Tales of climate refugees, natural disasters and mass exodusThe original exodus is a journey described in the Old Testament. Led by Moses, the Israelites escape from enslavement in Egypt. They wander the desert for 40 years until God appears on Mount Sinai and offers them a home in return for the promise that they will worship him forever. This story is central to Judaism, and the word has also become a metaphor for any great journey undertaken en masse. are a staple of our news cycle. People worldwide are used to devastating images of impoverished and displacedForced to leave their homes people fleeing from floods, fires, cyclonesA rapidly spinning storm that forms over tropical oceans. , and hurricanes, carrying their few remaining possessions on their backs.

Rarely do such tragedies inspire mirthAmusement. . Instead, they are viewed with trepidationA feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen. about what could await us if we fail to avertStop or avoid. the climate catastrophe.

But the extreme rainfall that hit the NevadaA state in the USA. Las Vegas is in Nevada. wilderness last weekend was received more with humour than horror. In an exceptional irony, the Burning Man festival which takes place every year in the Black Rock desert in Northern Nevada was flooded, with festival-goers left stranded in a "sea of mud".

More than 70,000 attendees were stuck over the course of the weekend, forced to ration their limited supplies of food and water and told to refrain from showering, dishwashing or even using the festival's portable toilets.

The situation was so incongruousOut of place. Or something that does not seem right in a particular situation. , many onlookers said, that it was hard not to chortle - even involuntarily. In this climate disaster, no family homes were flooded, but luxury "glampingLuxury camping. Or "glamorous camping". " tents; its helpless refugees were the wealthy elite, not some of the world's poorest communities.

And, in defence of the chortlers, the news did seem to verge on farceAn absurd situation, or an absurd and comic play. . Some outlets reported that previously dormant three-eyed dinosaur shrimp were awakening in the wet festival mud. Rumours surfaced that the camp had fallen victim to an EbolaA highly infectious disease causing internal and external bleeding. A vaccine against it has recently been developed. outbreak.¹

On TikTok, onlookers shared doctoredDeliberately altered or changed. images and claimed that the military was enforcing a blockade. Some claimed that the festival-goers had formed a cult and even resorted to cannibalism to survive.

The festival, which was first launched on a San Francisco beach in 1986, was founded as a gathering for anti-capitalists, artists, activists and musicians to celebrate "radical self-sufficiency". Nowadays, critics claim it is simply a gathering of the ultra-rich which has a disastrous effect on the environment.

Some say it is hard not to laugh at the idea of a wealthy upper class that preaches "self-sufficiency" having to experience the realities of living without help.

In fact, there is a term to describe just this emotion: SchadenfreudeLiterally means "harm-joy". Schadenfreude is a German word that describes someone deriving pleasure from another's misfortune., meaning pleasure derived from the misfortune of another person.

Though we use the German word, schadenfreude is a universal emotion. The Japanese say that "the misfortune of others tastes like honey". And the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that "to see others suffer does one good".

But some say that we are missing a lesson in human resilience. After all, the festival-goers defied our expectations of human nature: there was no violence, selfishness or greed. There was no Lord of the Flies-style division or tribalismWhen people organise themselves by feeling loyalty to their group and negativity towards others. .

In fact, the now-liberated attendees assert that there was a strong solidarityShowing support for others, particularly members of another group. , that supplies and living space were shared equally, and that the sense of community stayed unwavering in the face of uncertainty. It is a side of humanity that we rarely see, and often refuse to believe. But maybe it is our cynicismBelieving that people are only motivated by self-interest and not a good intentions. that gets in the way of making it a global reality.

Yes: Social media was swamped with posts speculating about the antics of the stranded festival-goers last weekend. But the reality is that people helped each other where they could, showing the best of the human character.

No: Regardless of whether everything turned out right, it is still inevitably funny to gloat at the wealthy elite getting stranded by a climate-related weather event.

Or... Both of these things can be true without contradicting each other. It is nice to see an example of stranded people creating a supportive community - but the ironies of the situation are still unavoidable.