classic story, nonskater banks off your blood sweat and years

[ymhy]

just was thinking about something that i find troubling.  there is a lot of politics in skateboarding, especially in my local scene.  for example, let me tell a story about a man, a man who doesn't skate, who opened up a small shop for snowboarders and surfers but carried skate products in it.  this guy is so out of touch that his own shop employees had to talk him out of stocking rollerblades time and time again.  over 10 years later, this man, being the excellent businessman that he is, had started carrying wakeboards, moved to a much bigger location, opened a women's clothing shop next door, started a generic, expensive skatepark, combined it with a fresh new coffee shop, and even threw in some arcade games to round out the whole circus experience.  not only that, but he recently bought up another skatepark that was independently run (not by anybody cool, mind you) for years prior.  he never got any real love in the past because he's a fake, never cared a bit about skateboarding, but since skateboarding became so popular and he can throw money around like water now, everybody has migrated their local support over to his shop, trying to be a part of "that crew" because a couple of respectable people in the scene were bought out by this man at a vulnerable time.  what's even funnier is how pompous and arrogant most of the people who are down with "that crew" act now.  maybe not as funny as the fact that most will talk shit when nobody is looking or hearing, but smile and kiss ass when somebody might be listening.  i swear to god it's like high school all over again.

now that a new shop has opened up in a neighboring town, this man i have been telling you about has phoned up his skateboard supplier and told them that he will quit doing business with them if they supply this new shop.  now he thinks he's the fucking sam walton/bill gates of the skateboard industry.  i have taken a platform before about the way that he handles his business and it resulted in my alienation from some of the people i used to skate with who i thought were real cats, down for skating and against those who try to exploit it/us.  turns out they're all just as fake as him, a bunch of mindless clones content with playing follow the leader the rest of their life.  if any of you are reading this, you know exactly what i mean by that.  you're a bunch of fucking followers.  ask yourselves why you lurk at that particular shop all day, why you buy product from that particular store, why you sold the fuck out.  you know why and so do i.  i burned all my bridges because i couldn't stand the amount of fake bullshit that began to pile up when all this started, and observing things from the outside since then has done nothing but reinforce the way that i feel.  yeah, keep it real y'all. 

the bottom line, don't do what's cool because the people you know are doing it, don't support wack motherfuckers with your money.  know who's a snake and who's for real, and know that for every dollar you give to some asshole who has never put in a real day of work on a skateboard in his life and never once produced a quality product, you are selling out the blood, sweat and years of not only yourself, but those who have paid their dues before you.  we all deserve better than that.  don't support "vertical urge" when you come to my city.

you wonder why i'm jaded and cynical all the time?  one reason i'm cynical because skateboarding politics have become so gay that i can't even get a board from a shop within 20 minutes of my house anymore and still feel good about myself. 

i'd like to know if there are others who share my feelings about this, whether specifically or in general.

[biggums mcgee]

damn.

[Lakai or die]

I completely agree, I don't have the time to write a long post right now, maybe I will later, but all of this is just so ridiculous

[Duffy]

I definetly agree, I just cant think of anything to say that hasnt been said already.

[fuckingvegan]

Throw a brick though their window, and support the new shop.

[donnie_murdo]

Hey i've got 3 shops here none of which are run by skaters and all suck ass, but the thing is if you try and open a shop you're not going to be able to stoke anything

[The Laps of Alps.]

exactly.
fuck these people. they need us, we dont need them.

fuck you very much west 49.

[gub]

skateboard industry = high school

actually most of life = high school

[Mizzark]

fuck vertical

[the iron monkey]

just was thinking about something that i find troubling.  there is a lot of politics in skateboarding, especially in my local scene.  for example, let me tell a story about a man, a man who doesn't skate, who opened up a small shop for snowboarders and surfers but carried skate products in it.  this guy is so out of touch that his own shop employees had to talk him out of stocking rollerblades time and time again.  over 10 years later, this man, being the excellent businessman that he is, had started carrying wakeboards, moved to a much bigger location, opened a women's clothing shop next door, started a generic, expensive skatepark, combined it with a fresh new coffee shop, and even threw in some arcade games to round out the whole circus experience.  not only that, but he recently bought up another skatepark that was independently run (not by anybody cool, mind you) for years prior.  he never got any real love in the past because he's a fake, never cared a bit about skateboarding, but since skateboarding became so popular and he can throw money around like water now, everybody has migrated their local support over to his shop, trying to be a part of "that crew" because a couple of respectable people in the scene were bought out by this man at a vulnerable time.  what's even funnier is how pompous and arrogant most of the people who are down with "that crew" act now.  maybe not as funny as the fact that most will talk shit when nobody is looking or hearing, but smile and kiss ass when somebody might be listening.  i swear to god it's like high school all over again.

