Why the Republican Convention Is Like Burning Man

Watching the Republican National Convention tonight, I realized that it has eerie similarities to another gathering which makes my skin crawl. Burning Man, which recently took place in the Black Rock desert in Nevada, consists of a very large group of people who descend on an otherwise rarely talked about destination.

They party for about a week and act as if they are solving the world's problems with their superior knowledge of How Things Work, although the only ones who seem to benefit are those who actually attend.

In order to celebrate, they wear ridiculous outfits that involve one or all of the following: large (often sparkle-encrusted) hats, feather boas and cowboy boots. They carry homemade signs with messages that make no sense, pop prescription drugs and break into awkward and ill-advised dances.

They get all hyped up together touting unity and spouting off a bunch of vague but impassioned ideas about how things should be when, in reality, they are a bunch of privileged white people obsessed with blowing things up.

Both groups are delusional enough to think that they are not hurting the environment, and though Burning Man culminates with "the man" being burnt down, while the RNC ends with a man being exulted, in the end you suspect that everyone came all of the way there just for a glimpse of someone's breasts.

Comments

[beautifulsoul21]

It is quite clear that you have never been to the burning man festival.

Privileged white people? Where did you get this nonsense from? There are wealthy people there but there are also people that are homeless as well as a plethora of ethnic people that come from all over the world. I just came back from burning man a few days ago and not once did I wear a sequined hat, feather boa or cowboy boots. I'm also Mexican and quite far from being considered a "Privileged" white person.

I did not walk around carrying a sign nor did I go around blowing things up. I did not pop prescription drugs. Nobody was acting as if they are solving the world's problems with their superior knowledge of How Things Work. I did not drive 20+ hours so that I could catch a glimpse of someone's breasts. Where did you get these ideas from? Certainly not from actual experience.

Go to burning man one year, and bring a notepad. I have a feeling you'll realize just how wrong you are on a festival that is filled with art, fun, sharing, giving and humanity at it's highest peak of creativity. I would love to see the article that you post once you come back. If at that point, your opinions are the same - then this article will be validated. Until then, your article spouts a ignorant opinion of a person that does not know what they are talking about.

[passionatejus]

You attack an event of which you know absolutely nothing! You attack people you never have met for what they wear, how they dance and what they believe. You sound just like a Republican!

I've been 8 times. I spent most of my time volunteering, doing massage. Two years ago I helped build a Temple to honor people who had been murdered. It helped friends and family of the deceased heal.

Besides volunteering, I listened to a talk on our nation's ill conceived "war on drugs". I also looked at beautiful art and danced a lot. You probably would not like my dancing. So sorry.

I also experienced true freedom. Freedom to wear whatever you want without judgement. Freedom from a schedule. Freedom to be naked and have no one bother you, either by telling you that your body is shameful or by trying to grope you.

It's different things to different people. It is what you make of it, like life. It can be a spiritual quest or a drug induced party or both.

It renews my faith in humanity. We build art for art's sake, not for money. We are a community. And, like it or not, we are a Movement. We ARE changing the world.

It's made me a better person and I have brought back knowledge to my community. It sounds like you need to grow as well. Perhaps you should go next year? Then, and only then, can you comment on what occurs out there.

[desertgypsy]

Sorry Jessica, but you don't know the first thing about BuringMan! Your comments are totally off. You can't wear feather boas at BM, because they fall off onto the playa, and there is a leave no trace standard..... so your costumes which need to be about **radical self expression**, should not create "MOOP" matter out of place.... Burning Man is one of the most spectacular places on this earth, and amazing amounts of time and energy bring the most creativity and unimaginable things to life. Its a good thing that such a festival exists in these times. It give me faith and hope in humanity and what is possiblein community. I went car free after realizing I can use my bike better than my car and many other things...... and I speak for thousands. But you are right that its a privileged thing to go there, but its not full of privileged white people. The majority of people who go there are from the San Francisco Bay Area and are artists and professional people from every class of life. nd there are a lot of hipsters and hippies there too. Its a shame that you can say such things when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.

[woodbuck]

i have a friend who went with his lover a few years ago, he was brutally raped, and, abused. he is still trying to recover his physical and mental health. i think that this country has been raped by the republican party the past eight years. it will take years to recover from the abuse to the environment, and, to our economy, self esteem, ect. that bush, cheney, mccain ect. have given us/

[Pandoraburlesk]

Ha hahahahah love it, especially the last line, I will def be thinking of this blog when I spin my tassels on my breasts this weekend! :)

[tylskie]

Wow. I am suddenly feeling like I did it all wrong. I forgot my feather boa and sparkling hat (mostly because both of those things shed and I didn't want to leave trash lying around). I forgot my "superior knowledge of how things work" at home and not to mention those pesky prescription drugs. Shoot I didn't even know that I fall into the privileged white folks category seeing as I am a waitress and all. And man all of those crazy homeless hippies forgot their privileged pants too while we sat around and tried to build community and be so nutty as to go on our own spiritual journey. And I certainly hope the people with Earth Guardians or the children of the local Indian tribes who get a part of the proceeds hear about how we were suppose to not give anything back to the land. And I guess that 70% reduction in landfill space that center camp had in 2007 wasn't really much of anything.

Man you are right. Us crazy burners are just like the Republicans. Thank you for shedding the light on it all for me. I think I'm gonna go switch from independent to GOP right away!!

[martinchill]

i have a neighbor that went this year.

much like the RNC, he said three of the six days were complete white-outs... eight straight hours of sand blowing so hard that you couldn't see a tent six feet away.

"I'm never going again."

if i'd gone to the rnc, i'd be saying much the same thing.