Social media seems to be laughing its ass off about this tragedy, is it because the folks at burning man are perceived as frivolous hippies or something? Everyone I’ve ever met who was a regular burning man attendee has been a solid human being with strong morals, personally and financially responsible, a career. Upstanding members of society for sure. I guess all some people know is the sensationalized drugs and sex. A person died. This is a tragedy for an event that brings positivity into the world. Kind of annoyed.
Most of them aren’t rich. They’re middle class. The only reason you think most of them are rich is because of how a lot of the middle class has fallen into poverty. Don’t tear down the people that are still truly middle class.
The truly wealthy are a problem, but they’re a minority at burning man.
It’s all relative. If the poor have gotten poorer, then the “almost rich”, just by virtue of hanging on to their wealth, have edged up into “rich” territory
Sure, if you want the extremely rich people who actually made you poor to write your narrative for them. Save your anger for the people who actually suppress wages and equity. Not people who just managed to carve out a middle class life by doing some job. Middle class people and poor people are much much closer in wealth to each other than middle class and the truly wealthy who rule this country.
I have plenty of anger to go around, there’s no danger of it running out.
Might want to seek professional help for that bud.
It’s a rational response to an unjust world, but more importantly I couldn’t afford professional help in any case. Which is, again, the point.
Rational… yup. No you are just a sad little child that can’t grow up
how is it irrational to get angry at worlds injustices?
You’re directing your anger at the wrong people. Pretty fucking irrational to me
Why not be angry at other poor people too then? They deserve it as much as the middle class.
No, they don’t.
They do though. Neither one of them deserves your anger. Be angry at the people who actually set up the system that makes you poor. Not the middle class who has as much to blame as the poor.
The middle class didn’t set up the system, but they love benefiting from it.
But even then, my main gripe with the middle class is their insistence that they’re blameless and they like to pretend they’re on the same side as the poor when they’re constantly supporting policies to keep the poor poorer.
Yes, the middle class benefits some form the current system. We want a system that benefits all. That doesn’t mean breaking the system for the people who live a comfortable life. It means making the system support a comfortable life for all.
And blaming them as a block is really stupid anyway because they don’t all vote lock step. These divisions along non-ideological divides are a silly distraction meant to keep people fighting people who are actually on the same side.
What a useless bullshit excuse to be hateful and averse to any actual solution whatsoever
wow imagine needing to take sides…
If you’re spending upwards of $1000 on a few days you’re probably rich.
Or it’s very important to you and you saved all year. What a weird assumption
What the hell. That classifies almost anyone who goes on vacation as rich.
Like a 3rd of the world live in near starvation, objectively if you can afford a vacation you are in the richest 25% in the world.
Have you considered that the majority of people can’t afford to go on vacations? Heck, in the US most people aren’t even entitled to vacations by law. If they want to rest they have to stop working altogether and pray they are accepted back at their workplace when they return and to not have any emergency and their meager savings last for the entire short break from the grind.
Really, some people have no notion of privilege.
It means you’re not poor if you can afford to go on a vacation that costs a few thousand dollars. That’s middle class. People have normalized lowering the standard of living associates with middle class, but being able to spend a few thousand dollars on a vacation is where the middle class should be and used to be.
I’m sure some middle class people can afford to go to burning man. But you’re being wilfully ignorant if you think burning man isn’t catered to the rich. It’s almost purely a status symbol event. It’s definitely where people go to show off their lavish wealth and take pictures for Instagram. I’m pretty sure if they took a survey 80%+ would be wealthy people.
I’m middle class, and I’m spending a couple hundred dollars on my holiday this week, I almost can’t fathom spending thousands living in a tent in a desert.
But you’re right, the middle class has been eroded. What was considered middle class in 1970 would be rich today. That’s just because most people are worse off financially.
Spoken like someone who has no fucking idea what they’re talking about.
Okay, how about this. My anarchist punk middle aged friend who used to go to Burning Man every year stopped going because it was becoming a wealthy shit-show. Not even the orgy dome was enough of a draw to make it worth going.EDIT: I’m not hating on burners, just noting that he observed a change.
Ever heard of budgeting? Saving? Yeah, that’s what people do when they want to take a vacation. Anybody with half a brain can do it. Just takes discipline. Something you clearly don’t have.
If you can afford to set aside such a sum you are part of a group that, going by worldwide averages, is among the richest in the world.
or you could be dumb like me and go into debt to take a trip
Well, how do you define middle class? Is there a certain income bracket that needs to be met? Or is it the middle slice of 3 equally sliced segments of the US population?
The way I always thought about it is if you have to do work for a living you are not rich.
What about those of us who are one step below that?
I’m not salary yet but they’re talking about promotion where I would be required as salary which means -less work but I get paid the same and if there is suddenly more work, no over time.
But it pays more over all. And would even put me in a different tax bracket. I’m not there yet. So am I like, teetering on the edge of rich?
What about the cost of living? My rent keeps going up. I can’t be rich if my rent is taking most of my paycheck can I?