffee stand when i was one of the only kids who got the homework done and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Like dude, they were probably having to cook for their siblings or cousins or rationing electricity so they could afford heating fuel or picking up shifts at their job. Just because i didn't have those going on didn't make me better Come to think of it we also had a white upper middle class teacher who had us study a unit about the current state of human trafficking so we could see how "good" we had it because a bunch of us were failing the class. Not sure what her deal was. I figure if you signed up to teach kids that came with the understanding that you were giving them opportunities for better futures, and better futures would hint at sub-par presents
I remember hearing about Burning Man when I was in my late teens thinking it sounded like the most fun thing in the world. I'm now 30 and you couldn't pay me to go.
Yeah, 20 year old me would think that would be a cool “experience” 30 year old me would be deeply embarrassed to admit I did something like this, but it isn’t like either of us could afford itv
I really enjoy TFD and I stan Chelsea in general, but this criticism would carry more weight accompanied with an actual experience. As someone who hasn't been to Burning Man, Chelsea's general level-headedness would make for interesting commentary, and it would strengthen her positions. Also, it might allow for more nuance, since I'm seeing from some of the other commenters that this does not represent their experiences at Burning Man. Overall, very interesting topic.
As a burner, this one kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I went to Burning Man in 2019 and this year, and plan to continue going, both times on a salary of less than $40k. Burning Man is not cheap, but if it's something you want to be a part of, you can work hard to budget for it. BM also has applications for "low income" tickets, which still cost a few hundred dollars, but it's something. BM is not any more privileged than any other big festival. And the idea that BM is just about partying and drugs is such a negative stereotype. BM is all about getting involved, volunteering, and being part of the community. Those who come with nothing to contribute to the city are derogatorily called "sparkle ponies." BM is about work hard, play hard. As for racial diversity, it is a problem that BM is actively working make better. Look into the R.I.D.E. initiative. Cultural appropriation - yes it will always be a problem but the vast majority of Burners are aware of it and work against it. The camps charging 10s of thousands of dollars in camp dues - known in the BM community as "plug and play camps" are very much looked down upon by the community and the BM org works hard to make sure these camps do not get placement because it goes against radical inclusion. I have had some of the best and most profound moments at Burning Man, made incredible friends and connections, and learned what true radical self reliance is. BM is definitely not for everyone, and obviously the more money you have the easier it is to go, but don't knock it until you fully understand what the Burning Man community is about.
Glad somone said something. I usually love TFD content, but this video is painfully condescending and grossly under researched. Sad to hear someone I respected choose to only zero in on issues that the vast manjority of people at burning man try to combat, including the ORG.
As a festival goer with no desire to attend burning man, it also came across as a bit condescending. I do agree with 99% of what was said otherwise. Especially in regard to wealthy individuals using it as a playground, the cost being potentially prohibitive to BIPOC and anyone else who earns less, and the carbon footprint it leaves. An issue this also brings to question is how harmful the production of certain drugs are, and how attending festivals will always be harmful to the environment. Still, I enjoyed the content, so thank you!
Thank you! I'm so sick of people who "know a few burners" parroting the same negative stereotypes as if that is even the majority experience. People doing this has had such a negative affect on the community. It's like everyone is so sick of getting shit on about tech bros and sparkle ponies that we have been going after each other in an attempt to weed them out. I hear too many stories from fellow builders about being heckled and treated like a sparkle pony for being "too clean". My husband looks like he could be a tech bro and has been treated like an unwelcome nuisance until he proves otherwise.
thanks for this, well said! I never been but I appreciate the burning man principles. as a fan of TFD and a person who loves camping gatherings, you read my mind
I think all these " burners" take the whole thing a little too seriously. The desert shouldn't cost that much money, the CEO of BM is an asshole to the employees and the place is a shithole. The art is cool though.
I’ve been a few times, the trash that is amounted there haunts me. I feel like the company just needs to deal with the trash situation, this is why we have infrastructure for cities and burning man is a city. It’s just become too big and monstrous and money is making it toxic. The people that go to the burn make it what it is which is probably why it’s becoming what it is. Thanks for touching on this topic!
