Salon.com: As I write this, tens of thousands of people are descending on the ersatz town of Black Rock City in the remote Nevada Desert for Burning Man, the annual “festival” that culminates in the burning of an enormous effigy. Of those estimated 60,000+ attendees, the plurality are upper-middle class or wealthier, white (80 percent of attendees, in fact), and/or techies. What began in the late 1980s as a freeform, inclusive counterculture-inspired creative gathering has morphed into a status symbol for the pampered tech elite and their lackeys, many of whom pay tens of thousands of dollars for luxury experiences that resemble a vanity getaway.
2 comments:
I am not personally familiar with Burning Man, but from what I understand, it’s supposed to be a model of egalitarianism and communalism, a celebration of art and eccentricity. There is a clear tension between those founding characteristics and the luxury turn-key camps and corporate recruiting mentioned by the article. As so often happens with gentrification, genuine “cool” has turned into a kind of voyeurism for the well-to-do, genuine counterculture has turned into an appropriated performance of counter culture. And, also like other forms of gentrification, it seems very difficult to avoid unless there is a concerted effort to stop it, but that kind on concerted control is also against the ethos of Burning Man.
I am curious how the festival justifies the ticket price growing at a rate 16 times faster than inflation – perhaps it was needed to fund safety and services for the growing crowd, but it also potentially sends a message: if you don’t have the money, this isn’t for you. I think its possible those who came to Burning Man for its original spirit will eventually be turned away and turned off by the changing atmosphere. And that’s a shame.
As with many things, Burning Man is simply another victim of gentrification It follows the pattern of a gathering created to celebrate artists and people who felt connected by their free expression that became a choreographed corporate event. This event was designed for inclusivity, and it is being taken over by people who have two things: money and connection. To call Burning Man the same event as it was when it was founded would be false, and that is due to the fundamental change in value from it’s humble beginnings as a community of equals.
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