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Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

AUG 29, 2007 12:26 AM

Arsonist causes Burning Man to burn four days early. Hippies blame the man, man.

A San Francisco man was arrested on felony arson charges today after the 40-foot-tall "Man" statue whose torching is the annual highlight of the Burning Man festival in Nevada went up in flames four days early, authorities said.

Paul Addis, 35, of San Francisco, was booked into the Pershing County Jail in Nevada on the arson charge and misdemeanor possession of fireworks, Sheriff Ron Skinner said.

Festival organizers, meanwhile, pondered the smoldering remains of the Man and promised to rebuild the big guy in time for Saturday's regularly scheduled burn in the Black Rock Desert north of Reno.

"The Man is still standing, and an assessment is under way to determine the structural integrity of the Man and the Green Man Pavilion," according to a statement posted today at www.burningman.com. "The event will continue as scheduled."

Jamie Thompson, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Land Management, which manages the land where the event is held, said the platform and material around the statue was intact.

Some 40,000 people are expected to gather in the desert by this weekend for Burning Man, and Thompson said about 15,000 revelers are already at the festival site. Many were on the playa early this morning watching the lunar eclipse when the fire ignited at 2:58 a.m., according to Burning Man organizers.

Thousands of festival-goers streamed out onto the playa from the surrounding Black Rock City encampment to view the spectacle, witnesses said. Black Rock City rangers rushed to the scene and doused the conflagration within about 25 minutes.

Reactions ranged from amusement and support to frustration and anger.

"I am disturbed that the Man is burnt. As I looked at it, I was going, 'This can't be happening,' " said Bob Harms of South Lake Tahoe, a seven-time burner.

Kyle Marx of Eugene, Ore., said the fire started from the Man's left leg and spread to engulf nearly his entire body.

"Some people were chanting, 'Let him burn, let him burn!' and some were chanting, 'Save the man, save the man!' " Marx said.

Several people were seen clambering up the tower of logs below the statue's platform base shortly before the fire began.

"Someone went to a great extent to interfere with everyone else's burn. I think, frankly, an attention whore has made a plea for attention," said a Burning Man volunteer named Ranger Sasquatch. "In three days, we will have this rebuilt."

A festival-goer who identified herself as simply Erica said she and her friends were "upset by the fact that someone would take this away from everybody who comes to the event just to see the man burn. To try to sabotage him is completely wrong. We wait all year long. This is an adult's Christmas party."


The mugshot of the alleged burner burner is fucking priceless:

TAFKASP

TAFKASP

Oakland, CA
June 2003

AUG 29, 2007 12:35 AM

oh shit, dude, that mugshot. i can't stop laughing. tongue

my take on it is this (and consider, i've never been to BM, so i may not really get it, and i understand that; and i'm not trying to tell someone who's been how they should feel about the situation): but the way i've always understood BM as a layperson, was that it was supposed to be this free-form, impromptu, time of expression that went against the norm and what was expected (at least in its nascent years). so isn't this the perfect example of just that? isn't waiting to see the man burn on a set day and time and being pissed off about it, against the idea itself?

again, if you've been to BM and feel i'm talking out of my ass here (which i admittedly, very well could be), please let me know.

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

AUG 29, 2007 12:38 AM

SuicidePuppies said:
oh shit, dude, that mugshot. i can't stop laughing. tongue



Between the facepaint, the tan, the subtle suggestion of sand/glitter on his awesomely tribal tattooed shoulders, and the smug shit-eating smile on his face, It is pretty much the best thing ever, is it not?

TAFKASP

TAFKASP

Oakland, CA
June 2003

AUG 29, 2007 12:40 AM

Subrosa said:

SuicidePuppies said:
oh shit, dude, that mugshot. i can't stop laughing. tongue



Between the facepaint, the tan, the subtle suggestion of sand/glitter and the smug shit-eating smile on his face, It is pretty much the best thing ever, is it not?



it's definitely cleaner and happier-looking than any "celebrity" mugshot i've seen in the past ten years.

Exhibit A:

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

The original Burning Man:



tongue

reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

AUG 29, 2007 03:04 AM

SuicidePuppies said:
oh shit, dude, that mugshot. i can't stop laughing. tongue

my take on it is this (and consider, i've never been to BM, so i may not really get it, and i understand that; and i'm not trying to tell someone who's been how they should feel about the situation): but the way i've always understood BM as a layperson, was that it was supposed to be this free-form, impromptu, time of expression that went against the norm and what was expected (at least in its nascent years). so isn't this the perfect example of just that? isn't waiting to see the man burn on a set day and time and being pissed off about it, against the idea itself?



No. I'm not a burner, and frankly, the idea of spending a week in the high desert with a tens of thousands of really high people fully offsets the amusement value for me. Ain't going.

That said, the core idea is not a hard concept to grasp. It's called make your own fun and be amused by others that do likewise. It's not about chaos or freedom from responsibility. It's about freedom from stricture. There are rules, there are customs and there are manners. Destroying something that others worked to create isn't impromptu, or free form, or creative or provocative. It is the expression of a juvenile, drug addled moron, who I'm sure is very much less cheerful now.

TAFKASP

TAFKASP

Oakland, CA
June 2003

AUG 29, 2007 03:13 AM

reprobate said:
No. I'm not a burner, and frankly, the idea of spending a week in the high desert with a tens of thousands of really high people fully offsets the amusement value for me. Ain't going.

That said, the core idea is not a hard concept to grasp. It's called make your own fun and be amused by others that do likewise. It's not about chaos or freedom from responsibility. It's about freedom from stricture. There are rules, there are customs and there are manners. Destroying something that others worked to create isn't impromptu, or free form, or creative or provocative. It is the expression of a juvenile, drug addled moron, who I'm sure is very much less cheerful now.



But isn't the man going to be destroyed anyway? Isn't the difference in this case, when it was destroyed? And by whom? Is there a usual group (I'm assuming the people that created the structure) that are the ones designated to burn it? If that is the case, I don't understand why the Burning Man is the center attraction -- to me, that seems counterintuitive, like it undermines the individuality and importance of the different installations/exhibits around the rest of the playa, made by other people -- to give one a hierarchical superiority over the others.

If this is the case, then how is BM different from any promoter-based concert/event, where the organizers have control over the content. I always assumed the content of BM was driven by all who attended. As long as no one got hurt being the golden rule.

Again, I bring my severe lack of knowledge about the event to the forefront. I'll jump on wikipedia or the BM site now to find out more about it before I post anymore.

TAFKASP

TAFKASP

Oakland, CA
June 2003

AUG 29, 2007 03:23 AM

oh, and btw, i just want to add that i do think it's in bad taste in most situations, regardless of the underlying rules, spoken or unspoken, of the moment, in the sense that i would never destroy someone else's art (even if i would gladly destroy my own, in the vein of some of the Tibetan Buddhist destruction rules of the mandala).

assuming i was displaying my artistic work in a gallery full of other artists' works, it would be reprehensible for someone else to destroy my work, and vice-versa.

but maybe i'm just being naive here, but that's not what i thought BM was about. again, i'm going to go inform myself a bit some more before i post again.

TAFKASP

TAFKASP

Oakland, CA
June 2003

AUG 29, 2007 04:38 AM

since i've already kind of committed to this thread, i feel i should just say my peace and leave (and i'm sure regular BM attendees will probably hate me for this or think i'm a fool for even taking part in a thread based on an event i have no firsthand experience about). sure, i read up more about the event, and ultimately i think BM should be about whatever its participants decide it's to be about. maybe that's my naive way of looking at it.

but to me, this dude flaming up the man days in advance is the epitome of what this event was supposed to be about in the first place -- going against the norm (as long as it doesn't physically hurt someone else) - pure and utter disruption of the status quo. otherwise, what is it? if one cannot celebrate the madness and reckless abandon in this act, why attend? why not just get dressed up in your backyard and invite your friends over to your Temescal apartment if you want to have control over events? again, i don't officially celebrate this event, so my opinion will probably be cast aside i'm sure, by some of those who disagreed with this face-painter's actions. but personally, if what this guy did is such a cause of contention, i'd much rather celebrate my own event, ya dig? that's where the true freedom is, right? why should i submit to BM otherwise?

i'll shut up now.