@@AnitaB79 That doesn't mean the absolute waste never happened. Thousands of bikes that were ridden for 9 days, many of which were trashed so they couldn't even be donated, as an example.
@@tarody3953 Those bikes are taken care of as well. It may take months and multiple avenues depending on the condition of the bike, but they are not on playa and they are not being ignore. I agree, though, fuck the people who leave entire camps worth of stuff behind....or like, a whole airplane.... #neverforget747
@@AnitaB79 You mean like in normal society where rich people have poor people cleaning up their trash. I bet the people cleaning up are distinctly more 'diverse' than the attendees. 😉
Rainbow family gathering might be up your alley. I don’t THINK it’s changed too much since my buddy was going every year. For one thing, it’s free and money itself was “outlawed”. You’d have to look into it yourself(I know the National gathering is always in a National park) and there are also lots of regional gatherings that I understand can be hit or miss.
@@MrDirtydaves Nope, I'm not a festival/rainbow event kind of person anymore. Maybe when I was in my teens or twenties. That's more up my sister's ally.
Rich people at Burning Man are the worst. I was hired onto a kitchen crew for a caterer who was himself hired by a camp of tech bros & they were the rudest, whiniest, most insufferable people on earth. They straight spoke to us like we were trash lol like it was almost unreal. I did this 3 years in a row because not only were we paid well by the caterer for our work, he also paid for our tickets & provided everything we’d need for the week. Him & the kitchen staff are the only thing that made the experience enjoyable lol. And for anyone getting ready to type out that comment, yes I’m aware that Burning Man operates on a bartering system BUT camps get around that by accepting money prior to the event in exchange for meal tokens which is what you give us to show proof of purchase.
BM does NOT operate on a bartering system, and the org has taken serious steps to curtail the plug and play camps which real burners hate with a passion.
Yes! One of my siblings quit her job because they wouldn't allow her the 9 consecutive days off for Burning Man. Plus there are local Burner events in many states, with fraction of the cost and without the sand storms and cast system.
I haven’t been to burning man, but I can say that electronic and house music scene is one of the most accepting and welcoming communities I have ever been a part of. I was always skeptical of it and I understand why others are as well but I have found it recently in life and have been so surprised by the freedom, acceptance and community I have found. I see and understand the issues with burning man and agree they are major issues. I just wish this wasn’t spoken about in such a judgmental way. How can you talk about inclusivity while being so dismissive?
100% agree. The community arnd electronic music is life changing. The music itself is mind expanding. Substances used alongside both can also be transformative. Burning Man is not a good reflection of these values (anymore). Its basically 80k ppl who look and act the same. Its kind of a cult. Ive been many times and its actually very disturbing. Burning Man does not equal electronic music.
In terms of the cost, yes, you will spend $1000+ for tickets, food, and supplies, but once you are there, you typically don’t spend a dime (except maybe got ice and coffee). The cost is in line with many other week-long vacations you may take.
A full week long stay at a average hotel or even Airbnb can be close to or a little over $1000 (at least in the U.S.) and that's just lodging, don't get me started on average airfares domestically or internationally. Travel in general is just more expensive.
@ Cats Cats many Americans only get 1-2 weeks of vacation time a year. $1000 for the week sounds about right- we’ve stayed in resorts, or split the week between camping and a hotel and that’s about the number for lodging alone.
It's weird to hear a commentator I deeply respect be so dismissive of the event I re-arrange my life to attend because there is absolutely nothing like it. I am very aware of the issues and people she describe, but it's simply not the experience of most attendants. Rich assholes ruin everything in the end. But I don't know them. I only knitter my friends.
Especially since she hasn't actually attended the event. She seems to be basing her opinion solely off of the fact that she thinks her "friends" who attend are assholes.
