Were People Poisoned At Burning Man? 

Take it from someone who has lived in Nevada my entire life. We experience thunderstorms at that time of year it's not climate change it's just Nevada.

When I lived in Portland, I made a friend who ended the friendship a few months later because she said I was "kinda boring" and that "I'm the kind of person who'd love to go to Burning Man and you just like to stay home." Needless to say, I am no longer insulted by that remark 😂

What people don't understand about that dry lake bed mud is that it is some of the worst mud that you can imagine. There are cars that will get suck in it, and NEVER come out again! I have heard some pretty bad horror stories of people that have gotten stuck in dry lake beds. But on a side note, can we get a round of applause to the editors for this! Because they gave us a Jojo and a Star Wars prequel meme in 1 video 👍👏!

From now on, when people say "we will NEVER colonize Mars" I will point to Burning Man. I quote "You will be covered in dust and the environment is trying to kill you." Folks still pay to go to Burning Man. They will pay to go to Mars.

0:05: 🔥 The Burning Man festival faced protests, mudslides, and disease outbreaks. 2:38: 🌵 The RU-vidr shares her challenging experience at Burning Man and expresses her disinterest in the event. 5:49: 😕 Despite reports of a miserable and catastrophic situation at Burning Man due to rain and mud, attendees actually seemed to be generally happy and not overly concerned. 8:24: 📼 Legacy Box is a mail-in service that converts old videotapes, camcorder tapes, film reels, and pictures into digital files. 11:02: 🔥 Rumors spread on Twitter about LAX shutting down and quarantining due to people coming back from Burning Man with Ebola, but there were no actual cases reported. Recap by Tammy AI

The people who went to Burning Man must have been poisoned way before arriving for them to think that going was a good idea 😂

As an Eagle Scout and a Metalhead I like the idea of Burning Man but I'd rather do it at an abandoned mall or in a forest area similar to the Summer Camps I'd been to around the midwest in the past.

one of my friends went this year. She said the rain "made things a little challenging" but that it wasn't bad otherwise.

I saw a woman explain how she goes every year as a vacation from her husband and kids. She enjoys having o r g I e s and she says that everything that she does there is to be considered like it never happened and so her husband is not allowed to ask what happens there. She says she is loyal but once a year she can be free to do whatever she wants without judgement or guilt. I have heard she is not the only one. Doesn't surprise me at all when I see the people who attend it

With that many people so close together I'm suprised that more people didnt get sick. Hope they all get well soon

Burning Man sounds like this generations version of woodstock/rock festivals except hippies at least found places with grass and trees to have their events. But it did seem like these events did seem to become mud pits because it usually rained.

The excitement I got when I saw this so soon

At least Freezer Burn (the Canadian event in Alberta) was a success this year.

The “MOOAIIIII!" Sound effect with the soup can never fails. Brett, give your editors a raise.

Unpopular fact: If you let rain and mud stop you, you're not cut out for an ordinary music festival either.

I find this funny because of the families I know that go camping in recent years have tried rv camping. No one knows what it means to properly survive in nature anymore. I miss when it was as simple as setting up a tent in your yard to give your child a start trying it. Then proceeding to the woods or a mountain range type area to go camping. One of my fondest memories from my days in the cub scouts is when we managed to make spaghetti and meatballs in a pot over a campfire as a troop activity. We had to work together as a team or we were going to be very hungry. Now I must admit I havent done such things in years. Would I do them again if given the chance? More than likely with the proper equiptment. I hated insects and still do. Thats what bug spray and the tents mesh door netting is for. I remember even learning to shoot BB guns and bow and arrows in cub/boy scouts. We learned to whittle wood with a pocket knife, How to use a compass or map, how to swim, how to canoe, how to tie knots. We learned what plants are safe and what arent. We learned how to deal with wild animals invading our camp. We learned how to survive. Something many dont know to do without their cell phones these days. All that said my seasonal allergies ive picked up as I got older likely wont help any. Also im not as flexible as I was. GOD GETTING OLDER SUCKS!!.... but everyone is doing it. I can at least say I look good for my age. Many people young and old think im usually around 19-20 years old or so. Im in my late 20s getting to my 30s. I was born in the 90s yet I like a lot of the content from before my time. I loved the little rascals, 3 stooges, marx brothers, laurel and hardy, monty pythons flying circus, old loony tunes, as well as the stuff of my time growing up. I cannot stand how kids are only able to accept whatever the latest trends are these days. Maybe thats just me though. My looks are likely due to decent genetics. I say decent because I did suffer from crazy levels of anxiety and depression growing up too. It shows in my behavior and the way I speak sometimes.

