Gift Economy
The gift economy is a unique feature of the Burner community. In the world of the almighty dollar (yen, peso, drachma...), we trade money for goods or services. In a gift economy, we simply give things away with no expectation of return. Vending, commercial sponsorships, advertising, and exchanging things for money are banned at InterFuse.
Even bartering is discouraged. Anything that is exchanged is a gift. However, if someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you, we guarantee that you’ll have a better time if you give them a gift in return.
Related Link: Vending
Why We Do It
A note from Zay, Founder of Midwest Burners
"Commerce can be very impersonal. Think of standing in line at Wal-mart. Gifting is deeply personal. When I see a gift, I remember the person who gave it to me and all the good times I had with that person. Even if I just briefly met that person, the gift helps them stand out in my mind. And unlike consumer goods, it’s hard for that gift to become trash. A gift is a personal bond, a memory cache."
About Flyering...
Flyers do not count as gifts. In fact, flyering for any event, including raves and concerts, falls into the category of advertising and is prohibited at InterFuse.
We do realize that there is a grey area when it comes to free parties, non-profit community art/music events, etc. Remember that gifting is all about personal interaction. Handing out flyers for free parties, while technically not a commercial activity, is highly impersonal. As a result, flyers add to the event trash and that is not cool! Do you really want your event or group being associated with ugly, wasteful trash?
If you absolutely must tell like minded people about your community event, do it organically and personally. Meet cool people while you’re having fun. If, while you’re hanging out with them, you feel they would dig your event, exchange contact information. The point is to treat people at InterFuse like any of your other friends, not like faceless bodies that you need to populate your own event.
Don’t come to InterFuse to promote.
Related Links:
Gifting Suggestions & Examples
Gifting strengthens personal bonds but it enhances the community in broader ways. At Burning Man 2004, some people built a mobile toothbrush bar, complete with a sink, toothpaste dispensers, and hundreds of separately packaged toothbrushes! They busted it out at dawn to remove the funk from everyone’s mouth after a hard night of fun. So if you’re racking your brain for gift ideas, consider the practical angle. What can you do to give everyone a better experience?
Have fun! Your gifting possibilities are unlimited.
Related Link: Volunteer
Questions About The Gift Economy?
Use web-based email to Contact The Event Planners.
"Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine."