They're all sheep

True enough, but I think the idea is to express disatisfaction w/ the status quo through means of playful prank, rather than the org having to make yet another "rule" for the sheep to follow (getting back to the posted topic). Not so much the destruction of *every* camera. Tho if it were my BM to run I would say flamethrowers to the GGW cameras...

Have someone with a bullhorn shouting "if a camera is pointed at me it will get super-soaked" that should keep the well-meaning folk safe. Then next year the pros will have scuba shells on their cameras.

This may be a fairly bad first impression, but oh well.

Seems there's still at least a touch of bad feelings between CS and BM (or at least the people in charge), which is understandable, considering the past; a past I have only read about and won't claim to actually "know". Please don't kill me with the history books if I misunderstood something.

In any case, There some actions that could take place in order to sort of make the most of the situation, or possibly avoid it, including some already mentioned that I'd like to expand on:

- This suggestion to rally against the establishment of BRC. Seems simple enough, really. Encourage rule-bending around the outskirts of the city, which could lead into arranging flash mobs for random pranks, and at the stroke of 3am on Tuesday morning of BM 2008, assemble a group around the Man in Addis facepaint and chant the following (due to the link drawn between Addis and Fawkes):

Remember, remember, that night in September
(Or wait, was it August or not?)
I say without malice the actions of Addis
Should never be forgot.

Hold up lighters for that added "oh shit" effect. Or burn a tiny man, then put it out with a watergun.

Speaking of which, what if, instead of the watergun idea for CT, everyone brings cans of silly string (one better, those Spider-Man web shooters with crude Spidey masks and referring to every woman as Mary Jane)? It won't damage the camera, but it WILL prevent them from taking pics when they have gunked-up lenses, and it'll be a bitch to clean off if they don't take immediate action. I imagine that stuff would dry out pretty fast in the desert...

Also, "Run For The Border" is a must.

- The suggestion to start another event. While I can understand the "burn me twice" logic, what if this imaginary event were private and secret? A "we do NOT talk about Fight Club" kind of deal, but actually mean it. As I understand, that's what started to drive the wedge, was it not; the urge to keep the crazy desert festivities to the inner circle, and Harvey's insitance of "bring the kids!"? Another time, another place, and on your own terms. 100% Cacophonist made.

You may get accused of being a rip-off, but that'd just be by twits who don't know how to read up on the things they're arguing about. Or, roll with it, forming a mini gathering just outside BM. Stake a sign at your border: "Piss off, hippies. We were here first."

- With considerably less effort, how about just crashing someone else's party? www.shambhalamusicfestival.com I have heard this event described as "Shambhala is B.C.’s Burning Man, but in the forest instead of a desert."

Perhaps a bit too rave-ish, and not exactly an experiment in radical self-reliance, but it'd probably be pretty easy to rattle a few cages in a new group. That's the important thing, right?

- Ultimately, why not just forget about the whole mess (as I understand some of you already do)? Fuck it. Put your time and energy into something else. If the event is such a disgrace from the orignal incarnation, then why bother?

From things I've seen and read, the place is overflowing with yuppies that want to be like you, but can't. They wouldn't appreciate (read: be mind-fucked by) your antics.

Blame my youthful ignorance if this all seems incredibly stupid. It's some stuff that came to mind as I was a-browsin' the threads.

Thoughts?

how about going early and leaving as all the sheep arrive?

When the movie Earthquake came out, they had a machine installed in the theaters that would shake the building. What if we just had a device that would send out a heavy beat that was not in time with the raver music? Would that be disconcerting enough?