Please make an episode on the urban rescue ranch! The man who makes the videos is so sweet

Like she said, some of the people are going out there to dance and get high, but that's what she's saying YOU SHOULDN'T DO. I have been to festivals where there was an incredible sense of camaraderie and family and everybody came together to help each other out in the rain and had deeper conversations about their appreciation of life and if that's not some sort of congregation then what are you talkin about with your religious experience stuff. Just because the festival had music and dancing didn't mean that its only reason we were there. If us gathering at that festival and having those conversations and camaraderie deepend our appreciation for the collective humanity and good, then isn't that some sort of religious experience?

I think you hit the nail on the head, it's a spiritual experience. Its something very primal, going back to human roots. It shows how far modern technology has gotten.

Loveee your sweater!

The transitions to the ads oml this is a genuine talent 😂

3:01 Wtf! That was my exact thought. Take it from someone who goes on ‘retreats’ the lady from the clip almost exactly described what someone should/shouldn’t do when going on a ‘retreat’. Granted not including the dirt and desert stuff 😆

1. Did burning man start as a rain dance ceremony? 2. Were nuclear bomb tests once detonated near burning man? 3. ???

Sounds like a pretty standard thing for outdoor festivals. I am not overly enamored with Burning Man but the over-reaction to it from people who think roughing it is not having internet and hotel room service is kinda funny. There are those who go and those who don't and those who go knowing it is not always lala land roll with it and make do. Jamming that many people into that area is a stressor as that many humans in one place can create both solutions and problems to coping. I have worked and lived in the bush for much of my life and all I see is a bad camping trip but no hate either way. Stay home, stay dry stay happy. Go there, get soaked, get dirty, poop in a pail be happy. Different strokes for different folks.

I don't care how crazy this sounds. Im with Michio Kaku. I don't think storms are purposely choosing famous events or areas celebrities are interested in buying. Maybe that makes me a conspiracy theorist.

Look at the overhead map of burning man. It was within a pentagram

I think to be outside without technology with other people who do the same and everyone is trying to preserve the environment and learn some self sufficiency sounds amazing. Next year I'll try to go why not 😂🙏🤸

Love the video and the food for thought as always. I would love to see your take on the Blue Ridge Rock Festival disaster as it was pretty insane and its kinda in your area. Your takes are always eye opening and as I lived through it I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please do a video on it!

Brett, with all the ridiculous-ness that is burning man and hippie festivals, i would however, recommend doing a mushroom trip at least once before dying. I have done them many times through my 20s and each one is beyond memorable and a true experience to say the least. Many (myself included) relate it to a religious experience, and definitely changes your perspective on the world and life itself. There are ways to make it a much more enjoyable experience, and i recommend everyone experience a mushroom trip at least once before dying.

Brett is a burning man fan confirmed

I short, I think if you are stuck in the middle of the desert, and have to deal with limited food, water, lodgings and didn't plan for such an event to turn the way that it did, its probably harder to have a good time than people are making it out to be. With the added risk that things can get worse over time. HOWEVER, as someone who lives in the UK, and is used to particularly muddy festivals, it is also part of the fun. I think what threw people off was when it came time to leave, a lot of people didn't have the option to go when they planned. And if the terrain got worse over time, it would have required intervention eventually as people would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere with no help. Fun story and happy it didn't escalate. But learn from the British and bring a pair of "Wellingtons" next time you hit a festival!

