threaded | unthreaded | newest first

Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

topic posted Thu, October 22, 2009 - 7:47 AM by  Snail 		Share/Save/Bookmark
Advertisement
All, I'm writing this thread now to get some of you thinking about it, and will revive the thread as the Spring burn approaches.

We have several threads going on Tribe right now discussing the problem of excess litter left behind on the Vets' land. The Pavilion and general camping areas are the dirtiest.

I believe much of this problem comes from people who are new to burning events and just don't know any better. It can be hard to shift from the familiar, "I paid money for this festival, so now I can sit back and let people entertain me" mindset to the mindset of each person actually BEING the festival themselves, and that includes trash pick up.

So what I'd like to do is organize a "missionary" party where we get a bunch of seasoned burners to dress up like Mormons and go to general camping to spread the word.

Male Mormons will wear black slacks, a white dress shirt with tie and carry a black backpack. Female Mormons don't have a uniform, but they typically wear a very modest dress (do a google image search on "female Mormon missionaires"). However many people we get to participate in this event, we'll split up into teams of 2-3 people and spend 60-90 minutes talking to the folks in general population for about 10 minutes each, explaining how PDF is not just a party and explaining how they are empowered to help solve our recurring problems that keep happening in their "neighborhood."

I'm thinking each team will also carry a bottle of something good in their backpack and offer a drink to any parties we roll up on.

So just imagine it....you're sitting around partying with your friends some nice Saturday afternoon when you see a pair of guys in the Mormon "uniform," with name tags and all, walk up to you and start asking if you've heard of the Ten Principles. As soon as the conversation starts flowing, the Mormons pull bottles of booze out of their backpacks and offer you a drink.

This I think will be a fun, non-threatening way to educate a lot of newer people to know what's expected of them.

Who's with me?
posted by:
Snail
offline Snail
Buffalo
31 friends
join to post
Advertisement
Advertisement
  • Bliz...
    Blizzard
    offline 17

    Re: Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

    Thu, October 22, 2009 - 9:12 AM
    Ooh ooh, does it have to be a straight up Mormon outfit, or can it be playa-ized?

    Camping in Utah on the way back from Burning Man, we set up next to some Mormons.
    I've discovered they prefer Shrooms, while chatting over some Mikes Hard lemonade!
    join to post

    • Re: Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

      Thu, October 22, 2009 - 9:54 AM
      Blizzard, you could just come in your Magic Underwear!

      The Church of Larry Harvey and the Latter Day Burners has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?

      If we organize as a theme camp, we would have to have the tallest camp built on the highest point at PDF. I know, PDF doesn't HAVE a highest point, which is appropriate since, according to Moxy Fruvus, Delaware is the state with the lowest highest point.

      I am SO in!
      join to post
      • Snail
        Snail
        offline 31

        Re: Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

        Thu, October 22, 2009 - 10:31 AM
        I love it! I want the name tags to say that -

        Elder Ludo
        Church of Larry Harvey and the Latter Day Burners

        PERFECT!

        Now I was not planning a whole theme camp based on this, just something that we could get together for an hour or so on Saturday and do our "mission." I have my own camp to work on, but if someone wants to expand this idea and make a whole camp around it, that's fine with me, too.
        join to post

  • Wouldn't it be nice.

    Thu, October 22, 2009 - 11:06 AM
    Wives.
    Line up.
    If you are approved of by my current playa wives(I have yet to get a first one, but I have someone in mind) unanimously, then you are in.
    Ok.
    join to post
    • Smelly
      Smelly
      offline 257

      Re: Wouldn't it be nice.

      Thu, October 22, 2009 - 11:10 AM
      LOL, too funny, I will volunteer to be all the boys' first wife and become the matronly Eldest Elder Smelly Fogie and approve all the wives from there on ;-) That is if ya'll want me as your "first"...teee......heeee.......
      join to post

    • To be fair.

      Thu, October 22, 2009 - 11:16 AM
      Present day Mormons only have one wife at a time. What I mean by this is that a widower may remarry while a widow may not. In the Mormon church marriages last for EVER not till death do them part, so a man may have multiple wives, but only in the afterlife.

      By the way, I think that a part of that is pretty cool. Will you marry me" till death do us part", ehh, that is temporary. Will you marry me "for EVER", well that is really awesome.

