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lexi's avatar

I feel like we need to start reminding ourselves that hedonism does not equal liberation. Just because someone got so high they felt the presence of god doesn’t mean anything changes with their life afterward. The intensely personal nature of drug and dance fueled ecstasy works hard to negate any sense of community one might get from temporarily living in a group of other [high] people (for the record, I know there are sober people at honcho, but they’re a minority).

We really need to get back to actually revolutionary ideas, because like you said we will never get anywhere by reproducing a more aesthetic (and gay) version of what already exists.

I hope that soon we can turn away from talk of “holding space” and mulling over our collective traumas and instead start “making space” for real liberation, real mutual aid, and real transformation. We spend so much time obfuscating what we really want with the language of therapy and theory, when what we want is simple: freedom to live, not just “freedom” to dance (at the right price…)

I do love honcho as an experience but all the talk of it transforming and grounding people is such a load of BS to me. It’s basically an orgy haha. It can definitely brighten one’s mood for a season afterward but it’s absolutely no replacement for actually meaningful change in the world.

It’s a great opportunity to connect with likeminded people though, so I really hope they continue down this road of self improvement. I hope that your essay is heard! And also, props overall to honcho leadership — it could be a million times worse. I just don’t feel that it’s exactly what people claim it is either.

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Kevin Gotkin's avatar

thank you for this, Tamarindo. and for the delicious food you made for me and so many others at campout this year.

i love how you use 'return' here. it makes me think about the post-camput landing/integration (returning home) and the question that i think a lot of people hold throughout the rest of the year (can i return to honcho next time?).

thank you for this invitation to think about solidarity, classed invisibilities, and labor in a place where so many people are having ecstatic embodied transformations that can make it seem like magic, and not hard work, is how it all comes together.

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