I think im gonna plan my lower 48 road trip so that i can go to burning man next year, already taking 2 months off work for it

Good job Brett...fair, balanced approach. Not as scathing as Matt Walsh's take though lol

I'm a newer viewer of your channel Brett and truly love your approach/opinions to all the vids you create. So just wanted to say thanks and please keep being you 😀. I'm a single male and appreciate you not trying to sexualize your channel to gain views. Wayyyyyyy too much of that these days. I'm not a burner and unsure if this event is something I would enjoy but I know the hardships they dealt with I would have loved. All my best memories are made from challenges like this. Life is all about the stories/memories we create and this year burningman easily created 10s of millions 😊. Condolences to the one man that passed 😢.

People are also upset at new burners coming and leaving all the trash all the old burners have to spend an extra day cleaning it up

04:00 that's not a can of soup, that's a can of Whoop Ass lol

5:00 lol i love that man

There are worse things than Playa foot coming out of that place. They had a tent called "the orgy dome". And yes, it's exactly what it says it is...

I think its overall positive, people obtaining spiritual experience. I think theres a purpose. Some find it in church some find it in the desert.

It's a hippie version of the Bohemian Grove ritual, down to the burning of a scapegoat effigy, an ancient ritual from the Ba'al religion. It is most definitely a religious experience. Pagan AF.

The best part for me was the doo yu No de wai ebola reference! 🤣

My idea of roughing it is reservations at The Hampton Inn.

I was there all 9 days. The mud was not a major problem just an inconvenience. It doesn't burn holes in your skin. The camps put on amazing activities from Naked yoga and Naked Pub crawl to necklace making and a workshop for Men about being able to say No and not feel bad about it. I saw a 2 person play about a man adopting a kid that was really powerful and better than anything in Hollywood. I saw amazing sunsets and sunrises. I WAS NOT HIGH AT ANYPOINT EITHER. But it is there. The music was great there was even a 19 peice live band at Crossroads and Mooncheese. Even loosing 3 days of activities. I will be back. EVERONE was nice. I met people fron Denmark, Tokyo,Germany, Pakistan, Britain, Switzerland. There was over 200 Art pieces that were amazing you had to see them during the day and at night went there colored lights came on.

Sounds like Burning Man didn’t go “wrong” per se but that a group of elitists caught wind, tried to co-opt the festival and didn’t come prepared in any way for what it is.

This is biblical level idolatry. They literally made a totem to burn and act like it's enlightenment

You couldn’t pay me enough money to go to this degraded, debauched, depraved hell party in the desert. What a profoundly sick era this is.

I started howling with laughter when the editors put in that star wars clip because I was thinking of that exact line 😂😂😂

was the city supposed to look like an unfinished death star?

You called it a crisis I call it a prayer answered

Trance and shuffle dance on the mud. Ahhh life :) even when it rains you can vibe and the DJ's are still playing. I will not go to burning man, but I respect people that have a good time on it

Burning man, Coachella, and Disney land are three places you couldn’t afford to get me to go too. They seem so lame and my old school temper would ruin my day as well as everyone else’s so avoiding it is not only good for me but also the hippies that enjoy it. I don’t even enjoy going to boxing events anymore thanks to the people that now attend… well that and I don’t respect many new fighters.

No the mud did not stop us Burning Man was still on. best week of my life mud or not. 10 out of 10 would tromp through that shit again for that experience . There was no Ebola no one was poisoned we all had a great time

After hearing about the orgy tent, i can only assume anyone who went there would be an inhospitable host for most illnesses 😂😂

To the people who say that they don't like the idea of burning man, I don't blame you, I personally wouldn't go. But I can also see the side of the people who did go and want to go. The community festivals, concerts, and many other events are addictive. I personally have been to a bunch of concerts, and I absolutely love being there. I can see the appeal of going to the event even if you are risking your life. I do it personally with the metal shows I attend.

I’m so excited you covered it!!!

Let natural selection do its thing. This is such an American thing too. People have it so good, they go above and beyond to make their life miserable some way.

I've been to about 200 concerts and music festivals in my life and this sounds like a nightmare. No thank you.