SuicidePuppies will light his neigbor's house on fire later tonight in an act of solidarity with this crazy, face-painted weirdo wink

RandomNerd

RandomNerd

I'm lost
January 2005

AUG 29, 2007 06:51 AM

Subrosa said:

SuicidePuppies said:
oh shit, dude, that mugshot. i can't stop laughing. tongue



Between the facepaint, the tan, the subtle suggestion of sand/glitter on his awesomely tribal tattooed shoulders, and the smug shit-eating smile on his face, It is pretty much the best thing ever, is it not?



He looks like Strong Bad, to me...

Chainlink

Chainlink

Key West, FL
August 2005

AUG 29, 2007 07:14 AM

I'd just like to take this moment to say Performance art sucks.

Thank you and goodnight.

DrStinkypants

DrStinkypants

Saint Paul, MN
October 2002

AUG 29, 2007 07:18 AM

Oh, they got buuuuurned







Wait, they arrested him? I heard that he burned the burning man but they actually arrested him? surreal

DhD_No_Pants

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX
May 2006

AUG 29, 2007 07:23 AM

My question is: When they set the burning man on fire, is it some type of controlled burn? I would think that burning something that large would need some basic safety precautions prior to and during the burn that weren't set in place should someone just decide to go light the thing. A regular bonfire can collapse and hurt people if it isn't burning correctly, and I'd imagine that something that big could really really get fucked up. Just my .02, though.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

AUG 29, 2007 07:36 AM

DhD_PillowPants said:
My question is: When they set the burning man on fire, is it some type of controlled burn? I would think that burning something that large would need some basic safety precautions prior to and during the burn that weren't set in place should someone just decide to go light the thing. A regular bonfire can collapse and hurt people if it isn't burning correctly, and I'd imagine that something that big could really really get fucked up. Just my .02, though.


My understanding (from Burner friends) is that it is a controlled burn, with the intention of leaving no debris or damage behind on the ground.

As for SuicidePuppies's point, there are obviously some Burners who would agree with him, and obviously many who don't. Myself, I'd lean against it. It's intended to serve in major a public ritual, which the clown in question unarguably violated to know purpose save his own gratification.

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

AUG 29, 2007 07:48 AM

DrStinkypants said:
Wait, they arrested him? I heard that he burned the burning man but they actually arrested him? surreal



Well sure. The thing didn't belong to him and he destroyed it. It's still destruction of property or vandalism or whathaveyou.

meatpieboy

meatpieboy

Korea, D.P.R.
June 2004

AUG 29, 2007 07:53 AM

Subrosa said:

DrStinkypants said:
Wait, they arrested him? I heard that he burned the burning man but they actually arrested him? surreal



Well sure. The thing didn't belong to him and he destroyed it. It's still destruction of property or vandalism or whathaveyou.


It's still murder, even if they're on death row.

DrStinkypants

DrStinkypants

Saint Paul, MN
October 2002

AUG 29, 2007 07:54 AM

Subrosa said:

DrStinkypants said:
Wait, they arrested him? I heard that he burned the burning man but they actually arrested him? surreal



Well sure. The thing didn't belong to him and he destroyed it. It's still destruction of property or vandalism or whathaveyou.



I guess I don't know why I thought they wouldn't
But, I mean, so they're at Burning Man and the thing burns and they're all like "hey you know what we need, here at Burning Man, where we are right now? Some cops!"?

I don't know, there's just nothing that's not funny about this

meatpieboy

meatpieboy

Korea, D.P.R.
June 2004

AUG 29, 2007 07:58 AM

DrStinkypants said:

Subrosa said:

DrStinkypants said:
Wait, they arrested him? I heard that he burned the burning man but they actually arrested him? surreal



Well sure. The thing didn't belong to him and he destroyed it. It's still destruction of property or vandalism or whathaveyou.



I guess I don't know why I thought they wouldn't
But, I mean, so they're at Burning Man and the thing burns and they're all like "hey you know what we need, here at Burning Man, where we are right now? Some cops!"?

I don't know, there's just nothing that's not funny about this


That made me laugh. You're right.

"Guys! The law has been broken!"

reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

AUG 29, 2007 12:48 PM

SuicidePuppies said:

reprobate said:
No. I'm not a burner, and frankly, the idea of spending a week in the high desert with a tens of thousands of really high people fully offsets the amusement value for me. Ain't going.

That said, the core idea is not a hard concept to grasp. It's called make your own fun and be amused by others that do likewise. It's not about chaos or freedom from responsibility. It's about freedom from stricture. There are rules, there are customs and there are manners. Destroying something that others worked to create isn't impromptu, or free form, or creative or provocative. It is the expression of a juvenile, drug addled moron, who I'm sure is very much less cheerful now.



But isn't the man going to be destroyed anyway? Isn't the difference in this case, when it was destroyed? And by whom? Is there a usual group (I'm assuming the people that created the structure) that are the ones designated to burn it? If that is the case, I don't understand why the Burning Man is the center attraction -- to me, that seems counterintuitive, like it undermines the individuality and importance of the different installations/exhibits around the rest of the playa, made by other people -- to give one a hierarchical superiority over the others.



The burn is the central unifying event of the festival. It is no more or less important than anything else, it just gives cohesion to the event and the community. Thats why its called burning man. And yes, there is a large group of people who work very hard to make it happen, and safely. So yeah, the difference is when it was burned and by whom and also how, but those are very significant differences. It was burned as a petulant anarchic fuck you, by a guy with no right to do it in a flagrantly dangerous manner.

d20

d20

San Francisco, CA
September 2003

AUG 29, 2007 12:57 PM

burning man isn't really my thing (for those curious, my thing involves showers and constant access to the internet) but fucking something up for tens of thousands of other people just so you can flex your personal agenda is a pretty serious dick move.

OhSoOrdinary

OhSoOrdinary

New York, NY
July 2006

AUG 29, 2007 01:06 PM

I think this is hilarious. But that guys still sucks. Even though he has awesome face paint.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

AUG 29, 2007 03:30 PM

d20 said:
burning man isn't really my thing (for those curious, my thing involves showers and constant access to the internet) but fucking something up for tens of thousands of other people just so you can flex your personal agenda is a pretty serious dick move.



It's no different from owning a vehicle which is gratuitously loud, or running your stereo loud after midnight, or setting fire to heathland, or any other form of flexing one's personal agenda at other people's expense. (I choose those specific examples because assholes round here do them with malicious intent; and because my father has tinnitus, to the extent that he has physical pain from loud noises. It's not just "personal expression" when it hurts someone.)

Edit: This is not a personal dig at you, d20 smile .

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

AUG 30, 2007 12:20 AM

OhSoOrdinary said:
I think this is hilarious. But that guys still sucks. Even though he has awesome face paint.



I think I will be him for Halloween this year. I'm excited. It's the perfect costume!

Heathen_Dave

Heathen_Dave

Birmingham, AL
July 2005

AUG 30, 2007 12:22 AM

His smile just seems to say, "Fuck yeah. I'm awesome."

And man is he ever right.

Edit: I also expect he's giving a thumbs up out of frame. Possibly the double thumbs up.

spamtwo

spamtwo

United Kingdom
April 2006

AUG 30, 2007 12:44 AM

I wish I was him

reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

AUG 30, 2007 02:44 PM

rabidrabbit said:
I wish I was him



Er, he's about to go to prison on federal arson charges.

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