Adventures with the BurningMan Power Elite! [this is a multi-part, text-y thing. It will be interesting only if you love or hate BurningMan] If you've arrived in the middle, go back to the beginning. NOTE: throughout this series, marian's writing looks like this. My writing to her looks like this. And my commentary added here, on these pages, looks like this. [marian starts by quoting me] Judging by your response, I hit the nail on the head. I'm a dentist. I know when I've hit a nerve. you "mis-interpreted" the issue. AND, your treatment of me via email makes me DAMNED glad you won't ever put a finger in my mouth. I am sure I'd experience pain, for which you'd feel pleasure. [thank you for the unwarranted, irrelevant insult on my chosen career!] Bad assumption. JRS is quality entertainment. Please keep me on the list. Frankly, i don't consider it entertainment, but information. AND, I am not here to receive unkind remarks. I work rather hard for Burning Man, and this kind of remark I take personally since I am one of the people who you refer to: "you folks are a fucking piece of work". I don't really recall doing anything that warrants abuse. I sincerely wonder if you "get" what's going on at Burning Man if you must be unkind on email. Jack Rabbit will speak just fine without you listening. [Again, there is an insistence that if I don't agree, I don't understand. Cheap dismissals like this are usually only issued by bad artists!] Just speaking my mind... those are the people you are recruiting volunteers to clean up after. Some of the artists left burn scars, and we are dealing with that internally. Again, the issue has much to do with money and manpower as anything else. We are working on population issues and plan to deal with the Friday and Sat influx in the future. Take them and 2 dumptrucks onsite, and clean up in 2 days. It might not be QUITE that simple, but you get my point. we have discussed that option...and will have other options next year.....again, your remarks show a serious lack of sensitivity for another human being... me. I am one of the "folks in charge" and have NOT been:"blinded by the limelight". There is NO limelight in what I do, no power, no fame, or FUCKING fortune. I work my fucking ass off at the event, and work my fucking ass off all year long. I am currently in fucking reno making sure the event happens next year because we need to submit the permit NOW, we need to negotiate the proposed year-2000 $500,000 fee from the fucking US government down to a reasonable level (closer to the $67,000 we paid this year), and am talking to wilderness conservationists who don't want us to move the site (which we intend to). I am doing this so you can play at my event for free. I do NOT deserve your assinine[sic] remarks. [Wow, I'm asinine b/c I offered criticism AND a tenable solution?] I'll be there if you will, bank on it. I just won't pay $100 (or more) to crap in a portapotty on public land, while you're spending the money on post-hoc back-patting parties, and having the GALL to ask people to volunteer for you... Tickets started at $65 last year. It's your fault that it occurred to you to buy one in August when the price was $100. We spent NO money on the Decompression party, it pays for itself, and has nothing to do with "event staff". People ask to volunteer, and we appreciate their contribution. [now it's MY fault tix were $100, and she's ignoring every point I'm trying to make] I'm sure you didn't read the newsletter which gave a good idea of where the money goes. I'm sure you didn't see the sheriff's and you didn't need a fucking Tylenol from the medical tent...if you had, you'd know where some of the money goes. You are ironic...not wanting to pay for a ticket, but suggesting we throw money at the clean up...which money? the money you allowed others to contribute? [I read the newsletter, which never says ANYTHING about where tix money goes. I didn't need Tylenol b/c I brought my own- like you're supposed to. And I don't consider tix purchases to be 'contributions', any more than paying income tax is one.] You have a VERY warped view on what it means to WORK for Burning Man, don't you? Have you ever thought of volunteering? From what I gather you are one of the bigger "spectators" I've ever come across. As far as I can tell you don't contribute one fucking element to the event. Oh right, you clean up your own little mess. Thanks, by the way. [now marian has degenerated to belittling me for cleaning up after myself- the most important element of BurningMan participation! And nestled among the insults? An invitation to volunteer!] When you have a party at your house, if someone got out of line and broke a window, would you ask your guests to chip in and fix it? [she ignores the obvious allegory and answers this question literally- is she dense, or is she purposely avoiding the point of all this mail?] Yes. I would ask the person who broke the window to fix it. I can't believe you imagine that I wouldn't. Sounds like you've broken a lot of windows, and gotton away with it. You have some issues with responsibility don't you? [where does it sound like I've broken a lot of windows and gotten away with it? Only in maid marian's head, I think. And if I had issues with responsibility, why am I putting forth all this effort, and tolerating all these insults, to try to voice an opinion?] I care deeply what goes on in the desert... ...Bad leadership. All concealed behind orwellian talk of community. EXCUSE ME? WHAT KIND OF IDIOT ARE YOU? [the kind that is getting deep under your skin! Now we're back to the irrelevant personal insults, apparently.] If you can tell me what kind of "fame or money" I have come into, I'd love to know. [How about being the self-appointed 'mistress of communication' for a city of 25,000, and handling several million dollars at a pop? This doesn't qualify? When a direct hit is scored, weak people often regress to 'poor me' tactics. It's a cheap distraction from the truth that hurts so much.] Additionally, I take on a HELL of a lot more responsibility for this event than you do [I hope so, since you're running the operation.]....I work extremely hard in case you wondered. [I never intimated otherwise- insecure?] Yes, there are growing pains. We learn every year, that's what makes it interesting. You know nothing about leadership or community. [Another blind insult, and a funny one. At the time of this email, I was Student Body President at UCLA's Dental School, elected to represent 400 students in campus-wide political meetings. Such is my ignorance of leadership & community.] If you're interested in my take on bm98, check it online- www.cardhouse.com/drcliff/wreck/bm981.html After your unkind treatment why the FUCK (your favorite word, thank you) would I even care what the hell you have to say. You don't contribute to the event. You don't volunteer. You don't pay for a ticket. YOU, SIR, are a freeloader, and NOT a member of the Burning Man community. Whatever you have to say, can only be drivel based on absolutely no experience with Burning Man the experiement in temporary community. [marian, hands over ears- yelling LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALA] Again, I'm being summarily dismissed because of my criticism. I guess it's easier than accepting that an intelligent, educated, well-spoken person is telling you that you are doing something wrong. Now, THAT'S bad leadership. And FUCK is MY favorite word? Our correspondence has been posted here in its entirety. I have used the word FUCK exactly twice. marian? Over a dozen times. She is quite kind, to keep using my favorite word so often! I felt like a little levity was in order... her refusal to discuss any issues was boring me... So I started getting personal