If you think that mud is bad you should look at Glastonbury in the UK

The middle of the desert. Already sounds so unappealing…

Kind of a 21st Century Woodstock festival with an environmental theme! 😝

“People have starlink now” Lady, iridium mobile has been around since 1989, there were people at burning man in the 90’s who had cell service when nobody else did, I would bet money

Burning Man was ambitious idea. It was inspired by dystopian Mad Max universe. But as years went by, the people changed and made it one of the worst festival like Coachella which went full moneygrab and doesn't care about music anymore.

Ah, they think people gathering is a town/city....they don't know words

Anyone else hear "storms and sand" and immediately have Darude playing in your head?

4:02 This legion of the Sardhukar brought to you by Campbell's

Could you imagine being really hungry stomach hurts and seeing that soup can walk by lol

As someone who lives in the Coachella valley I just wanted to say that you can’t even see most of the stars here unless you drive out away from the city 😂

LOL welcome to Army living. The "conditions" at burning man sounds and look much like about every place the Army sent me, for longer than a week.

Oh my god I cant believe how people dont have any clue what is burning man event.. You literally said it, and I still cant believe you didnt get what the event is about.. Its not about surviving. It is about building a city, building an economic system without money from the beginning and then burning it down at the end so you could do it again next time. It is literally for the enjoyment of communication and living without money. everybody has what they brings and they share, make themselves in the event or trade between things they have. No money is involved. However the event was started by people who enjoyed no economy, free life, and you know who those people are? Hipsters. hence why so much protest against phones and cameras. psychedelics everywhere and people dont like to be cought.

It was a can of whoop ass 😂😂 this is why i love festivals lmao

Gawd, you and all the other media sure like to blow shit out of proportion and sensationalize everything for clicks/views. Yeah, there's some inconvenience, but that just part of festival life. I'm a Marine Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and I've certainly dealt with a lot worse. This was my first time going to Burning Man. I don't know why it took me so long to go, since I've been part of the rave/music festival scene since 1993. I left for the Marines in 1999, and didn't get out till 2012, so that took me out of the scene for a. while. I've been working music festivals now for a good decade , and concerts for Live Nation for almost 2 yrs now. Earlier this year, I went for the first time to Envision festival in Costa Rica. Talk about sucky weather, not just hot but humid, but guess what, we still have fun and make the best of it. I got a call from my dad on Sunday maybe, somehow i was able to get the call, but service is pretty much nonexistent there. Him and my sisters were worried because the news was saying we were stranded, running out of food and water, diseases spreading, etc.. Yes, roads were closed due to the mud, but we were never in danger or running out of food or supplies. Almost everyone that goes to Burning Man packs enough food and water for the duration of the festival which is like 9 days. Some of the bigger camps bring even more because many of these camps give out free food and drinks to attendees throughout the week. One of the first nights that really got cold, we were out late, and on the way to our camp, we ran into a camp that was giving out Miso soup. On Monday, one of the camps close to us was handing out BBQ, they had a huge smoker, so they were giving out Brisket, bacon, tri tip, pork, and turkey. Plenty of camps/RVs had Starlink, so that's how you saw lots of people posting to social media. Some camps offered free wifi to people. On Friday when the rains came, was probably the only day the porta potties were not serviced for a bit due to the rain, but service resumed and. they were cleaned up. I left late Monday night/Tuesday morning after the Man and Babel temple were burned. This year I tent camped, didn't even use the A/C I brought because it wasn't that hot. I brought a portable refrigerator and power station, so I always had cold drinks. Next year, I'm bringing a camper trailer I plan on building. Bed, A/C, solar power, refrigerator, and probably my Traeger smoker. For now I have a ton of photos I have to go thru for my friends. I'm a photographer and a lot of my friends are performers at festivals. Aerialist, fire spinners, stilt walkers, dancers, etc... Burning Man and any music festival for that matter, it's not just about drugs. Yes, it's around but you don't need to take them in order to enjoy these festivals. I raved sober for 2 decades almost before I tried experimenting. Also, this is not the norm for Burning Man, most years its hot, dry, and dusty as fuck. anyways, rant over.