65 year old woman and been to the big Burn 17 times, including this year. I am middle class. It did help me immensely to become the person I am now (ie. very happy). It is expensive, but I haven't regreted the cost yet. My husband and I camp in an old van and wear non-trendy clothes. I love this channel, but this seems a rather superficial overview of an event that has been vital to my life.
Liked and commented on the video before it even began because I'm already align with the premise. I lived in San Francisco from many years which has a massive Burner community. While I personally know many people who've expressed finding great value in the emphasis on community that Burning Man has during and outside of the event itself, the amount of overlap between the Burner & young tech/software engineer demographic never sat well with me. Tech (at least in the Bay Area) is a Peter Pan syndrome factory - churning out a young workforce with WAY MORE disposable income than a sub-25 year old person should ever have when their brains haven't even fully developed, who have the means to manufacture a very insulated, homogenous world around them (i.e. predominantly white male) that is that is Tom Hanks 'Big' level child-like but with drugs and a high financial barrier of entry. It's what has created the hugely problematic tech bubble in the Bay Area with Burning Man being one of the most identifiable outward expressions of it.
I have a friend who asked a several years ago whether I'd like to join her to go to Burning Man. Or rather her partner (at the time) had friends who were going to Burning Man. (Side note, they're both Asians, and my friend's ex-partner work in tech). It sounded exactly what Chelsea described in the video, a bunch of rich tech people glamping in an expensive trailer and taking drugs for a week. My friend didn't really want to go either, because she found her (former) partner's friends to be rich snobby people. I declined because I don't want to be stuck with such people for that long especially while they're taking drugs, don't remember if my friend ended up going either.
You realize the vast majority don’t fall within that stereotype right? This whole comment section is sadly misinformed. Judging an event none of you have ever been to
My friend went to the 3rd Burning Man. It was under $100 a ticket then. She took a ton of water with her and got a ton of drugs as a trade. But then the owners of Burning Man started to fight over the rights and the original Burning Man community lost faith. It’s the worst idea to me. People get their feet BURNED from the salt in the sand. It’s ridiculously hostile out there. And you can see the folks leaving Burning Man by the vans covered in dust leaving Nevada.
Burning Man started as a bunch of friends gathering on a beach basically participating in performance art. It grew to be a place where money is no good and self expression, generosity and environmental stewardship were core values. Now it's grown to also have walled off encampments of the super rich jerking each other off. You can still find some of the original ethos there. You're maybe more likely to find it in the many smaller regional burns that happen all over the planet, farther away from Silicon Valley. It really is a magical experience to spend a week in a place where you don't need a wallet and everybody is supposedly on a mission of generosity and self expression. I hope we don't just let the wealthy ruin that too.
It all started when a guy freaked out after being dumped. Burning Man was a distraction from a broken heart. Now it's existed long enough to become a monster.
I've never been to the 'Big Burn' which is Burning Man, but the smaller regional events are fantastic. Same principles, a lot less pretentiousness, hypocrisy, and great art and people. Alllll kinds of people, and something there for everyone. I feel when you get a festival with over 80K people... it's just inevitably going to be a reflection of society in myriad ways. Imo, burners aren't a monolith, but the tech moguls might be.
Only educated comment on this thread. Im frustrated with how closeminded and judgemental TFD has become..first crypto, now burning man. Both things she obvs knows little about. It's giving pedestrian midwest suburban mom and im not here for it
@@nottheone582 Burning Man isn't everyone's cup of tea and I think that's fine. I'm not surprised the big burn has caused lots of problems for the county it occurs in, and I think it's okay to be upset about it.. it's definitely disappointing to read about. It leads many regional burns to move far away from that type of behavior, thankfully. 80K+ festies have social bubbles just like the world does. The main thing that disappointed me about this video was the really judgemental tone about knowing people who got married at BM and considering it super embarrassing/ commenting on a couple's failed relationship? That's some catty shit right there haha. But you do you, Chelsea!
