Report this comment

And most importantly, why are you so upset by things like “Tweet & Chill”? From what I can read here, those were individuals, not a corporate entity. And covering up RV logos is all well and good, but it has nothing to do with decommodification. The key thing is that the RV company is not the one responsible. Should we all have to cut tags out of clothing, scratch out all brand names on our canned food, cars, shoes, sunscreen, lip balm, glasses, camp stoves, flashlights, goggles, and on and on and on?

Logos in themselves are not inherently advertising. They can function in much the same way as an artist signing a painting – simply informative, not coercive.

While I also enjoy the break from commerce at Burning Man, I don’t think we need to hang people for owning a product made in the real world – after all, we do pack it all in from default.

Report this comment

“A 21 year-old sparklepony prolly isn’t gonna have all that much to say compared to the 65 year-old grandmother of 7, wearing a big floppy hat, gardening shorts and a tank top,”

That seems like an awfully prejudiced comment coming from a community that struggles so hard to get the default world not to judge us by our appearance. I won’t even address the “sparklepony” comment because it seems unnecessary to argue that good people come in all shapes, sizes, and amounts of glitter on a Burning Man blog. However, I will address another part of your statement by saying that young people these days – especially burners – have a lot to offer in the way of experiences, opinions, and knowledge. Sure, a few will have naive or even just plain annoying views on the world, but age does not automatically bring intelligence, compassion, or the ability to spin a good yarn.

I think I get what your point was, but you should understand that you spoke out against those that judge us for NOT dressing up enough by judging someone for dressing up too much. And criticized us for ignoring the older generation by suggesting that the younger generation has nothing to offer. You’re trading one prejudgement for another in a community where everyone should be accepted individually for what they have to offer.

God, I hate when you guys make me sound like a hippie. ;)

Report this comment

While I love the creativity (and often the raunchiness) of the truck rental coverups, I find the annoyance of those who get their panties in a bunch about truck logos NOT being covered up…well…annoying. Almost all of the product we use – from our personal cars to our shoes to our cameras to our hydration packs and so much more – have a corporate name and/or logo on them. I think it’s unreasonable to expect people to cover up ALL of these, and I doubt that even the staunchest critic of the moving truck logos can honestly say they use nothing on the playa that has a corporate name or logo displayed ANYWHERE on it. And if they can, then I think they’ve spent a lot of time trying to cover up the existence of corporations and not understanding the intent of the principle.

And as for the critics of internet and cel phone access, I say that if you need to “escape” from your default life so badly you should rethink your own path. I don’t go to Burning Man to escape, I like my life. If you have a hard time turning off your own cel phone and computer occasionally then you should focus more on how to resolve that than the ways that I’m enhancing my burn through the use of technology. I consider the addition of these things evolution, not distraction.

And speaking of evolution, or lack thereof:
“We burners prefer blatant, crass sexism over any form of advertising. ”
I still get a chuckle from people who consider any crass or sexual humor to be sexist. I’m sex-positive and love both men and women equally, but I think dick jokes are hilarious.

Report this comment

My point is, it’s very easy to complain – much more challenging to come up with creative solutions to move things in a positive direction. But its also a lot more fun, and rewarding, and actually stands a chance of getting the results you want.

Next year, I’ll come armed with shelf liner and will spend some time at the gate, offering to help folks cover up their logos before entering the city.

Report this comment

- Hundreds or maybe thousands of burners have gotten jobs based on contacts made at BM.

- One theme camp I know well has spun off 3 real world businesses that employ burners.

- Many companies send or encourage employees to attend BM due to the concentration of creative people and the wonderful environment it creates.

- Government and aid agencies have a long standing interest in BM as a test bed of examples of methods that can be applied to disaster relief. Ideas first tried at BM are in use today for disaster relief. In some (many?) cases their are companies that make a profit in this arena.

- Many outside companies make a lot of money catering to burners and the Org. Potties, RV rentals, used bike sales, food, fues, hotels, heavy equipment rentals…

- The BMorg has fostered a lot of good will in the region by steering business to local vendors.

I’m sure there’s lots more that could go here…

Report this comment

How about the guy I saw on the way in with the expensive truck towing the expensive trailer that was all decked out with ads for some sort of cool bike he was selling? I’m not saying he was selling at BM, but he sure was advertising loudly.

How about the company that was handing out free bottled water in the exodus line? Except that the bottles all had ads for their upcomming event?

I did not even try to find creeping commercialism, these examples are ones that I found without looking… Meaning there are lots and lots more.

Report this comment

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carnivillain/3883339545/

Report this comment

Report this comment

Report this comment