Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen a noticeable increase in views of a post I wrote last year on Burning Man, probably because it’s been Burning Man season for a little while.  I didn’t go this year.  Why?  I couldn’t afford my ticket to the gift economy.  No, that’s just a joke poking fun at the inherent hypocrisy of the event, which, to be fair, isn’t a very funny joke to make: it’s hacky.  My real reason for not being there?  As a person deeply concerned with lowering carbon emissions, I simply cannot participate in an event with that kind of carbon footprint (not to mention other resource issues, like water use, including virtual water).  Okay, that’s not the real reason either.  I just like making fun of the blatant hypocrisy of the Leave No Trace ethic espoused by event organizers and participants.  But again, that’s a pretty hacky joke to make.  My real reason for not going?  It’s not that I don’t like individualist orgies or group narcissism.  I just had classes to teach.  I’d hate to cancel class this early in the semester, when we are just starting to do the delicate work of co-constituting an intimate space for learning.  On that note, I should get back to work.