@@nottheone582 I know dozens of artists who've had their work stolen, and lost money doing what you grifters said. None of you give a single shit about art. The only ones who did well were ones who were big enough to leech off their audiences. And that's just NFTs
Yes I 100% agree that smaller regional Burns manage to preserve they 12 principals without any of this tech-bro, plug-and-play camp nonsense, or they waste. I've been involved with Dragon Burn in China and we would scour the dirt for cigarette butts before we left to truly Leave No Trace. I'd recommend people giving a regional burn a chance they have been incredible experiences for me
@@aoifebrowne2302 Right! I've been to several burns where we were picking up trash on the property that didn't even come from us lol. I'm a big fan of the regional burns and will probably always prefer burns that cap at like 2K max. I hear LoveBurn in Miami is awesome, though! Would be willing to try it, and if I travel to China I'll keep Dragon Burn in mind!
I’m glad someone is FINALLY talking about this! When I lived in San Diego, I saw this firsthand and when I piped up about it people just told me to stop being a “downer”. 🙄
There's got to be a doctoral thesis in sociology or anthropology that uses Burning Man as a case study of how systems of power and disparity co-opt stuff like this and just end up reproducing the systems in miniature.
hahaha this MISSES THE POINT, you've never been, you have no idea. And by the way, Pepper has not been to 7 burns. There are no dogs at Burning Man. Get your facts straight.
Whatever opinion anyone has about Grimes' communist photoshoot in $6K+ worth of head-to-toe Demobaza, I've seen a half dozen alt and fast fashion brands really push that bedraggled Mad Max aesthetic... but in petroleum PVC and polyester which seems even more ghoulish somehow.
@@MinkytheMinkY Demobaza's a luxe brand that has some nylon in it, but it's mainly wool, cotton, alpaca, rubberized canvas, leather, etc, and the $$$ price tags reflect that.
I live in one of the towns near Burning Man. Everything is crowded and they can be quite rude and entitled (I know not everyone but this is my experience). Most of us dread when Burning Man time comes around
I guess most of you who watched this video have never been to burning man. If you had, you would have a different view of Burningman. For those lucky few who can afford an RV, great, but most of the participants use tents. The person who did this video has not been to the event, and only quoted articles that show the negative.
I used to be interested in burning man years ago before I heard all the truth about it- the cultural appropriation, the expense, the ecological impact, etc. But the the thing that no one's talking about is the self reliance. For a counter cultural event, it should be about community care. Self reliance is capitalism!! Don't be fooled!!
I know the tenent is radical self-reliance, but what I got from going this year for the first time was it's actually community reliance because you could literally show up there with nothing at all and you'd be okay.
Please do comic-on or any other geek oriented convention, is so amazing how this are just cash grabs, we won't let you leave with a cent events masked as dream come true experiences
I had never really felt the drive to go to Coachella or Burning Man despite the fact that both my parents are 1960’s babies who self identify as Dead Heads. I went to Bonaroo with them once and that was enough. I only want to go to concerts that are one day events, as it’s too exhausting to camp at something like this. I’m much more likely to shell out for comic con or PAX east if I had that kind of disposable income. To be fair, my fiancé and I are definitely under the American income average, so maybe that’s why it has such a low appeal
Kinda sad how I know one of the few non white couples who attend burning man every year, my friends are an interracial couple who love it. If burning man were smart they would ban elite attendees from throwing their money around and ruining the event for everyone. They can go but they'd have to rough it like everyone else. The problem with capitalism is its tendency to make everything $ focused. Not every human experience and form of cultural expression needs to be monetized and profited from. Also, I dont know if they still do this, but a few years ago burning man used to offer free tickets to "low income" guests ( those making an average salary) and financing options. If that doesn't tell you enough about the event, I don't know what will!
