revjim.net

Myschievia: never asked questions

Sep 14th, 2006
by Jim Reverend.

“Bonnie’s comment”:http://revjim.net/2006/09/14/attending-myschievia/#comment-17162 got me wondering how many other people look at an event like “Myschievia”:http://revjim.net/2006/09/14/attending-myschievia/ and say “That’s not Burning Man!”.

So, I’ve compiled a list of Never Asked Questions about Myschievia to help keep that reaction at bay.

* Are there a lot of burners that attend? *Yes.*
* Does it share the concept of a Gift Economy with Burning Man? *Yes.*
* Is it a Temporary Community like Burning Man? *Yes.*
* Does it require participation? *Yes.*
* Are you welcome to be yourself, whoever that may be? *Yes.*
* Are you welcome to express yourself however you see fit? *Yes.*
* Will they burn something? *I think so.*
* Will there be art? *All around.*
* Friendly people? *Uh huh.*
* Debauchery? *Probably.*
* Camping? *Yup.*
* Community? *You betcha.*
* Do people get nekkid? *I don’t know, I’ve never been. But, from what I’ve heard, yeah… it happens.*
* Are there ferrel hogs? *Out there somewhere.*
* Fire Ants? *Most likely.*
* Snakes? *It is the woods!*
* Spiders? *They live there too!*
* Do you need goggles because of playa dust? *No.*
* Do you need a medical mask to breathe at some times? *Nope.*
* Will it be over 100 degrees during the day and near freezing in the morning? *Not quite. Between 55 and 85, give or take.*
* Will there be dust storms? *Probably not.*
* Is it in Nevada? *Nope. East Texas.*
* Even in a desert climate? *Nope.*
* Is it Burning Man? *No.*
* Does it claim to be Burning Man? *No.*
* Does it want to be Burning Man? *No.*
* So it’s not burning man? *Abso-fuckin-lutely Not.*
* Is Burning Man fun? *I don’t know. I’ve never been. It sure sounds like it is. I’d like to go. Maybe next year.*
* Is Myschievia fun? *I don’t know. I’ve never been. It sure sounds like it is. That’s why I’m going.*

Myschievia is not, nor, from what I can tell, does it intend to be, Burning Man. Much like San Francisco is not, nor does it ever intend to be, New York City. And if Burning Man is “New York City” then we can’t even call Myschievia “San Francisco” yet. It’s just a little baby town. Nothing compared to the 40,000+ that attend Burning Man.

I hope this helps.

Posted in: art, everything, life, ljxp, local.
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  • http://gentlenews.com Farris

    Ehhh… It would take a lot of convincing to get me out there. If it weren’t for the climate, I’d be there in a heartbeat. But, although I do love camping, I’m not an “outdoorsy” kinda of guy at heart. The climate at BM is, aside from the dust, mild as all hell. For the record, it did not break 100 while we were there, and it was never freezing.

    I know the point of your posts was to quash responses like this one. I’m just pointing out that you can’t.

    I do admire people putting on something like this. I’m just not sure that, for me personally, I’d enjoy this type of thing in this particular setting.

  • bonnie

    I agree with my husband. Anyone who has been to Burning Man would never wonder if there could be anything just like it in North Texas. The comparisons and contrasts could go on for days, but the fact remains that they are totally different environments.

    It reminds me of how I feel about another Nevada-based event: Las Vegas. People who love gambling can go pretty much anywhere there are tables and slots-they don’t need the environment of Vegas to enjoy it. From what I’ve seen, other casinos I’ve been to outside of southern Nevada don’t have any glitz and glamour, they’re just there for people to spend money gambling. Similarly, I loved the distinct characteristics of BRC, and I’m not interested in “burning” enough to do it in East Texas. I might as well have a “leave no trace event” in my backyard.