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Drainbows and Sparkle-ponies

Aug 03, 2014 20:16

by Leaf McGowan

Ah the summer - the time for relaxation, vacationing, road trips, beach days and lounging in the sun. It is also the time for festivals and events extroadinaire. Alas it is also the prime season of Drainbows and Sparkle Ponies. These unique individuals don’t prescribe to just sunny weather, as they work their routines year-round - its just summer time is the season for festivals and that is their prime breeding ground. I’ve already had my share of experience with them this summer (and over 20 years of summers) at various festivals I annually attend. Drainbows and Sparkle Ponies share alot in common but they are extremely different personas, just sharing the mooching and lack of self-sustainability personality traits. So what exactly is a “Drainbow”? The term “Drainbow” evolved out of the Rainbow Family Gatherings as an individual who “drains” the resources from everyone they encounter and the events they attend. These individuals claim to be true “Rainbows” professing the “welcome home”, “love”, and “light” that is natural to Rainbow Gatherings but when the “free” handouts don’t exist they get very dark, grumpy, angry, selfish, and anti-love. They don’t contribute nor do they produce anything for others. They claim they don’t believe in money but need you to use yours to support them and their habits. They range from the grungy road-dog to the attractive sparkle pony. The more attractive and entitled type personality they host the closer they become to being a “sparkle pony”. They have no skills (or at least never demonstrates them) and don’t take steps to learn survival skills outside of panhandling and mooching. At Rainbow Gatherings they are the brothers and sisters who come to the gatherings, don’t contribute food to the kitchens, don’t put money in the magic hat, and sit around all day claiming to be experts of knowledge on all things esoteric, poetry, environmentalism, politics, or fumbling through playing a musical instrument they claim they are a star with. They do this while others are cooking food for others, tending the campfires, digging the latrine trenches (called “shitters”), setting up the water systems and building structures. As more and more drainbows come together in the camp, the hard-working contributors become discouraged and emotions fly throughout the camp with little to no change on the drainbows. This also happens with the sparkle ponies, except that the workers sometimes get distracted by them catering to the sparkle pony’s needs rather then achieving their productivity. Both Drainbows and Sparkle Ponies are primarily addicted to pleasure, drugs, alcohol, and eye candy. As they “drain” the event they often start up complaints about how crappy the event is and how certain things need to be in place although they do nothing to improve it. Outside of the festival, these are the types that if you invite them into your home they’ll eat all your food, smoke all your weed, seize claim to your couch, and never leave your tv. In fact you’ll usually have to call the Sheriff to evict them as they’ll set up residence without contributing. They don’t know what “family” nor “community” is truly about. Blended within their populace are also the scammers, rip-off artists, and tricksters. When attending gatherings or festivals they also invade the local town and steal from local businesses, panhandle, beg, and/or loiter. Sometimes they blend in with the street kids and the homeless population. In many ways “drainbow” is not necessarily a person but a mindset - one wherre the individual dismisses concerns or considerations of others that it is all about them and fit under the label “thief”, “parasite”, “freeloader”, “moocher”, “loser”, “leech”, “sponge”, deadbeat”, or “bloodsucker”. Sparkle Ponies on the other hand is a descriptive term that evolved out of self-reliant festivals like “Burning Man” and raves where attendees dress in fancy costumes, faux-fur, sparkly outfits, or dousing oneself in glitter. The term dates to at least 2008 when it was popularized by the “Sparkle Pony Corral”, a theme camp at Burning Man in 2009-2010 where frustrated event-goers could drop off their camp’s sparkle ponies at the corral where they could be watered, fed, and have their egos stroked by “certifiable experts” affording the camp mates a well-needed rest. At the Burning Man festival - a week long event held in a harsh environment of a dust-filled vegetation void extinct lake bed where everything has to be ported in - at least a gallon of water per individual, food, warm blankets for cold desert nights, shade, and shelter it is absolutely necessary for self-reliance and dependability even though it is centered in a gifting free-exchange community. Burning Man centers on many principles of action, one of which is “Radical Self-Reliance” whereas everyone at a Burner event is expected to bring everything they need to survive for the duration of the event - food, clothes, water, and shelter. It is combined with the “gift economy” concept where Burners share what they have with those that need or share their excess items or gifts they brought for others. It is never to be expected but appreciated when offered. This makes the event very easily targeted by Sparkle Ponies.

They don’t necessarily have to worry about Drainbows as Drainbows don’t have the “looks” nor “finances” to get into the event. Sparkle Ponies are high maintenance men or women who come to raves and Burning Man events unprepared for the harsh environment and completely expecting others to feed them, provide them water, give them shelter, warmth, and even clothing. They are a heavy burden on the community, event, friends, and camp mates. Some of them are normal people who lack any intelligence at all in taking care of themselves. Some have intent to contribute but they fail to think out their strategy as posted on the Burning Man web site someone stating “Can you believe that Sparkle Pony over there brought 60 costumes but only 2 gallons of water and some ramen noodles?” then they ask where the food court is located. Often they refer to those of the female persuasion who dress in cute dainty sexy outfits and wear glitter or sparkles to attract attention, they play vulnerable and helpless, act submissive, and pretend to spread “love and light” in exchange for “gifts” and “popularity points”. Sometimes they know exactly what they are doing and think they can live off their “looks” alone. They can be highly dramatic and have a “woe is me” complex. They don’t contribute or if they do, after breaking a nail, which happens almost instantaneously they get out of hard labor. They survive off of causing trouble, drama, and stirring up social tensions and easy to slip off once shit is stirred. In the faerie sense they are a “pooka”. They sometimes leech onto a single guy or girl and drain their resources promising sex, relationship, love, or affection. They don’t usually put out nor are committed to the relationship but just using that individual for their popularity, resources, or kindness until something or someone better comes along. Unfortunately these types contributed greatly to the demise of the Rainbow Gatherings (see article Rainbows, Road Dogs, Drainbows, Modern Hippies, and the decline of the Rainbow Gathering in the United States for more) and the decline in Burning Man.



Read more at Rainbows, Road Dogs, Drainbows, Modern Hippies, and the decline of the Rainbow Gathering in the United States.




rainbow gatherings, alternative art districts, festivals, travelogues, burning man

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