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A nice article for someone who knows nothing about Burning Man. If you've been, you will learn little that you don't already know. Burners choose to play in a
by mkstowegnv 8y ago
A nice article for someone who knows nothing about Burning Man. If you've been, you will learn little that you don't already know. Burners choose to play in a difficult, often uncomfortable environment. They have a higher than average desire to be challenged - by everything from esoteric math and physics discussions to learning (as novices) moderately advanced contradancing (a radically inclusive danceform [1] that has been analyzed with matrices [2], disclaimer - my camp).
1 http://www.burningmancontradance.com/home/contraintro http://www.burningmancontradance.com/home/contraintro
2 https://ida.mtholyoke.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10166/679/422.pdf?sequence=1 https://ida.mtholyoke.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10166/679/4...
- elcinr 8y ago>They have a higher than average desire to be challenged A lot of them also take a lot of MDMA and drink a lot of alcoholic beverages. There's something for everyone at BM.
- lifthearth 8y agoHangovers are hell in that environment. If you got to burning man for the free drinks you're an idiot and won't come back. MDMA is fun to make a night of but not the drug of choice out there.
- DrHuman 8y agoWhat's the drug of choice out there?
- pstuart 8y agoAlcohol is #1.
- lifthearth 8y agoSleep deprivation, bicycling, lots of water and downtempo electronica.
- bonniemuffin 8y agoI generally recommend the playa shandy: lukewarm Tecate with a scoop of gatorade powder mixed into it. Hydrating, requires no refrigeration, and it's got what plants crave: it's got electrolytes.
- marssaxman 8y agoAll of the above, and some you've never heard of before.
- resu_nimda 8y agoPerhaps there's some kind of correlation there? The science/math/tech world is rife with users of amphetamines (including the ones that are prescribed for use by medical professionals, e.g. Adderall, Vyvanse, etc.). Mathemetician Paul Erdos famously championed them. Maybe you can explain why you felt the need to point this out with such disdain?
- jonnybgood 8y ago> Mathemetician Paul Erdos famously championed them. He took them but he didn’t champion them. He especially didn't want people to think they needed amphetamines to do mathematics.
- resu_nimda 8y agoOk perhaps "championed" was a strong word but he was open about the fact that he considered them important for his own mathematical abilities. And I am by no means trying to encourage people to take them if they don't want to, just to accept that others can do it responsibly and it's ok. I'm just bewildered by the hardline "drugs are bad, m'kay" stance that many people take. Whatever research we have been able to do on amphetamines has generally shown them to be safe and even beneficial for human use (when used appropriately).
- bpp 8y agoYou seem to be implying a dichotomy; it's definitely a work hard/play hard kind of town.
- hockeybias 8y agoThat 'higher than average desire' tidbit is oh so very measurable...
- Uhhrrr 8y agoThe BM part wasn't so interesting, but the questions they were pondering were fun.
- angersock 8y agoSurely not all burners come off this smugly?
- adamsea 8y ago> They have a higher than average desire to be challenged ... perhaps somebody's ego needs to be challenged ... ;)
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- fipple 8y agoWhat does “radically inclusive danceform” mean? Looks like you’re trying to make a fun dance seem like a political revolution.
- tlrobinson 8y ago"Radical inclusion" is one of the guiding principles of Burning Man: https://burningman.org/culture/philosophical-center/10-principles/ https://burningman.org/culture/philosophical-center/10-princ... I don't think it's particularly political.
- mkstowegnv 8y agoContradancing does not require any specific footwork and revolves around dancers flowing through and bonding with eventually all the other dancers in a line. It is an all ages activity (from babies in papooses to dancers pushing 100). It is possible for many with disabilities. Around the US I know contradancers who are completely blind and others who are deaf, are amputees or who are in (athlete style) wheelchairs. Engrained in the subculture is the idea that dancers gently guide other dancers who are drifting off course and they constantly adjust their style and speed to match the needs and preferences of each new dancer they meet.