I live in Northern Nevada. This kind of stuff happens often at burning man..I swear at least every year it rains..because its normal arouns this time of year. Absolutely nothing to do with climate change. Northern Nevada weather can be weird around spring and closer to fall. Burning man isn't what they act like either. Its not about nice peaceful people...its about many wealthy people using drugs and pretending it's about art. They also hide the crime that happens. Apparently S A is very common. A women went there to report about how nice it is and she did believe it was suppose to be a good experience. She got rped. She found out later on that this is common there but its hidden because they need to keep the "fun loving free just enjoying life "free" crime isn't possible here" stuff going. Its for drugs(including alcohol)If drugs truly weren't allowed..no one would care about it.or at least few would. Going to the stores during this time is frustrating. The people are RUDE. They're not nice considerate people..theyre people that care about their need alone. There is also a ban on camping gear returned around the time of burning man at all stores in the area. They leave the area trashed too. Which again proves..its about them. If the "true" burners dont like what its become why dont they create a knew low ley one with less people?? And that dude is correct. Tons of white women with dre adlocks 🤣 If these people cared about anything they claimed to..they wouldn't be getting high in the dessert for thousands of dollars then leaving their trash...and treating the residents of the surrounding towns like they don't matter...

Hantavirus seems plausible.

So…it was so bad attendees weren’t allowed to leave at one point (they were told in a memo the gates were locked and they’d be turned back if they tried to leave), but not so bad as to prevent cell phone trailers from being brought IN to the area? 4:18 Is that what I just heard? 🤔

With all the fees and other charges, it's closer to $1,000.

Lets go to the desert and recreate Skid Row

I loved that guy's rank. I immediately downloaded it when I saw it.

There are lots of organized activities that camps organize but not the BM event organizers. I had a blast when I went and yes the celebrities and rich people are ruining it. It is a spiritual experience because you are free from money, outside influence, authority (to an extent) and you are pretty much left to your own devices. I learned a lot about myself and the true nature of my friends. I learned just how terrible my friends were and I left all my friends and became a conservative Republican after my BM experience.

Imagine a Mr Dolarhyde working in LegacyBox....

"Shelter in place"..?? Hmmm.. sounds so familiar... that's not a psychological conditioning term at all...

Literally Midsommar

I’ve always wanted to go to Burning Man, but the work to play ratio is ridiculous.

Wasteland weekend is lots of fun

Cool sweater!!!

asking for a makeup routine? please 😭😭

Laughs in Glastonbury.

shrooms are a spiritual journey. thats literally the point.

50 degree temp kills no one

Are you going to report about Blue Ridge Rock Festival?

Welcome back from Hungary! Yeah, we're not going to live in the desert for that.

Original it was a hippy commune. Can understand why some of the more free spirited old hippies scoff at it being turned into a corporate, celebrity driven endeavor. Speaking of hippies and mud I bet some of the old hippies are laughing at any young hippies complaining about the mud considering some of those old hippies dealt with the mud at Woodstock.

The editors had to much fun with this video 😂

Should see all the garbage they leave from a "no trace" party

Doing drugs in front of a giant statue (idol) while deliberately hurting yourself (with the dust) and calling it a 'breakthrough introspective experience' sounds a lot like paganism.

I spent enough time in a fucking desert that I have no desire to go back on my own free will LET ALONE pay for this kind of crap. I can assure you, we weren't partying either. We did do a "kind of" burning man...but it was a completely different experience.

The amount of BO must be crazy. Hope there enough oxygen...

I always thought burning Man was people trying to relive Woodstock and the more I hear by the more I still believe it lots of drugs music and half naked people with dreadlocks

I like how someone said, 'chochella in the dessert'. It's none of my business. I don't care for certain groups.

I live close to where they hold Burning Man. Many of the locals don't like it because they see people who claim to care about the environment buy up everything they need at the nearest walmart only to leave it all and their trash in surrounding towns dumpsters or on the side of the road on their way out. Then they turn around and talk about how self sufficient and resilient they are. The locals, many of them hunters, hikers and ranchers, actually do care about the environment and do they're best to conserve and respect the land.

When I was younger I was considering trying to go to Burning Man, but the main thing that stopped me (aside from being poor) was researching about the playa dust. It's not only acidic but extremely high in silica content which is likely to cause cancer if inhaled for long periods of time. Edit: Not acidic, basic.