Burning Man Project Director Chip Conley’s Fest300 has released another Burning Man promo video. This one is 3:05 long, the 0:05 is for Fest300 advertising. So is this now the Commodification Threshold? Anyone can shoot promo videos at Burning Man, as long as they just show their logos at the start and end for a few seconds? Just wondering, because I can think of all sorts of brands that could do epic Burning Man videos, ending in 3 seconds of their logo.
Commenter Reb has pointed out that once again, Fest300 is ignoring safety guidelines:
Although some may say a Dust Devil differs from a White Out, the official Survival Guide advises the following regarding White Outs: “Be on alert for moving vehicles. ❧ If you are driving a vehicle, STOP and wait for the air to clear. You will not be able to see where you are going and could hurt yourself or others.” The video shows just how poor the visibility is inside a Dust Devil- riding a bike inside one looks like a good way to get impaled, smash into people, artwork, a bus, guy wires, etc. Now there’s another reason not to ride into one- it can be full of idiots
I don’t really care about people riding in dust devils, I’ve done it, it’s fun, whatevs. But with this second Fest300 commercial, it’s becoming pretty apparent that the BMORG is condoning this, as it’s impossible they’re not aware of it. Welcome to the future.
I was imagining the Burners.Me commercial in the shower this morning.
Indeed, TTITD can be both dangerous and fun. But getting hurt can definitely reduce the fun. Sure, smashing into a vehicle and flying over your handlebars might be fun for the rider in the video below, but it could have been avoided. The guy got lucky, and seemed OK. But does that mean we should encourage biking blind? Is getting dehydrated fun? Should we tolerate endangerment, vandalizing or breaking others’ property, or let people drive drunk- all in the name of fun? No- we’d tell them to GTFO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwkrVEauCsE&feature=youtu.be
Sure, it can be fun when a Dust Devil or White Out envelops us, but what if it were full of fast-moving vehicles whose drivers can’t see a foot in front of them? Should we start to run away from Dust Devils because they might contain people hell bent on fun- no matter who or what they drive over or into? If we accept this shit from cyclists, well, how about runners or Segway-riders too? Would you like someone running you over, or skewering themselves on your installation. How would Art Car drivers feel if there were a new rule to have to stop driving or try to swerve away from a Dust Devil because someone got run over and killed because they were purposely riding in what amount to a localized White Out?
It would remain fun for a lot more people if we just watched Dust Devils, let them wash over us, and didn’t encourage people to run, ride, or drive when they’re not paying attention or can’t see what’s in front of them.
When has Burning Man ever been safe? It’s the most dangerous festival in the world, Burners.me you’re like a whining Mom, just let these Burners have fun. This is purely burners vs. mother nature at it’s finest, sit back and enjoy… the video is great.
Can you please explain to me which part of this brief post says to you that I don’t want Burners to have fun?
Although some may say a Dust Devil differs from a White Out, the official Survival Guide advises the following regarding White Outs: “Be on alert for moving vehicles. ❧ If you are driving a vehicle, STOP and wait for the air to clear. You will not be able to see where you are going and could hurt yourself or others.” The video shows just how poor the visibility is inside a Dust Devil- riding a bike inside one looks like a good way to get impaled, smash into people, artwork, a bus, guy wires, etc. Now there’s another reason not to ride into one- it can be full of idiots. Regarding promoting a website: it’s not that being a Burning Man Project Director means they care about the Survival Guide or Principles like Decommodification.