Letters

The unburnt

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

I’m not going to Burning Man this year. I have mixed feelings about that fact. I first went to Burning Man way back in 1996. I was a teenager who sneaked my way into the event in somebody’s trunk. I’ve gone sporadically since then, although the most recent time I attended was 2009. A whole generation of Burners have bloomed and blossomed into silly desert flowers since then.

I have mixed feelings about the event. I have friends who love it, and friends who hate it. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve had at least one experience that I’ll always remember, some of them experiences that are fundamental to how I understand myself. And, yeah, some of those experiences involve drugs and sex, sure, but some of them involve sweet and innocent concepts, like community and friendship, and still other experiences involve connecting with the harsher, more forbidding aspects of the desert itself.

I love the Black Rock Desert, and often fret about the environmental impact of having more than 50,000 people on the playa, or the effect of having all those people drive gasguzzling recreational vehicles up there on a two-lane road.

My all-time biggest “hit,” as a writer, is a 2007 piece for this paper called “10 things I hate about Burning Man.” I wrote that nearly a decade ago, but still get mail about it every year. In it, I complained about everything from bike thieves to participation snobs.

Despite all that, if someone were to walk up to me tomorrow and hand me a no-strings free ticket, I would go in a heartbeat.

But since the event started literally selling out, in 2011, it has lost some of its appeal for me. It’s always been an event for privileged people— those who can afford to take off work, go camping, bring their own food and pretend that “gifting” is a viable economic model. But now getting a ticket takes either serious cash, serious finagling, or serious social connections delicately milked.

Burning Man 2016 is just a rich person’s reenactment of Burning Man 1996.

—Brad Bynum bradb@newsreview.com

Stood by her man

As a feminist—I think every woman is, at the bottom of her heart—it irritates me that wives stand next to their man, quietly smiling. No matter what situation, what culture or color, it happens all the time. I’m glad it has been brought up. I hope women will be inspired to at least show some emotions, touch their man and say something themselves.

I ask every woman in the U.S. to vote for The Woman who can pave the road to more room, respect and equality for us! Do not just stand there and smile! A vote for Hillary is a vote for you and me. Let the men quack no more!

Mette Elfving Reno

Another ejectee

Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence spoke in Carson City and then in Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort. I’m an activist in town and find this election to be very concerning, especially for women and minorities.

So naturally I was interested in what he had to say at this rally, interested in why so many people are standing behind Trump and Pence after all the lunacy and hate. Two fellow community activists and I decided to go as nothing more than concerned citizens to merely listen to Pence’s speech. We arrived and were bombarded by people asking us if we were registered to vote and if we planned on making America great again. We were very polite and calm—basically just kept walking and smiled.

We originally thought about carrying signs in protest but ditched that idea, given the negative energy of the crowd. We were asked to get out of the security line the first time because of a water bottle we couldn’t bring in. We cooperated and took it to our car and also decided to leave our purses as well.

We returned to the security line and were met by two officers in uniform. They told us we had to leave because we were at a private event. We showed them our tickets that we had easily obtained off of Donald Trump’s website, for free. Nothing said it was private. They then proceeded to tell us that they’ve seen us at rallies before causing trouble, and they’ve been told we aren’t allowed. This is completely inaccurate. None of us have ever been to anything related to Donald Trump or Mike Pence, nor have we ever caused a problem at any political event.

We decided to go speak to GSR’s security about what happened and tell them how rudely we were treated. We got the same response about some footage of us from previous rallies— and that Secret Service red flagged us and we would face jail time if we didn’t leave!

This is what Trump’s America will look like: Exclusion, hate, discrimination, fear mongering and violence. So many bold-faced lies! I can’t say that I’m surprised three peaceful feminists were treated this way at his rally. It just confirms the fear I have held of the possibility of a Trump presidency. We did nothing wrong and were threatened with arrest for trying to listen to his running mate. If you are thinking of sitting out for this election, please think again. Think of the safety of your community and fellow citizens who don’t fit into Trump’s hateful America. Natalie Henriques Reno

Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Brad Bynum News Editor Dennis Myers Special Projects Editor Jeri Chadwell-Singley Arts Editor Kris Vagner Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Kelsey Fitzgerald, Bob Grimm, Ashley Hennefer, Shelia Leslie, Eric Marks, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Marketing/Publications Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Senior Advertising Consultants Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Advertising Consultant Emily Litt Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager/Operations Coordinator Kelly Miller Distribution Assistant Denise Cairns Distribution Drivers Tracy Breeden, Alex Barskyy, Debbie Frenzi, Vicki Jewell, Patrick L’Angelle, Marty Lane, Marty Troye, Warren Tucker, Gary White, Dave Carroll, Denise Cairns

President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Business Manager Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel

Corrections

Re: “Best of Northern Nevada 2016” (Feature, August 8):

The winners of “best ski resort” were inadvertently excluded from the results of this year’s Best of Northern Nevada readers’ poll. The winners are 1. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe; 2. Squaw Valley Resort; and 3. Northstar California Resort. In addition, Edible Reno-Tahoe Magazine tied with Reno Tahoe Tonight for first place in the category “best publication (that’s not us).” The tie was listed correctly online, but Edible Reno-Tahoe Magazine was inadvertently excluded from the print results. Finally, the word “bearable” was cut off from the print version of our editors’ pick for “Best ’burb.”

We regret the omissions.

eRIK HollAND

Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

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