Nobody owes you anything

I'm not worried what you think, I'm just looking for a foundation for your argument, to which I see none.

You did a very good job of being civil with the post before; however, it was obviously backhanded and cheap to say I'm not a surfer.

Well...Mr. PJ please define it for the rest of us in your opinion what a "surfer" is, so we have something to aspire to.

Chip on my shoulder, I'm not the one on a surf forum trying to project myself as someone with a higher level of understanding about surfing, I'm not here trying to prove I'm a surfer or telling other's they are not. I don't know who made you the "judge and jury" on who is a surfer, but please, save it. There's a million of your older gentlemen out there looking to blow smoke up my ass about themselves.

 

Nothing. Being a "surfer," or being "core," in terms of the depth of the term and not just the superficial surface meaning of whether you surf or not, has less to do with how much you surf, where you surf, what you ride, what you wear, how you talk, etc. etc. ad nauseum... than how you see the world.

As soon as you attempt to create a definition to attach to the term... a mold to stuff yourself into... you necessarily erase the true meaning of what it is to be a surfer. You can't do... it simply can't be done.

That's why judging and comparing yourself to others is meaningless... except maybe to yourself.

 

i'm gonna take a dump on this thread...

 

maybe you can't find a foundation for my argument because I'm not building an argument.
you do not need to be judge and jury to have an opinion. i respect yours

you posts make me think you are on a surf forum trying to project yourself as someone with a higher level of understanding about surfing. thats ok so am I. we can both be full it and it wouldn't matter.

i couldn't begin to define to everyone what a surfer is but i know one when i see one.

yes. a chip on your shoulder. i think you have one. i never said i didn't have a chip on my shoulder. i have many. surfing is how i treat that particular condition

 

I just figure that there are enough waves for everyone. I'm fortunate to have work gigs in the So LA coutny area and it just seems like geezers there respect the "common bond" for the sport. Just like everyone on this forum, I had SUP's and body boards annoy the crap out of me but but why not share the stoke--they "get it" too and I cant recall a single time of being dropped in when the guy paddled back and said "sorry man" afterwards so everyone lighten up and if happens 3 times tell the geezer "you mind sharing this wave me dude" -- done... No more localism--its just a waste of energy.

 

do you not believe there are people 'with a higher level of understanding about surfing' than you?

because that's the problem with a lot of all this. surfing has existed for a long time. it did not begin when you or anyone else got a board. there are people who have surfed since before you were born. it pre-exists you so you don't get to call the shots. that frustrates a lot of people.

let me offer you a little surf philosophy; surfers wish for a wave. if they are fortunate a wave comes. they ride the wave as it exists however imperfect or perfect it may be. they have no control over the wave no matter how much they wish they do. it is a reactive experience. this applies to the conditions surrounding the wave as well. it is all beyond your control and you must accept this or you don't surf.

that's surfing and life. it's rarely how you want it but you do the best you can. this will sound cheesy and hokey to a cocky young grom but trust me, this is how it works and you see and appreciate it more as you get older..

 

Wow, Holy crap, I haven't been on the computer in almost 24 hours (working, surfing, coaching T-ball, etc) and I see this thread is still going. It is actually pretty cool to see such strong opinions being voiced on both sides. Except for Kyle calling me an A$$hole about 8 pages back, it seems like everyone is trying to keep it civil. And Kyle, I believe you actually voiced the most important questions that outline this whole mess of a thread.
What is a surfer?
How do we define what is OK and not OK in the water when we all interact?
IS it OK for surfing to be the know-all, be-all of someone's existence?
I'm almost 50 and have 3 children and I wife. They are my existence. Surfing is a large part of our bond, but not even close to the only part.
In only voiced my opinions that I base on my experiences in life and in the water be it in the 70's and or now. I'm not some grumpy old man in the water, or waiting in traffic like Kyle labeled me. I'm quite the opposite.
but when an SUP almost decapitates my 12 year old son because he bailed and let it shoot through the line-up like a rocket or when i have my daughter and all her friends in the car and some numbskull almost puts me into a guardrail, then yes, I get angry. That's a normal reaction. Do I beat up the SUP guy? Of course not. should someone 'help' him understand the consequences of his actions. Sure.

 

Well said, Common courtesy is a miss in today's society. That includes all forms of it (SUP,Short/Long or Boogie).
It comes down to knowing your limits and being aware of your surroundings. Have I fought in the line up. Yes. Have I helped others learn about wave placement and timing. Yes.

Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.

 

Upset about labels now? Weren't you the one dropping the term 'liberal' on me like crazy? I called you an ahole, because you turned a thread about surfing into something political, it doesn't need to be. It don't know why you had to express your political frustrations in a surfing forum.

I do apologize for crossing the line, but i also believe you were out of line. Call it a wash.

 

This thread makes my d*** hard

 

That's an easy cop-out, you can't define something but you know enough about it to say I'm not one. I don't care if you think I am or not, just pointing out hypocricy when I see it.

You know you are something you can't define? Then how are you so sure?

 

I'm actually way past that phase

 

Then how are you so sure?

i don't know. i just am

 

Cleanup isle 5

 

Never said I was upset about you calling me an a$$hole. Once again you assume something. I've been called much worse. trust me. You sounded like a liberal when you got on your high horse. I didn't realize you were a librarian, or libertarian, or whatever, the F@ck you call yourself. You are obviously holier than thou and you will always be the type of person that assumes that anyone that calls out your opinions are wrong or ignorant. I was trying to respect your opinion and to explain that surfing means different things to different people. But according to you we all must just except your view that surfing is simply is a little play time thing that we should not consider an important part of our lives or show any PASSION for. I'm am now done with this thread so Kyle you can take it from here. Aloha.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to come off 'holier than thou,' just didn't want to come off as ignorant as you.

You stereotype people into political classes while knowing little to nothing about politics? Phrases like "a librarian or whatever the F!ck you call it" really help validate everything I've said about you.

Aloha

Go Heat.

 

I rarely post but this is a good thread. I cannot say I agree with everything that Lee said, but he has some valid points. I was out on Tuesday afternoon and it was rough with some head high sets rolling through. It was a tough paddle out and you could get hurt if you did not know what you were doing.

It made me think back to when I first started surfing....., it was all about self reliance, nobody was going to help me if I got into trouble. You had to look out for yourself in many situations. You never put yourself in a situation that could get you or someone else hurt. I think some of that has been lost because of equipment (cheap boards, wetsuits, etc) and ....dare I say it...common courtesy.

I never recall anyone helping me...in a way, it is a rite of passage. You do the crap work until you are good at that and then you can move up the ladder. Lee seems like a pretty good guy, like the rest of you....I think it is important to understand his message in the proper context. The pecking order exists for safety purposes.

 

come on are you really Lairds acting coach?

 

"You humans are so petty...and tiny"

-Thor

 

The other day I was shooting toward the inside...wave was a bit fat and a longerboarder was in front of me attempting to pull his board over the shoulder. I probably wasn't on the right board for the conditions and I was bogging a bit as I attempted to push through--maybe he thought he could get through the wave, or believed I was going to get caught up in the whitewater/fall....regardless he continued to paddle straight out. Half of his board made it through the face of the wave, but he wasn't able to pull it all the way through....as I was passing by him I grabbed his board (as it was in my way) and gave it a push over the back. The push threw me off balance and I fell...about 5 feet from him. I got back on my board and paddled out. I then....????

How should have I responded? Guy was able to catch waves from what I saw, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time...I could have been injured if I didn't give his board a push. Discuss...