Dude, I must protest. street skateboarders are not “largely reacting to the excesses created by industrialization and corporate capitalism” – they are ‘largely’ just out having fun!
True. I wouldn’t normally comment like that, but then I just stumbled across your site and saw the usual ‘academics armchair explanation of something I enjoy’… We are not normally skating, bmxing or whatever to be subversive, well not normally anyway. We are doing it for loads of reasons, but ‘subversion’ and ‘reacting against’ are usually just arguments made up by people watching who need to explain the behaviour in opposition to some imagined ‘norm’…
Classic dualistic thinking, etc. etc.
Skaters, BMXers and the rest – we are all (ok in general) tied into our own culture of consumerism and capitalism anyhow – have you seen the price of ABEC 9 bearings?!
Now I should actually watch the video as well so I know what I am talking about ;)
Dude, I must protest. street skateboarders are not “largely reacting to the excesses created by industrialization and corporate capitalism” – they are ‘largely’ just out having fun!
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Heh, I agree! I think he might have implied they do subconsciously, as a movement, which isn’t entirely wrong though. :)
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True. I wouldn’t normally comment like that, but then I just stumbled across your site and saw the usual ‘academics armchair explanation of something I enjoy’… We are not normally skating, bmxing or whatever to be subversive, well not normally anyway. We are doing it for loads of reasons, but ‘subversion’ and ‘reacting against’ are usually just arguments made up by people watching who need to explain the behaviour in opposition to some imagined ‘norm’…
Classic dualistic thinking, etc. etc.
Skaters, BMXers and the rest – we are all (ok in general) tied into our own culture of consumerism and capitalism anyhow – have you seen the price of ABEC 9 bearings?!
Now I should actually watch the video as well so I know what I am talking about ;)
Anyway, cool blog.
Cheers,
B.
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Fair enough. Do watch it, it’s pretty spiffy. PS: I ride too, both BMX and skate. I’m part of the “we”. :)
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