Here it is Sunday on the last holiday weekend of the summer and it looks like we are going to enjoy another 6 weeks of summer as the Wolverines won their opener against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. If the way they won is any indication though it could well be an ugly 6 weeks.
Indeed, as I speak, Dorian continues its march to wreak havoc on landfall somewhere yet to be determined.
And slowly I’m coming to the realization that, once again, I forgot all about Burning Man, the week-long hedonistic celebration dedicated to anti-consumerism and self-expression. Sadly for “Burners” the super rich seem to be taking the festival for their own, with more Wall Street and Silicon Valley capitalists turning it into their version of nirvana, which requires the burning of a lot of money and drugs.
“The Man” burns in temporary Black Rock City, Nevada on August 31, 2019
In case you too have overlooked the cultural significance of this annual event, allow me to explain:
Burning Man’s mission is to produce an annual event in the middle of the Nevada dessert in order to guide, nurture and protect the more permanent community created by its culture. It describes itself as a "temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance."
I have no idea what that means or how to interpret it. But here are Burning Man's 10 principles:
- Radical inclusion
- Gifting
- Decommodification
- Radical self-reliance
- Radical self-expression
- Communal effort
- Civic responsibility
- Leaving no trace
- Participation
- Immediacy
Again, I note that I either don’t comprehend or condone any of them with the possible exception of “civic responsibility” – although I’m willing to bet that in the context of Burning Man it doesn’t mean what I think it means. But my goodness, it looks creative!
I don’t know though, Labor Day just really isn’t what it used to be.
I prefer the old fashioned variety.
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