Is Virtual Burning Man the Internet's Ultimate Test? (nytimes.com) 43
An anonymous reader shares an opinion piece from The New York Times, written by Neil Shister, author of "Radical Ritual: How Burning Man Changed the World." Here's an excerpt: In perhaps the ultimate test of whether the internet can satisfyingly replicate the real world, Burning Man has gone online this year. The notion isn't as much of a mismatch as it might seem. Larry Harvey, who helped start Burning Man on a San Francisco beach in 1986 and was its guiding luminary until his death in 2018, saw himself as a social engineer. He envisioned a landscape of limitless possibility where people could, at least temporarily, liberate themselves from the numbing confines of commodified art, entertainment and even lifestyle. What has more limitless possibility -- in theory, anyway -- than the internet? Indeed, a community famous for innovation (some trace the origins of maker culture to Burning Man) and deeply endowed with tech wizardry (Elon Musk famously said Burning Man "is Silicon Valley") adapted to the pandemic by creating a virtual Burning Man known as the Multiverse. The weeklong assemblage of eight digital platforms, which anyone can view free, went live at 12:01 a.m. on the last Monday in August, the traditional time Black Rock City (the name of the makeshift town where Burning Man takes place) opens its gates with a burst of fireworks.
The Multiverse maintains much of the energy, abundance and wonder of the real thing. One's cursor wanders among detailed renditions of Black Rock City that, for anyone who has been there, are eerily familiar: the layout of the camps, the signature structures and the cracked desert floor. Hover over an icon on the screen and the avatar of a Burner appears playing music he or she programmed. Digital art pieces installed by Burners surface when you click on planted flags. Visitors move through the Temple, an island of spiritual contemplation amid the playa's cacophony, by connecting glowing colored orbs into meditative patterns. You can attend workshops, which often include chat rooms for serendipitous encounters. But what's missing are adequate simulations of the vulnerability, discomfort and gratitude so central to Burning Man's existential qualities. Those fabled personal transformations typically arise from reappraisals of the self-image you brought to Black Rock City. You discover more creativity, self-reliance, flexibility, generosity -- even love -- than you thought you possessed. Or less. "You don't always get the Burn you want," a playa adage goes, "but you always get the Burn you need."
Black Rock City continually serves up opportunities to examine one's internal guidance system. The Multiverse doesn't offer this kind of introspection. There's no app that replicates the dread of loneliness or the relief of forgiveness -- familiar emotions at Burning Man. Which isn't to say that won't happen someday. As artificial-reality techniques advance, as the psychodynamics of cyberspace become more sophisticated in integrating the brain with virtual technology, it may one day be possible to elicit feelings associated with the self-governance, communal trust, gifting and fun that make Burning Man such a singular experience.
The Multiverse maintains much of the energy, abundance and wonder of the real thing. One's cursor wanders among detailed renditions of Black Rock City that, for anyone who has been there, are eerily familiar: the layout of the camps, the signature structures and the cracked desert floor. Hover over an icon on the screen and the avatar of a Burner appears playing music he or she programmed. Digital art pieces installed by Burners surface when you click on planted flags. Visitors move through the Temple, an island of spiritual contemplation amid the playa's cacophony, by connecting glowing colored orbs into meditative patterns. You can attend workshops, which often include chat rooms for serendipitous encounters. But what's missing are adequate simulations of the vulnerability, discomfort and gratitude so central to Burning Man's existential qualities. Those fabled personal transformations typically arise from reappraisals of the self-image you brought to Black Rock City. You discover more creativity, self-reliance, flexibility, generosity -- even love -- than you thought you possessed. Or less. "You don't always get the Burn you want," a playa adage goes, "but you always get the Burn you need."
Black Rock City continually serves up opportunities to examine one's internal guidance system. The Multiverse doesn't offer this kind of introspection. There's no app that replicates the dread of loneliness or the relief of forgiveness -- familiar emotions at Burning Man. Which isn't to say that won't happen someday. As artificial-reality techniques advance, as the psychodynamics of cyberspace become more sophisticated in integrating the brain with virtual technology, it may one day be possible to elicit feelings associated with the self-governance, communal trust, gifting and fun that make Burning Man such a singular experience.
