by Joey ButtsI just got off work. I have a paper due tomorrow, but there are things I have to do before I start it. I have to clear my head, make some time for myself so I can focus on the paper when the deadline starts to become worrisome. I grab my board and push toward the infamous Lenox Ledges in Harlem. I coast down the hill, starting on 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. No headphones. The sound of my wheels and broken bearings on the street put me at ease. While to other bystanders, might sound like the noise of a deviant kid. I skate there for about an hour, mostly bailing on tricks that I think I can one day land, meeting up with all the local kids that have learned my name, and I theirs. We go to Marcus Garvey Park, to end the session. Then I push home, to start the rest of my night. The sense of community that skateboarding has brought, is actually remarkable. In cities like New York especially, it is great to be a part of. However there are ways that it is being ripped apart, and being exploited for things that it is, and things that it is not. Skateboarding goes through phases of being popular, and not so popular. Kids in grade school 15 years ago were not appreciated, and much ignored. But today, they seem to be on the rise. There is a new found sense of acceptance with the act. For better, but really for worse, skateboarding is now in the Olympics. It is now a culture that non-skateboarders want to be a part of. This alone is dividing the community that exists between us. The very-much-not-affiliated-with-skateboarding-magazine Vogue, recently dedicated a week to skateboarding and what they saw as its culture. With articles titled “An Ode to Great Skater Hair” and “Here’s How to Do Skater Style Like a Model”, they tried to discuss aspects of skateboarding. This was probably the worst thing to happen to skateboarding since the 2003 movie Grind. Skateboarding has become simply a style. People are not realizing the true essence that it brings. A magazine like Vogue puts the culture of skateboarding in the wrong hands. It takes brands that they say are relevant, and promotes them for use in all things other than skateboarding. It is the war of essence versus style in the world of skateboarding. It is not that skateboarders don’t want their world to expand. They want it to be as big and popular as possible, without harming what it really is. The bigger skateboarding becomes, the easier it will be to do. You’ll find more parks and skate-friendly plazas, so you can stop worrying about getting kicked out or receiving a court summons. With its exploitation, it is actually making skateboarding more accepted, in a way. Preserving the essence of skating is the main goal. A skateboarders fear is walking down the street and being called a poser by other skaters. So many people have “stolen" the style of skateboarding, that it causes anxiety in actually skateboarders. They don’t want their image being used for something it was not intended for. Skateboard clothing was made for skateboarders. It has a raw, abstract appeal in terms of appearance. It fits loose, (in most cases; but go to L.A. and you’ll see a bunch of guys ripping in skinny jeans) so they can push easily down the streets or parks of New York. The creator of the world famous skateboarding magazine entitled Thrasher, Jake Phelps recently saw photos of celebrities that have no connection with the mag and told a reporter that he really wishes they wouldn’t wear it. Like most companies and businesses, Thrasher offers apparel for people to feel affiliated with the brand of magazine. It is supposed to connect the culture of skateboarding and skateboarders all over. When these people wear the clothing, he said it makes Thrasher seem less than what it really is. He was quoted in an article on hypebeast.com saying that “We don’t send boxes [of Thrasher apparel] to Justin Bieber or Rihanna or those fucking clowns.” Boxes are what Jake Phelps might send to young kids, or even adults who demonstrate a passion for skateboarding. People like Phelps are advocates for protecting skateboard culture. Phelps is among countless other skateboarders who try to conserve the essence. The kind of people that Phelps doesn’t want to be wearing Thrasher hoodies are the ones who are riding longboards and hoverboards. I write about how people have gone on to steal the trends of skateboarding and take it for their own. But I don’t let that stop me from taking my board and pushing to any of my destinations. They might wear the clothes that skateboarders endorse, but they will never know the satisfaction that we get when we speed down a hill, when we tailslide a ledge, or when we just do the most basic kickflip on flat ground. It is the essence of the culture that we don’t want to lose, or change for that matter. To have your passion flooded by those who don’t appreciate it for what it is, is the fear.
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Rina
4/25/2017 06:43:52 pm
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