now that a new shop has opened up in a neighboring town, this man i have been telling you about has phoned up his skateboard supplier and told them that he will quit doing business with them if they supply this new shop.  now he thinks he's the fucking sam walton/bill gates of the skateboard industry.  i have taken a platform before about the way that he handles his business and it resulted in my alienation from some of the people i used to skate with who i thought were real cats, down for skating and against those who try to exploit it/us.  turns out they're all just as fake as him, a bunch of mindless clones content with playing follow the leader the rest of their life.  if any of you are reading this, you know exactly what i mean by that.  you're a bunch of fucking followers.  ask yourselves why you lurk at that particular shop all day, why you buy product from that particular store, why you sold the fuck out.  you know why and so do i.  i burned all my bridges because i couldn't stand the amount of fake bullshit that began to pile up when all this started, and observing things from the outside since then has done nothing but reinforce the way that i feel.  yeah, keep it real y'all. 

the bottom line, don't do what's cool because the people you know are doing it, don't support wack motherfuckers with your money.  know who's a snake and who's for real, and know that for every dollar you give to some asshole who has never put in a real day of work on a skateboard in his life and never once produced a quality product, you are selling out the blood, sweat and years of not only yourself, but those who have paid their dues before you.  we all deserve better than that.  don't support "vertical urge" when you come to my city.

you wonder why i'm jaded and cynical all the time?  one reason i'm cynical because skateboarding politics have become so gay that i can't even get a board from a shop within 20 minutes of my house anymore and still feel good about myself. 

i'd like to know if there are others who share my feelings about this, whether specifically or in general.

boo hoo.

buy shit off the internet.

[Lance]

just was thinking about something that i find troubling.  there is a lot of politics in skateboarding, especially in my local scene.  for example, let me tell a story about a man, a man who doesn't skate, who opened up a small shop for snowboarders and surfers but carried skate products in it.  this guy is so out of touch that his own shop employees had to talk him out of stocking rollerblades time and time again.  over 10 years later, this man, being the excellent businessman that he is, had started carrying wakeboards, moved to a much bigger location, opened a women's clothing shop next door, started a generic, expensive skatepark, combined it with a fresh new coffee shop, and even threw in some arcade games to round out the whole circus experience.  not only that, but he recently bought up another skatepark that was independently run (not by anybody cool, mind you) for years prior.  he never got any real love in the past because he's a fake, never cared a bit about skateboarding, but since skateboarding became so popular and he can throw money around like water now, everybody has migrated their local support over to his shop, trying to be a part of "that crew" because a couple of respectable people in the scene were bought out by this man at a vulnerable time.  what's even funnier is how pompous and arrogant most of the people who are down with "that crew" act now.  maybe not as funny as the fact that most will talk shit when nobody is looking or hearing, but smile and kiss ass when somebody might be listening.  i swear to god it's like high school all over again.

now that a new shop has opened up in a neighboring town, this man i have been telling you about has phoned up his skateboard supplier and told them that he will quit doing business with them if they supply this new shop.  now he thinks he's the fucking sam walton/bill gates of the skateboard industry.  i have taken a platform before about the way that he handles his business and it resulted in my alienation from some of the people i used to skate with who i thought were real cats, down for skating and against those who try to exploit it/us.  turns out they're all just as fake as him, a bunch of mindless clones content with playing follow the leader the rest of their life.  if any of you are reading this, you know exactly what i mean by that.  you're a bunch of fucking followers.  ask yourselves why you lurk at that particular shop all day, why you buy product from that particular store, why you sold the fuck out.  you know why and so do i.  i burned all my bridges because i couldn't stand the amount of fake bullshit that began to pile up when all this started, and observing things from the outside since then has done nothing but reinforce the way that i feel.  yeah, keep it real y'all. 

the bottom line, don't do what's cool because the people you know are doing it, don't support wack motherfuckers with your money.  know who's a snake and who's for real, and know that for every dollar you give to some asshole who has never put in a real day of work on a skateboard in his life and never once produced a quality product, you are selling out the blood, sweat and years of not only yourself, but those who have paid their dues before you.  we all deserve better than that.  don't support "vertical urge" when you come to my city.