Probably not (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Probably not (Score:5, Informative)
Less likely you'll get raped online though. https://www.salon.com/2019/05/... [salon.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Less likely you'll get raped online though. https://www.salon.com/2019/05/... [salon.com]
Who knew there would be rapes at a place with large amounts of alcohol and drugs? No one knew!
Even more unbelievable would be all that "security" is really just there to tamp down the rape reports so next year more money can be funneled in. Who knew?
Re: (Score:2)
Alcohol, drugs, an "anything goes" attitude, incredible wealth disparity, skimpy outfits, scheduled orgies, poor lighting... I've been once and had fun because I was with a group who has been going every year for decades. But not enough fun for me to want to spend a few hundred on tickets every year. I'd much rather go to the annual Rainbow Gathering, which is voluntary donation based and has a better peace-keeping force. Sure, there are still rapes on occasion but most times, things don't work out too well
Re: (Score:1)
Somebody Else's Father snorted:
A bunch of guys getting stoned and posting on the internet is pretty much why it was created. This is actually better for the environment than a bunch of people getting stoned and setting fire to things in the desert.
So, what you're saying is, "I've never been to Burning Man, so I'm going to assume it's like some kind of rave festival, and blather ignorantly on that unsupported assumption, because I know it will piss off people who do care about the experience - and I will be entertained by their responses. As for those who presume to try to educate me on the subject, I'll simply brush what they have to say aside, and respond, in turn, with more of the same ignorant twaddle I barfed up in
And? (Score:2)
And yet YOU contributed exactly NOTHING from your golden pulpit.....
He has his opinion, and stated it - so he did better than you.
Re: (Score:2)
thesupraman sneered:
And yet YOU contributed exactly NOTHING from your golden pulpit.....
He has his opinion, and stated it - so he did better than you.
I don't generally respond to trolls, but you posted your response under your own account name, rather than as an AC, so I'm going to treat your reply as if it is a genuine criticism, rather than the fake outrage that so often characterizes /. posts.
I don't give a flying fuck at a rolling donut whether that dipshit's post can be construed as on-point or not. I was reacting to the totality of his "contributions" to this forum. I invite you to browse his comment history. If you do, you'll d
Re: And? (Score:1)
A strange and irrelavent question (Score:4, Interesting)
Burning Man is tightly connected to the Internet, but the reverse is not true.
For many, it's a party, but for far more, it's about creating a city, living in it, and leaving no trace, all by the ethos of the Burning Man principles. Yes, there are plentiful substances that alter reality and for a week, Black Rock City is altered reality, then it vanishes for a year.
There is the frat-boy factor and showpony parades, but there's also a lot of seriously fun and creative work that goes into it. The rules are not like the rest of the world, for however long you're on the playa. Then they are again, which makes the contrast between Burning Man and the default world that much more stark.
People (especially gamers) think that Internet isn't real, but I assure you, it is. It's a Wild West where there are rules for some, but not for others. It works, mostly, but it doesn't clean up after itself, and it robs people of dignity, privacy, and actual money. Burning Man enriches, enhances dignity, and costs a lot of actual thinking, and yes, actual dollars.
Overall the answer to the captioned question is: No. These are not the same things and the virtual event hasn't the joys and of the actual one. Been going on and off for nearly 20 years.
Re:A strange and irrelavent question (Score:5, Insightful)
What a load of shit, they never once left no trace, they left a mess every single time. That wasn't what it was about, ever.
It is a fucking party, you make yourself into an incredible tool to try to make it sound noble. Parties are not noble. They're fun, or not, people die or they don't, the party gets busted by the cops or it doesn't, but they're not fucking noble.
Re:A strange and irrelavent question (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, no, there is an enormous amount of work to clean up, even after those that don't care. There is a post-event MatterOutOfPlace/MOOP map that camps and villages aspire to pass by having left no trace. There are a few that don't care, but they're actually pretty rare.
I didn't say parties were noble. It's a city for a couple weeks. Cities have bars, and parties, and sex, and all sorts of fun.
Your sense of nobility is misplaced here. It's not there as a noble effort. It's there as a communal effort, hopefully with far more participants than spectators. You've probably drawn your conclusions from too many videos.
Re:A strange and irrelavent question (Score:5, Insightful)
A few people who stay and partially clean up does not in any way support your original assertion.
Re: (Score:3)
You've never been there, have you?
