Yes saw that!!! Mother Nature didn't approve! LOL

You all would be surprised at the number of travel trailers, RVs that attend every year. So they have showers, toilets and power. There have been several high profile CEOs who have taken there entire executive teams in 1/2 million dollar RVs
with their own chefs and support staff on "team building " adventures. The entire purpose behind the Black Rock Burning Man event and the other 18 similar events is to escape from the hustles of everyday life.
I personally knew a middle school teacher and a youth soccer coach that attended to clear her mind before the grind of being a teacher. She was one of the most grounded individual
I have ever met. Small sample size but an example that all kinds of people attend for various reasons.

Of course all that would be considered "just another Tuesday in the Ocala Forest" so I dunno what to tell ya.

... Oh my!!! I'll tell you-For someone as liberal as you are in your frequent posts... to openly, smarmingly mock abject poverty rubs me the wrong way!

To other readers, please know that the Ocala Nat'l Forest is a true American Treasure:

Marjorie Rawlings 1930's Author of Cross Creek, The Yearling, etc tells the story of the forest people before drugs infiltrated their secluded lives.

Silver Springs State Park - Famous for its glass-bottom boat rides and wildlife.
And
Rainbow Springs- Also, Natural Springs, known for pristine water. Tubing, waterfalls, botanical trails and Crystal- Clear swimming.

Don't miss something great because someone wanted to elevate their stature as "all knowing" when they Do Not Know what they are talking about...beyond Painting a sub-culture of forest people with a very Broad Brush, the likes of which we'd all be admonished by her if she understood these very impoverished people.

Cringe at the thought of crime, fine, but do not objectify a whole area of pure mineral springs and beauty.

If you can't be a part of the solution, then don't be a part of the problem.

It's so weird, to make a post denigrating people thousands of miles away, for doing something you wouldn't want to do. I have friends who go every year, they enjoy it. Since no one is forced to go, I don't understand why you care what others do, if it's not affecting you.

Now that is scary if the best a middle school teacher and a youth soccer coach can do to "clear her mind" is to attend a burning man event. Don't suppose she ever heard of a peaceful hike by herself with pauses to sit and ponder. :laugh: But whatever they want, as long as they don't get shot, go for it.

Maybe she was pointing out the misery of the forest for many and let's not over-glorify living conditions. The "object" truth of those living there is many want to live that way and are impoverished by life choices they make.

I wasn't mocking them. I was pointing out that the Ocala Forest, right near us, has had horrible situations because of that abject poverty, and that it has been considered commonplace. And for people living HERE in The Villages, so close to the Ocala Forest, to mock the same situations at Burning Man, that we already have "in our own back yard" so to speak, speaks loudly of the ignorance and fear of other that I mention often.

Out of sight, out of mind. Every time there's a story about it here, they say "oh no there's homeless people filthying up our forest get rid of them!!!" for a day, and then they promptly forget about the existence of the problem. And then a story about Burning Man shows up and they go on about how people love being filthy with no plumbing or food - as if they didn't know that the concern they're pretending to have, is going on right here. All they care about when it's here, is how to get rid of the people. Not how to solve the problem.

Also, don't be so quick to regale us with the glories of the Ocala Forest. Embry-Riddle is still going through with clearing acreage to build their satellite aeronautics school campus and landing strip. So much for the beauty and peacefulness of one of Florida's most beautiful natural preserves.

There is nothing wrong with people. This event was started in 1986 and a little rain is going to fall on us all. OK, this year, a little more than just rain.

I did get the impression from a news segment I saw somewhere or other was that Burning Man was created by Silicon Valley types who were disillusioned by a site they had picked for a social gathering and for some reason they picked one of the most isolated places in a state that has many places where only lizards travel. Maybe not even lizards.

And remember, these are the same people that preach "do no evil" to the environment. They certainly aren't practicing THEIR edict: Take only pictures; leave only footprints.

Yeah! Snoopy's little friend.

That seems to be their site each year. I would not be surprised if they left some stuff there from year- to -year.

I had a VW beetle that I painted red, white, and blue around that time, but I wasn't aware of Burning Man back then.

AI Overview:
The dark side of Burning Man includes significant environmental issues from fossil fuel use and the event's large carbon footprint, safety concerns like sexual assault, extreme conditions, drug use, and even deaths, a perception of exclusivity and commercialization that contrasts with its original countercultural ideals, and a lack of adherence to principles by attendees, leading to issues such as discarded bikes and disrespectful behavior.

Excess population growth CAUSES problems.