you wonder why i'm jaded and cynical all the time?  one reason i'm cynical because skateboarding politics have become so gay that i can't even get a board from a shop within 20 minutes of my house anymore and still feel good about myself. 

i'd like to know if there are others who share my feelings about this, whether specifically or in general.

you know what man, i had a huge response typed out and deleted it cause the end all be all is that, nobody fuckin' cares anymore...all kids want is that bullshit that "corporate lifestyle shops" serve up, element, zero, mystery, phantom II's, and all the other garbage they serve these fuckin mainstream kids, sorry real skateshops don't sell the garbage Zumiez carry's, you want a spiked belt and a HIM t-shirt go to zumiez and while your there get the cky2k dvd, and when we see you around at the park or in the street, wonder why we vibe you.....your scene killers...BAM backs you we don't!

But for the record man, i completely understand where you come from cause my shop is in the same shoes surrounded by corporate greed, and a bunch of kooks who wanna sell you all there great inventions, i love skateboarding more than anything else but hate the garbage it attracts!

[hesh_trash]

exactly.
fuck these people. they need us, we dont need them.

[Epo]

peeps with too much time on their hands

[log]

peeps with too much time on their hands

who? People who run wack companies or people on this message board?

[sklls?itsthe90sguy]

In similar news, the only, only shop anyone should support in Orange County is Liberty in Brea. FUCK ACTIVE and their barely hidden, born-again, yuppie agenda.

[sleeeping]

just was thinking about something that i find troubling.  there is a lot of politics in skateboarding, especially in my local scene.  for example, let me tell a story about a man, a man who doesn't skate, who opened up a small shop for snowboarders and surfers but carried skate products in it.  this guy is so out of touch that his own shop employees had to talk him out of stocking rollerblades time and time again.  over 10 years later, this man, being the excellent businessman that he is, had started carrying wakeboards, moved to a much bigger location, opened a women's clothing shop next door, started a generic, expensive skatepark, combined it with a fresh new coffee shop, and even threw in some arcade games to round out the whole circus experience.  not only that, but he recently bought up another skatepark that was independently run (not by anybody cool, mind you) for years prior.  he never got any real love in the past because he's a fake, never cared a bit about skateboarding, but since skateboarding became so popular and he can throw money around like water now, everybody has migrated their local support over to his shop, trying to be a part of "that crew" because a couple of respectable people in the scene were bought out by this man at a vulnerable time.  what's even funnier is how pompous and arrogant most of the people who are down with "that crew" act now.  maybe not as funny as the fact that most will talk shit when nobody is looking or hearing, but smile and kiss ass when somebody might be listening.  i swear to god it's like high school all over again.

now that a new shop has opened up in a neighboring town, this man i have been telling you about has phoned up his skateboard supplier and told them that he will quit doing business with them if they supply this new shop.  now he thinks he's the fucking sam walton/bill gates of the skateboard industry.  i have taken a platform before about the way that he handles his business and it resulted in my alienation from some of the people i used to skate with who i thought were real cats, down for skating and against those who try to exploit it/us.  turns out they're all just as fake as him, a bunch of mindless clones content with playing follow the leader the rest of their life.  if any of you are reading this, you know exactly what i mean by that.  you're a bunch of fucking followers.  ask yourselves why you lurk at that particular shop all day, why you buy product from that particular store, why you sold the fuck out.  you know why and so do i.  i burned all my bridges because i couldn't stand the amount of fake bullshit that began to pile up when all this started, and observing things from the outside since then has done nothing but reinforce the way that i feel.  yeah, keep it real y'all. 

the bottom line, don't do what's cool because the people you know are doing it, don't support wack motherfuckers with your money.  know who's a snake and who's for real, and know that for every dollar you give to some asshole who has never put in a real day of work on a skateboard in his life and never once produced a quality product, you are selling out the blood, sweat and years of not only yourself, but those who have paid their dues before you.  we all deserve better than that.  don't support "vertical urge" when you come to my city.

you wonder why i'm jaded and cynical all the time?  one reason i'm cynical because skateboarding politics have become so gay that i can't even get a board from a shop within 20 minutes of my house anymore and still feel good about myself. 

i'd like to know if there are others who share my feelings about this, whether specifically or in general.

you know what man, i had a huge response typed out and deleted it cause the end all be all is that, nobody fuckin' cares anymore...all kids want is that bullshit that "corporate lifestyle shops" serve up, element, zero, mystery, phantom II's, and all the other garbage they serve these fuckin mainstream kids, sorry real skateshops don't sell the garbage Zumiez carry's, you want a spiked belt and a HIM t-shirt go to zumiez and while your there get the cky2k dvd, and when we see you around at the park or in the street, wonder why we vibe you.....your scene killers...BAM backs you we don't!