Burning Man is a beautiful community and your experience there is what you make of it. Basically the same as in everyday life. The people I’ve met there throughout the years are some of the most unique and giving souls I’ve ever met, and do a lot for both the Burning Man community and for their own communities all over the world. I am by no means wealthy, or even middle class. I make an effort to go for the beautiful people I meet, the incredible art, and a love for human ingenuity and the desert. There are rich assholes all over society 🤷🏻♀️ people who leave trash in every corner of the world, environmental issues and inclusivity are issues everywhere as well. As a community, Burning Man actively speaks on and works to solve these issues year round. I’ve yet to find a more open and non judgmental place than I have at the burn. That being said, I listened to your video because I was curious about what you might offer in terms of perspective. I encourage both yourself and your viewers to do the same and try to more fully understand what Burning man is at its core. Not just the surface level, attention seeking posts on social media. All are welcome ☀️
I'm here because I generally do not get Burning Man and I know multiple people who go each year, but they also love drugs so I really think that's the point and almost all of them have been upper middle class so everything she's saying makes sense. Luckily I haven't met anyone who's been married at it.
OMG, what an AMAZING topic to cover! I love what you’ve been posting about lately, like the disability and “welfare” discussions. Thank you! This is financial information for reality!
"Everyone is expected to participate." That has been less so year after year, which is the problem oldies have with it. My second year, I painted a section of the mural wall around center camp. The following year, all the sections were reserved for artists being paid (or paying?) to put art there.
Hmm, this video was interesting but I have to ask, who do you believe is the target audience you're talking to? You mostly focused on the wealthier side of Burning Man in an "aren't rich people so annoying" type of way but like... you're doing renovations on a house? Huh? I don't know how to tell you this but home ownership (and remodeling) suggests you're actually much closer on the income scale to these same people you seem to be criticizing. Your audience, presumably "poor people who like to make fun of rich people," do so because they're not in positions of power. If I want to scoff at someone paying for a luxury music festival it's because I'm doing it from my roommate-filled apartment with my paycheck to paycheck bank account and my student loan debt. You casually throw out that you're acquaintances with one of the richest people in the world and exaggerate embarrassment about it to try to relate to your audience. But why are you friends with that person? How do you even have such intimate access to a billionaire? Clearly if you know multiple people in the "rich Burning Man" sphere then you have some sort of relationship with this tier of wealth on a personal level?
It's just very strange because ironically you're the one cosplaying poverty in this video. Not to mention endorsing a partnership with a company that has a subscription of $88/month? That's $1,056 per year for a non-necessity. The Burning Man ticket is $575 and you're framing THAT as expensive while trying to sell people over $1k worth of what is essentially used thrift store clothes? I don't know, this video needed a dose of self-awareness that just wasn't there...
Burning Man makes me pretty sad. I grew up around a lot of old hippies so I've known about Burning Man for a long time and have known a lot of people who used to go. It makes me so sad to see what's happened to it. I know, looking back, the hippy community wasn't the most diverse and did have some cultural appropriation problems. But... there were some good ideas there. Leave no trace was taken really seriously. The fact that its legacy is an annual ecological disaster for the amusement of the tech millionaires and billionaires is just heartbreaking to me.
The great thing about Chelsea is she “made it” and now that she’s there she hasn’t forgotten her roots and is at the bat for those of us on out journey
We have the same kind of festival here near St.Petersburg Russia. But our costs little and the city is build with respect to the nature. It is much smaller of course. However we do have the same prblem with cultural appropriation.
This is VERY geared towards a small population at BM that is ultra-rich, and yeah problematic. The crypto thing was my only critique really, but as most burner’s say, oh you don’t like it, great! Stay away! They also hate the ultra-rich folks there but will take their money to build cool AF art and to be able to do it every year, I get it. I will say reading the 10 principles and some of the guidelines and rules for going would have helped your case in this video. A lot of the things you said just plain aren’t allowed, animals and credit cards for instance. Look, I don’t want to be defensive because it doesn’t matter that people don’t like BM bc a few rich assholes go there. I would just say you can’t really make an educated opinion about something without going there (or just a precursory review of the rules) which is why I never did until going (bipoc woman here). I like TFD and have been a fan for years, but like, do your research? Also you don’t like the wedding-industrial complex and have made multiple videos about it and your hating on people eschewing that and getting married at BM for nearly free(compared to the cost of a wedding)? You’re hating on love just existing? I’m confused about that most… Thanks for the video keeping more people in their biased pov and away from BRC I guess?
