IN RESPONSE EDITORIAL: Strong, altruistic spirit remains alive at Rainbow Gathering
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
By Andrew Wyatt
There was a moment on the morning of July 4th this year, when I realized while dressed in a red sequin Santa suit handing daises to little children in Big Sandy, Wyo., that I was going to experience the best Fourth holiday I’ve ever had in my life.
I was at the annual Rainbow Gathering held near Pinedale. This is the same group of hippies, freaks, misfits and other silly, goofy folks I feel have received unjust knockdowns in the local media (including a shot from
Planet publisher Judd Grossman last week).
I’d like to share an affirmation. Judd is a groovy musician, and I have worked for his paper for the past four years as a photographer and have a quite a bit of respect for him.
But I take issue with his assessment of the Rainbows.
Grossman contends that at a similar Rainbow Gathering in the mid ’80s, he observed “10 percent of the people do 90 percent of the work.” That work includes digging latrines, constructing waterline systems, building kitchens, etc. He was one of the 10 percent, and was digging a latrine when his observation led an epiphany that people need to get paid in order to for them to be motivated to do hard work. (The Gathering officially discourages currency or any monetary transactions.)
In my two Rainbow experiences, I found a rather strong altruistic spirit among the people, and I jumped in to help out when people asked. I have no idea what the percentage of helping hands there was; I can make no claims to the numbers. Still, in my time at Big Sandy, I found more folks cooperating and assisting in the work than those not helping at all.
I think Grossman should be applauded for all the effort he expending digging latrines at Rainbow. And I believe his frustration was real back in 1985, when he wasn’t getting help. The feeling he had from that experience shouldn’t be faulted. There are people that want to be taken care of at Gatherings. However, I take issue with Judd’s leap from turning personal angst into empirical justification for cultural consumerism.
The most glaring problem with his analysis is that Rainbow Gatherings are not cultural rejections or endorsements of any political or economic systems. People who attend gatherings come from all walks of life. I have met electrical engineers, web designers, cooks, etc. I even met a (gasp!) real estate broker. Nor are the gatherings intended to establish permanent forest colonies.
There is no central chain of command, no hierarchy and no leader. There is no creed or official Rainbow doctrine. No one was spouting Marxism. (Although one night people camped on one side of the woods shouted “Marco,” and people camped on the other side of the woods shouted, “Polo”.
People that go to Rainbow Gatherings are just that - people. They bleed when a cut breaks the skin. They cry when a loved one dies. They dote over their babies and want them to grow up kind and loving, just like any other parent wants. And sometimes, just because, they’ll do something silly like slipping into a red sequin Santa suit and hand out daises to little children. And the smiles and laughter they see and feel really do make you feel at home.
Photo by Andrew WyattWelcome home...right?PERMALINK:
IN RESPONSE EDITORIAL: Strong, altruistic spirit remains alive at Rainbow Gathering | Planet JH News Article: Editorial
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