      Also, is it one man that has many wives or many wives that have one husband? Hmm..
      join to post
      • Smelly
        Smelly
        offline 257

        Re: To be fair.

        Thu, October 22, 2009 - 11:25 AM
        Hmmmm...thanks for bursting my bubble, LOL!!!

        That is very interesting tho', although I think we should change the "rules" and just all be poligamists (sp?) anyways ;-)
        join to post
        • Fraggle
          Fraggle
          offline 63

          Re: To be fair.

          Thu, October 22, 2009 - 12:01 PM
          As your foremost supporter of polyamory and whatnot, I endorse this thread fully, and completely. Unfortunately, my second wife does not.
          Eh wuteva.
          But yea, I'm down to put in a couple hours for this task. Sounds to me like it'd be a blast.
          Mad Love (obviously),
          ~Fraggle
          join to post
          • Smelly
            Smelly
            offline 257

            Re: To be fair.

            Thu, October 22, 2009 - 1:09 PM
            I am totally not into polyamory and all that swinging stuff for myself and the relationship I am in, however I fully support my friends whom do, I am just too jealous of a person for that lifestyle in real life, but to pretend to be one of many wives would be mad fun times for sure tho' I think........

            So, how many wives could I have then?
            join to post
      • Brot...
        Brother Daniel
        offline 131

        Re: To be fair.

        Thu, October 22, 2009 - 12:47 PM
        Actually the Mormons practiced bigamy openly until Utah became a state and it was illegal. Many continued (and some still do) to live as bigamists but with only one partner being an actual, legal wife. Many have gotten in trouble for claiming tax breaks on filing with their wives when the child they claim is from another 'non' wife that they happen to live/have sex with too. It certainly is a way of doing things. But the Mormon church also almost tax exempt status for refusing to admit blacks and the night before the deadline they received a 'message from god' saying that the time had come to admit blacks. So like all organized religions I tend to take what they say with a grain/whole handful of salt
        join to post

        • Child Tax Credit.

          Thu, October 22, 2009 - 1:02 PM
          If one has children one qualifies for Child Tax Credit. One can claim tax exemptions for children that they support. This is regardless of the marital status of either parent or if there are children by other parents.
          Of course Mormons doing this probably get paid more attention too than non Mormons would.
          join to post
  • Tris...
    Trish/ Strawberry
    offline 102

    Re: Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

    Wed, October 28, 2009 - 12:07 PM
    Yeah, count me in as well...

    "I believe much of this problem comes from people who are new to burning events and just don't know any better. It can be hard to shift from the familiar, "I paid money for this festival, so now I can sit back and let people entertain me" mindset to the mindset of each person actually BEING the festival themselves, and that includes trash pick up."

    A hand full of us Pony People attended the desiderata festival, and it was amazing, wonderful, beautiful experience, but it was also a major culture shock, something we spoke about often while at that site. After being comped tickets and finding that help was greatly need, we basically set up camp right at the front gate and spent a large part of the festival checking for wristbands. Oh!, the looks we got when instead of buying vended food, we set up a grill and cooked our own!!! AHHH and the MOOP, it drove us crazy.... but this is there way, not ours.

    I bring this up to remind us all that these newbies are also going through there own culture shock, and yes... it is up to us to help them learn our culture.
    join to post
    • Snail
      Snail
      offline 31

      Re: Mormons at PDF? What the hell?

      Thu, October 29, 2009 - 12:27 PM
      Judging by the number of replies in this thread, it looks like this idea really has legs!

      I'll resuscitate the thread sometime around late March/early April and we can talk about how we'll coordinate. Instead of having an hour - 90 minutes of missionary time during the week, we have enough people that we can form small teams (2-3 people) and go out at a variety of different times. This way we will get to meet more people as well.

      Does anyone on this thread know anyone that does plastic engraving? I think it would be rad to have our names engraved on name tags like real mormons. Otherwise, those who want to can order tags online for $5-6 each. I'll coordinate that closer to the event.
      join to post
  • Fr!tz
    Fr!tz
    offline 103

    "The Missionary Position" ....

    Thu, October 29, 2009 - 8:36 PM
    "The Missionary Position" is hereby declared The Art Theme for Playa Del Fuego Spring 2010

    {NOTE: Larry Harvey officially endorses this message as being the Word of God...Not!}
    join to post