I used to work at a hostel, and we'd have so many of these people book a room for the weekend after BM. They would wash off all the grime, use our laundry and just trash our space so they wouldn't take that grime home with them. It's so freaking rude and I lathed that time of year every year.
I love FD but this video was a v surface based analysis and some what biased by Chelsea not enjoying partying. (So sorry Chelsea, I still love you though and the class & race analysis of modern Burning Man was spot on!) FD should've included the many rich critiques from the original festival goers/makers. There's incredible people who came out of the movement like writer Erik Davis, who is a radical anticapitalist and advocate for decolonising psychedelics. There's a really great podcast with him where he talks about the early inceptions having anarchists, hackers, hippies - and even early start up bros back when the culture of start ups was thought of as radical and destabilising. FD also didn't discuss what Burning Man means to free party movements, which have their links to Beanfield. To discuss festivals and to not discuss the legalities of partying and the effect of precarity on culture is a big missed opportunity. Why did early illegal/semi legal festivals happen when we have clubs and pubs? Why did festivals move out from cities? There's many reasons why, and many were not financially motivated. This is not a defence of Burning Man, but of culture and the need to create spaces for it. The Detroit Techno scene was born out of a city that experienced poverty and abandonment, and used large hall spaces to facilitate music until of course, property developers came along and bought them up. Many people in cities face noise complaints and hassle from police and are left with no real choice but to try move music out to warehouses and open fields because they cannot find reliable venues to longterm build their scenes. Finally, I love you Chelsea but there's a kind of judgey moralistic tone in this video to partying and drug taking. That's fine, you don't do it. But many in harm reduction circles would say that it is a human right to alter consciousness. As children when we do head over heels we alter consciousness. As adults when we drink coffee or have alcohol, we alter consciousness. Regardless of your own personal choice on the matter, others do it and it is okay for them to have spaces like festivals, clubs and raves to experience this with others. As harm reductionists we want to make sure these spaces are physically and psychologically safe for all people. As they say, different strokes for different folks!
Half of me is enamored at the idea The other half, the idea of being surrounded by gentrification types 9 days in the desert with no showers sounds like someone came up with the perfect hell for me
Absolutely loved the title... that turn of a phrase "cosplaying poverty" was so spot on... and applies to other things besides "burning man" as well... fantastic.
My favorite time in San Francisco is the week all burners leave for the desert. Feels like the city can breath and take a moment to relax. Traffic isn't as bad, you can get a table at your favorite restaurant or brunch place without much fuss and there seems to be fewer insufferable, entitled techies around. That's MY burn! What does it say about you as a group of people when a city is actually better and nicer when you're gone?
SHERPA IS NOT A JOB! It's an ethnic group in Tibet. This pisses me off so much when people just call any guide a sherpa. I know it was in quotation marks, but it still highlights the lack of cultural awareness
Artists and activists often improve communities until eventually they can’t afford to live there anymore. The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin (2014) makes Burning Man sound pretty good (LGBTQ2S+) but refers to the encroachment of overly wealthy people who were not respecting the ethos. Not grassroots, not affordable, not eco-friendly, not inclusive.
As other people have said, regional Burning Man events have accounted for a lot of the fall downs of the event in terms of inclusiveness. I'm a long time and jaded 'burner' who is definitely kind of done with aspects of the event and its culture that are not surmised adequately by an outsider. Probably the greatest positives of the event are the outlandish budget for art grants supplied every year which have given countless artists a foothold into a career at arts by converting their large works into traveling displays or having the ability to put permanent display art in cities like Reno, which is made much more beautiful for its having such pieces. That said. If I were to prosecute burning man - and I am happy to do so - it is for the way that the raw power of community is diffused into a flip platitudes and vacant awareness for what responsibility people have in creating their world. There are positive aspects of burning man, things I have appreciated, but in this world with it's climate change and poverty I have a hard time justifying continuing to go out to be part of the spectacle, regional burn events not withstanding (I am part of leadership for a small regional burn that is not affiliated - events called '10 principles events' which share ethos, but not bureaucracy) . These platitudes like... 'the playa provides' are shorthand for empty headed celebration for the resources of your community and their willingness to put it at your disposal since the playa provides little more than an alkali desert suitable to desiccate your body. The whole of the event is not just about drugs, I'd say the theme I see most seasoned burners paying attention to is community. That said, it's a sea of cheap single use plastic crap and it isn't truly sustainable.