If you had been then, you'd have seen the applied common efforts that are undertaken.
Our camp/village goes to great efforts; others do, too. It's not an assertion; I've witnessed and participated in it.
Re: (Score:1)
Perhaps you read Fox News, too.
I've been there more than ten times. Truly, there is an effort to keep the playa very clean.
Re: A strange and irrelavent question (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
You have a lot of well-practiced suspicion where I've done this work, and bent over until my back hurts, and gone 10-abreast across the playa in blinding heat.
I can understand your incredulity. Try going. You'll find both altruism and energy... and yes, stuff to clean up.
Re: (Score:2)
Many of the anti-Burning Man things I've read have tended to be along the lines of "look at all those dirty hippies" type stuff, or focussing on the people who have attended for all the wrong reasons.
The argumentative commenters you've attracted here seem to be from the conservative crew and they hate seeing people enjoying themselves.
Re: (Score:2)
There are all persuasions that arrive in Black Rock City. All are welcome. Radical inclusion is a principle there.
Radical self-expression is another.
In reality, it's a positive and upbeat place. It's not a light undertaking unless you're used to being out in the desert, away from even plumbing, and are yes, radically self-responsible.
There's a mindset that's difficult to describe and best to experience, and it's not online. You seem many pics and videos, and largely, those are the peacocks. You can be a pea
Re: A strange and irrelavent question (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly, you suffered and toiled, and so you want credit for being good, regardless of the fact that you were participating in spoiling the desert.
You toiled. It was not enough. You can't undo the damage, and you didn't even clean up all the trash.
Re: (Score:1)
I'm sorry, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
you have to be very young and/or ignorant of human history to fall for this sort of claptrap.
No, "maker culture" does not trace only back to Burning Man. Even in it's modern digital form "maker culture" can easily be seen in the 1970s and 1980s computer clubs, BYTE magazine, Doctor Dobb's Journal etc culture - what we used to call "hackers" before the movie "War Games" came out and ruined the term as a bunch of stupid journalists and politicians got the idea that "hackers" were a bunch of nefarious people out to accidentally start a war or engage in criminal activity. If you take "maker culture" to be non-digital stuff too, then it's at least as old as the USA where huge parts of the population were always cobbling together solutions to problems and innovating either to improve their lives directly or as a business idea in the era before everybody could buy cheap mass-produced consumer junk. Every farmer and small town handyman would have been a "maker" for the 1st 150 years of the country's history. Ben Franklin would have recognized "maker culture" as the norm.
As for Burning Man... well, it's just the modern implementation of an old pagan festival. There's really nothing more to it - a bunch of people camp out, share some stuff, get some food or music, or [fill in the blank] and dance about and light a big bon fire. Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, dancing hippie chicks, and a big blaze with vague quasi-spritual language devoid of any actual content. Not that different from all the "new age" crystals and junk that kicked-off in the 1980s, also marketed as something new but not. People all over the world a thousand years ago would recognize this in an instant with the exception of the modern high-tech trinkets and baubles.
Burning Man is something for which the old phrase "there is no new thing under the sun" absolutely applies - unless you have the attention span of a puppy or kitten and think every day is a brand new thing and everything you see has never been seen before by anybody else.
[/bucket of cold water]
"Hey, you kids, Git offa my lawn!" - old codger
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, I was gonna say... Burning Man is nothing special, these kinds of festivals became common in the Western world during the '60s. There are a bunch of them in Australia that have been running longer than Burning Man (e.g. ConFest [wikipedia.org] since 1976), and probably in the US as well.
postmodern search for meaning (Score:2)
It started as an expression of counterculture (Score:2)
But like back in the 90s when alternative music became popular, it has since become its own antithesis.
Getting sloshed in front of a screen... (Score:2)
Re: Getting sloshed in front of a screen... (Score:3, Funny)
You wants new feelings ? (Score:1)
World? (Score:1)
> "Radical Ritual: How Burning Man Changed the World."
When you say "world", do you mean:
[ ] World, as in baseball's World Series
or
[ ] World, as in where the majority of humans live
I'm sure the former has felt the effects, but the latter hasn't - we've got our own festivals thanks, and some of them achieve far more than BM.
Not entirely (Score:2)
It's really in the old moniker. Sex, drugs and rock and roll. You can't get p