Who has ever written a letter to someone without the intention of ever giving it to them? How many of you also burned that letter? Felt nice, I bet, purging all those negative emotions. I’ve done this a lot. Burned a lot of pictures, too. Watched the glossy paper bubble up and split open as it was reduced to ash.
Fire can symbolise a lot of things — passion, rebirth, destruction, purification — and combined with the cathartic act of writing, it’s all the more satisfying. Hey, science is giving anyone the chance to vent about what a metaphorical dumpster fire 2020 has been by putting their rants, feelings, and whatever else into a literal dumpster fire.
The instructions are simple. According to the website:
- Send an email to dumpsterfire@hey.com with whatever you want to torch. Use plain text or an image attachment. Language rules apply.
- Watch on the live feed as your message is created, conveyed, and then dropped into the rolling flames.
- Experience catharsis.
Since the entire thing is livestreamed for anyone to see, the host is definitely strict about the language rule. No cursing or graphic images. If it’s something you’d never say or show in front of your sweet grandmother, best think of a different way to express what you want — which will be hard, I know. This is 2020 we’re talking about. Over a million dead from covid-19. A president who refuses to accept the election results. Devastating hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. Police brutality. And that’s only the beginning! If I clench my jaw any harder I might break my teeth.
There are so many things I want to say to the U.S. government, to people I have cut out of my life, to those who have deeply hurt the people I care about the most — but, my god, is it going to feel good watching those things drift down a conveyor belt to where they belong: the fiery dumpster pits of hell!