I used to want to go to Burning Man so badly (I live on the east coast so it’s not as common as California people going) but now that I know more about it I didn’t really want to go. I saw a tiktok a white woman who went this year wearing a bindi (which would be cultural appropriation as well) and commented on her video that it was MOOP (Matter Out Of Place aka litter on the playa) and she rudely responded to me😂 like sure Jan, that piece of plastic attached to your forehead with light adhesive definitely stayed on during the dust storms
Just like witches stopped existing when they stopped burning them, those who make this cultural appropriation nonsense up will stop believing it exists when they stop citing it. I saw an Indian woman wearing trousers working at a Domino's here in London, that must mean that the balance in universe is restored? :-)
ha! i literally just came back from a small burner campout. i would love to go to the big burn bc it is so intense, and to meet amazing ppl and experience the harshness of the desert to push myself to new levels and whatnot. sure there's the billionaires there ruining it, but I'm sure there's plenty of pockets of genuine burners who do care, who do clean up, and those are the ppl i want to be around. but I'll probably start with more regional burns,bc easier and no tech moguls.
I think it is incorrect to call wearing Native American headdresses and beads as portraying poverty. Furthermore, I dislike the punchline of this video that basically states it's ok to party and vibe, but not to experiment with alternative value systems and community structure.
Great job creating exactly what you claim to be against. This is a great assessment of what Burning Man has become. It was only a matter of time until they screwed this up. What a waste of fuel and resources.
I'll never understand why anyone subject themselves to living like this in the hot ass desert with no adequate food, showers and restrooms for one day let alone for a whole entire week.
Thank you! I'm an artist in Ohio and I had been hearing about BM, since the 1990s. I always wondered if I would ever be able to participate, by building and displaying a sculpture or even a groovy Art car. I have kept current on the event by watching all the videos people have posted to You Tube. Their videos always leave out the reality of it. I was pleased there are some who attend on a shoe-string budget. Nothing can accurately describe the fortunes that need to spent, to do it up BIG. It is clearly better to be living out west to begin with. I am friends with a couple here in my mid-western town, in Ohio, who have attended at least twice. I think they went in 1999, and again in 2003 or 05. They are also artists like myself,....one teaches art at our local university, I forget what the other partner does for a living, but they are definitely an artsy couple. I'm glad in my adopted town in the middle of Ohio, I had been a yearly member of a summertime, 3 day, music, arts and crafts festival. This group, on their own were successful, in creating an event that has been going on since 1972. 95% of the helpers are non-paid community members, the music is free, in fact the whole 3 day event is free. We shun corporate businesses, and all the vendors are also community members. They sell their foods, & drinks as they see fit. Most have stand alone diners, throughout our city. Every artist who rents a 10 foot square space, must bring their own pop-up, vendor tent. Besides a very low rental fee, each vendor has to donate a percentage of the daily income, to help fund the event. The only paid workers are the security, electricians who set up the lighting , and power cords. Possibly the medical/first aid tent. We the participants, clean the park grounds, after the event and leave no trace of our, having had a 3 day live music festival. The festival sells beer, and all the money goes to essentials of running a free festival, any extra money is donated to different social causes, and public helping groups. In 1972 there were only a couple hundred people who attended,...now in 2022,....we draw in about 20 to 30 thousand people per day. We hold the event in a very beautiful public park in our city, within a large expanse of land that is wooded, that has walk paths,....a water display fountain, rolling hills of grass & It is close to everything and there is cheap public transportation and many people just walk to the event as it is close to many neighborhoods and a large college campus.
