Thread

1. Aurornis · 1790790642 · focus · HN ↗

   Looking at population-level statistics, even adjusted for age, is useless. Going to burning man requires a level of health, energy, free time (not dealing with health issues), and freedom from chronic illnesses that make traveling to a desert a bad idea.

   Most people at high risk of random death are filtered out before they arrive.

   There are so many better comparisons that could have been chosen. Comparing Burning Man to outdoor music festivals would be so much more accurate.

   1. bawolff · 1790805554 · focus · HN ↗

      on the other hand, burning man seems to select for people who want to win a darwin award, so i'm kind of surprised at the low death rate.

      1. fingerlocks · 1790809582 · focus · HN ↗

         Not really. Around 50% of attendees have graduate or doctorate degrees. It selects for people that are smart, curious, wealthy, and not risk-adverse. This is very obvious if you’ve ever been.

         1. bawolff · 1790838625 · focus · HN ↗

            That is exactly the group i would expect to do stupid things. People with graduate degrees tend to be intellectually smart but not street smart. People who are wealthy tend to grow up being shielded from the consequences of their actions.

            1. RugnirViking · 1790846427 · focus · HN ↗

               would you expect that statistics would back you up on this? that people with graduate degrees are more likely to say, die in an accident?

               1. bawolff · 1790874734 · focus · HN ↗

                  That would be inconsistent with my comment, so no I would not expect that. (my bias would be that grad students on average lack street smarts, so those that engage in activities requiring street smarts would get into trouble. I would not expect the average grad student to be more likely to die in an accudent)

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