Let's go back to the usher at the Dead show. Who made the rules that you can't dance in the aisles? Some corporate functionary in charge of the venue, worried about behaviors that would never in a million years take place at a Dead show in 2003. People who go to the Dead know that this is not a Black Flag concert, and it's not Altamont. It's a band of 50+ rockers, playing to an audience mellowed out on pot. So we all know there is no reason not to let people dance in the aisles. Fire hazards my ass. This is a policy based on fear (of injuries, of lawsuits) and nothing more. It was created by people who don't have to enforce it personally, and who know that the people who do enforce it are told that they have to do so strictly, or else they'll lose their job. Of course, they also know that people like me and the 'brother' have no choice but to obey. The corporate guy has nothing to lose, and we have no choice but to either abide by his rules or not attend.
So, a policy of fear, implemented by delegation and backed by the threat of violence.
And this is how it always is. People who want to live their lives richly, fully, madly, and deeply are always bumping up against the cops. You can't smoke this, you can't screw that. You can't be naked here, you can't say what you want. And the non-legal, societal norms: you're a weirdo if you have a certain hairstyle or set of clothes, so you have to look a certain way. You're a failure if you don't achieve certain financial goals, so you have to work a certain way. All of these limits, restrictions, borders, and rules.
Now, maybe I have no choice, but what about the Dead? Well, is it up to the Dead to only play venues which don't have extortionate prices, or which let people bring in food? Do such places even exist? This is not financially realistic. Yes, the Dead could be like Fugazi, refusing to do business with venues whose policies they don't agree with, or like Pearl Jam, fighting the system in some way. But that is an unfair choice. Why is it that, in order to fulfill your potential as an entrepreneur/musician, you have to buy into a system that is built on fear and keeps kids from having fun?
Of course, some rules are important. As the libertarians say, "do as thou wilt, but do no harm." Both parts are essential. So, back to Burning Man.
Burning Man is the only place I know where WE make the rules. It is not an anarchic place. There are rules: where you can burn stuff and where you can't, where you can make lots of noise and where you can't, but the rules don't suck. They can, in fact, all be distilled to the libertarian maxim. Now, beyond the formal rules, Burning Man also has informal social norms: it's impolite to gawk at the naked people, it's rude not to contribute to what's going on. But these are basically reducible to "participate, contribute, and express love and creativity." Aside from some minor, irritating interference from US law enforcement - you can't smoke up in public, for example, because it's BLM-managed property and there are real cops around - the primary codes of behavior are all about freedom and personal growth, without and beyond limits.
Radical Evil: Bernard Henry Levy on
the death of Daniel Pearl
Michael Shurkin
Trembling Before You
Matthue Roth
What is Burning Man?
Jay Michaelson
Wisconsin
Chanel Dubofsky
Angel-Man
Abraham Mezrich
Josh Calls His New Roommate
Josh Ring
Zeek in Print
Buy online here
Saddies
David Stromberg
About Zeek
The Zeek Archive
Links
From previous issues:
The Warm, Impossible, Wall-less Summer World
Jay Michaelson
What's your point?
Samuel Hayim Brody
A WEF Protester Tells You Why He Bothers