Not that I've ever been to Burning Man, and I'm only tangentially attached to the Burner scene here in Australia, but I can't help but feel like maybe Burning Man has gotten too large and, dare I say it, mainstream.
Maybe someone who's been there recently can inform me better, but it seems like these days it's become just a great big festival in the desert, not too dissimilar to EDC or Tomorrowland.
Upon saying that, going by some of the Burners I've met, I wouldn't be too surprised if they just think they're "connected with nature" and can shit wherever they want.
It's an entire city; there's a huge amount of variation in the experience depending on where you spend your time. A lot of this sort of press revolves around the big sound camps and sound cars-- those parts of the city are definitely a bit like that, but they're only a tiny fraction of the entire event. It's a whole different world out in the burbs.
Burners are a subculture so it's definitely a term, just like punk is a term (thinking of the article about punks that's on the front page).
Not everyone at Burning Man is a burner, but there are burners at Burning Man and all over the world. There's burns in different countries, like Kiwiburn in NZ and Burning Seed in Australia, as well as lots of other burner events during the year. There's definitely more to the community than just Burning Man.
Maybe someone who's been there recently can inform me better, but it seems like these days it's become just a great big festival in the desert, not too dissimilar to EDC or Tomorrowland.
Upon saying that, going by some of the Burners I've met, I wouldn't be too surprised if they just think they're "connected with nature" and can shit wherever they want.