Pyropolis, Texas (by The Cat Lady, Clean Up Lead) -- Being a good flipizen isn’t all that hard. The 3 Cs pretty much cover it all: a little Common sense, a little Cooperation, and a little Consideration is just about all you need to get you through almost any situation that might come up. If that’s too vague for you and you need more guidance than that, you can use the Three Flipside Principles to govern your actions. They are: Self Expression, Accountability, and Cooperation. If that’s not enough for you, there’s always Nobodobodon’s Expanded Principles list. Just for grinzies, let’s use that one to bring some real enlightenment to the subject.
Genuine Self Expression
Be yourself. I mean really be your true inner self, expressed in the most external form you can humanely and realistically get yourself into. Many of the rules that you are forced to live by in the Default World are suspended once you pass through the gates. But that doesn’t mean that you get to turn your brain off at the door. It doesn’t mean that you get to be a jerk. You still have to be relatively decent. And don’t forget, others are expressing their true selves, too. If you don’t like or approve of something you see, walk away. There’s plenty of other things to see and do that you don’t have to get yourself all worked up over someone else’s self expression. Always remember to ASK. If you don’t ask, the answer is automatically “no”. If they say “no”, there’s plenty who will say “yes”. Go find them. Have fun. Be free.
Participant-created Events
Okay. You’ve bought your ticket and you think all you have to do now is party like it’s 1999. Not! We don’t have any big name entertainers, or even small name entertainers. You are the entertainers. Bring your A-Game and show us what you’ve got. We also don’t have any paid staff. Everyone you see working to make it cool for you to have fun is a volunteer. We love our volunteers. In fact, we adore our volunteers. If you like adoration, too, and who doesn’t, then sign up for a shift to do something. Anything will do. Help us make Flipside awesome by bringing your awesome self over to one of the Leads and ask how you can help.
Non-Objectification
People are not things. At Flipside, even things aren’t actually “things” in the Default World sense of being. Everything you give at Flipside and everything you get at Flipside (except ice) is free. You give because you want to, because it makes you feel good to do it, because you get a kick out of the reaction of the other person. You get because someone else feels that same generous way about you. There are no commodities to buy, so leave most of your money at home. Except for ice. You will need ice.
Self Reliance
We are not your mothers. You need to be able to care for yourself. Every time you let someone else take care of you, you are abdicating your life away. You lose your right and ability to express yourself fully when you become someone else’s dependent. It’s one thing to borrow a cup of sugar. It’s something else when you expect others to feed you, give you shelter, clothe you (except for Burning Glam, they want to dress you up!), or provide your party materials. Our job is to provide the space for you to do your thing. Your job is to provide everything else you need to have a great Flipside. Bring water!
Civic Responsibility
This kind of ties in with not being a jerk and taking care of yourself. Since you are free to be yourself, you must respect the rights of others to do the same. However! If you see something that strikes you as seriously off and you’re not sure things are okay, don’t jump in to break it up. That could be embarrassing to them and hazardous to you. Get a Ranger and let them handle it.
Inclusion
Flipside is for everyone. All people of all kinds come to Flipside. Everyone has different tastes, ideas, likes and dislikes, and different ways to express their own individuality. So do you. Respect others and they will respect you.
Immediacy
Flipside is one of those places and times where you are supposed to truly live in the moment. The Default World is not like that. What works well at Flipside may or may notl work well back out in the world. What happens at Flipside stays at Flipside. Have fun, just do it now. Then go home.
Photo of the 2010 Effigy by Patrick. Released under a Creative Commons Share-Alike license.