John Law criticizes its shift toward luxury and commercialization.
Photo credit: Burning Man – Facebook
Burning Man co-founder John Law has criticized the festival’s evolution, arguing that it has “lost its anarchist soul” and become increasingly shaped by wealth and commercialization.
Writing for the San Francisco Standard, Law said today’s Burning Man is “barely recognizable” from the countercultural gathering he helped establish in the Black Rock Desert in 1990. He has not attended the event since 1996.
Law described its current incarnation as a “fabulous Disneyland for the well-heeled”, pointing to luxury camps, private chefs, stylists, and chartered flights as examples of how the experience has changed.
The essay also revisits Burning Man’s roots in groups including the Cacophony Society and Suicide Club. Law argues that the internet helped accelerate the festival’s growth and its later adoption by figures from Silicon Valley.
Read John Law’s full essay here.
