So, I thought I would clarify to myself and anyone else interested what I'm hoping to create, in attempting to organize an "overflow" co-event in this region.

I DON'T want to compete with Transformus, or create a 'splitter' event for those who are disillusioned about not getting tickets to that event. What I do want to do is acknowledge that there's more energy and interest in this than a single site, Deerfield's, can currently satisfy.

So I'm hoping to gain the 'nod' from Transformus itself before we go much further. I've asked for it on the Transforma discussion list, and I'll ask for it again and again if we find a site and go ahead with this.

Because what I believe is that regardless of how ticketing is handled by the BOD of Transformus, it's clear that there are more people wanting to do this than there are tickets. And I think it's very un-Burner, un-radically-self-reliant, and un-countercultural in general to regard the event itself as some kind of Holy Grail of partying.

We're the ones who create these events, and if lots of us want to party on any given date in any given region, WE should take the initiative and do that. And, that this should be regarded as a good thing, good news for all of us.

I have this strange vision of one day when the whole damn country takes the whole weekend to party nationwide, globally, everyone partying wide open everywhere, all at once!! Maybe not so strange, once upon a time I'm sure Christmas was an obscure thing that only a few people were doing.

But, in attempting to create another event around or on the same time, I'd like to make a few significant perspective changes from what I see happening with the organization of Transformus, and with other regionals in the area. I would like to first address the Ten Principles idea....

Realistically, if I go through and I break it down for you, I could show everyone proof that Burning Man makes exceptions to the Ten Principles in the organization of their event at every turn.

Everyone's included doesn't mean everyone's included, it only means that you can get a ticket IF it's available, IF it's affordable for you, and IF they don't decide to deny your ticket request for some reason. Without regard to race religion sex and so forth.

Fair enough.

Non-commercial doesn't mean non-commercial, it only means that they're trying to not have it OVERTLY commercial. Burning Man is a for-profit organization that pays its organizers a good salary. This year they accepted corporate sponsors on the condition that they not display logos.

Volunteer driven doesn't mean that all the key positions are filled by volunteers, quite the opposite. They hire the real infrastructure folks that they will need, because volunteer means voluntary, and necessary means necessary.

And so forth.

And I'm not saying that there's a damn thing wrong with this, and I'm not saying that Burning Man makes a secret of this. What I am saying is that in organizing Burn-related events, I don't want to waste time arguing about Principles as if this were a religion.

It's not, it's an event, and some things are going to be pragmatically true about it, if it's going to happen.
For instance, we're going to have to pay for portajohns, and the site. If our needs as an event ever become such that we realistically have to pay for other things, then we should do that too.

But I believe we should attempt to adhere to the SPIRIT of those principles wherever possible, and to have a clear reason for it if we cannot. For an example, I think that it's within the spirit of the principles if we were to (at future, larger events) comp tickets to key volunteers who will spend their weekend working the whole time at a grungy job, but it would NOT be in the spirit of the principles to comp a ticket to someone because they're the organizer's buddy.

I think it should be obvious what the difference is.

One of the reasons that I'm about what's happening in this scene is because those principles aren't something that Burning Man invented for ME, they're principles that I've attempted to adhere to my whole life. I believe in them wholly, will never violate them lightly, and will be trying to create a world around them more fully until the day that I die.

One of the Principles that I believe in most is actually Transparency. That is, I think that whatever decisions we're making, we should be willing to share those decisions with those who we're co-creating things with, and even if it's a unilateral decision, we should fully share the reasons why with each other.

However we handle whatever finances or other decisions, that should be open, and we shouldn't be surprised or offended if others question these decisions.

I'm also just done with the Tyranny of the Good Vibe. That is, as we work on this, I hope that we can get rid of some of the overwhelming "stop complaining! You're just being CRITICAL!!" factor.

Critical is good, even if it's wrong. If this "don't express negativity or we'll shun you" thing keeps building, what we're going to wind up with socially is a popularity contest where some people's opinions do all the deciding, and everyone else feels afraid to even comment, afraid they'll get labeled as negative.

So I say, if you feel negative, be negative. Do it. That negative opinion might be the very thing to save all our asses one day. I hope people will feel free to express it. Radical Inclusion should include and welcome dissent.

Now, this little philosophical rambling is just MY opinion, and doesn't reflect what WE are trying to create as a group. However, it's my hope that this thread can be an open forum for what our individual opinions about the subject are, so we'll know where we all stand and what we're all about here, as individuals.

There are only two forms of group behavior, consensual and forced. To be consensual, we all need to know what we think we're agreeing to, or disagreeing with, y'know?

XXXOOO,
Me