But for the record man, i completely understand where you come from cause my shop is in the same shoes surrounded by corporate greed, and a bunch of kooks who wanna sell you all there great inventions, i love skateboarding more than anything else but hate the garbage it attracts!

There is some truth to what you say, but having run a shop for the last 6 years I've noticed a few things about skateboarders, there habits and how they change.  I too was bitter and full of hate for the mall, assuming anyone who skated was bound to go there instead of supporting skateboard shops. It's more convienent and less intimidating . They don't need to know whats going on and in general can buy what they need without vibing or attitude. But having taken the time to hang out and skate with alot of the locals here I have seen an amazing amount of growth and change in this area. Kids are still kids but seems like they see the big picture better, and theyre having a little more fun with open minds. And theyre also seeing the value in supporting something they believe in. And fact of the matter is there really arent a whole lot of smaller shops left anymore that are worth giving your dollars to. And the ones who you are down with have old product or stuff you don't really want. Having travelled a bit and visited some shops i noticed one trend that bummed me out. The older semi-skater that talks about the glory days but only gets out once a month and is too busy getting stoned or drinking to know whats going on in there skate community. I just can't get past someone selling something they have no passion for, which is what ymhy started this post about, people cashing in on something they dont really care about anymore. They arent really involved and if they are it isnt because they care, they only see $$$. Skateboarding in some areas has lost it's devotion, you can buy the image without any of the work involved. Instant respect for they type of shoes you wear or hucking yourself down some silly gap/rail whatever.It's all tied together, the current stae of this industry in this country reflects the mentality of the united states in general. Disposable and without loyalty. Even if my scene is small I'm really psyched on it, lots of kids with good attitudes who are out skating everyday having fun. Things will change but only after some people lead by example.Otherwise kids will just do whatever is easiest.

[jacek]

this is a waste of webspace, well no shit this will happen...........do you not see it around you?

[cliff]

Liberty board shop getting props on slap, word!! www.Libertyboardshop.com go to the cellar section!

[sleeeping]

this is a waste of webspace, well no shit this will happen...........do you not see it around you?

this is a messageboard where people come to discuss things involving skateboarding. Ones mans waste is another mans want.

[dirtjers]

damn, that seriously sucks.. he'll get his sometime though, you know?

[sleeeping]

One would hope, but it seems that people will always be blind to the truth.

[E.l.G]

Basically most people including skateboarders are whack motherfuckers and the best thing you can do is try to ignore them and do your own thing.

[Mizzark]

bump for our new and most welcome user "todd one"

[nerd34]

That stuff happens all the time in this industry. The shop I work at can't get certain brands because of Brave New World having them and him threatining to cut their accounts.  Shit is bullshit.  Zumies is doing it to other shops too with Fallen....well but thats the mall anyway which is bullshit. But its a business tactic, if he does more business  then the other guy with the supplier, the supplier will fold sometimes.  It sucks.....working at skateshops sucls.... all the politics made me hate skateboarding for a bit...now i am leaving the shop and skateboarding is a whole lot funner now.

[woody]

I'm lucky because I live within skating distance of a good shop that cares about its scene and skateboarding as a whole. I do what I can to help support them by buying from them, but I still see kids, even my friends, buying shit from Copelands just because its a bit cheaper. There defense is that its cheaper, but for example, my one friend who always buys copelands boards, spends lots of money buying junk food, paying people to give him rides, etc. He wastes money more then anyone else I know, but he won't put it toward something he cares about.

[Edward Penishands]

it kinda sucks cause all the shops around here are owned by snowboard places.

[mikefork]

I'm lucky because I live within skating distance of a good shop that cares about its scene and skateboarding as a whole. I do what I can to help support them by buying from them, but I still see kids, even my friends, buying shit from Copelands just because its a bit cheaper. There defense is that its cheaper, but for example, my one friend who always buys copelands boards, spends lots of money buying junk food, paying people to give him rides, etc. He wastes money more then anyone else I know, but he won't put it toward something he cares about.

i hate when people do stuff like that but sometimes you have to do what you have to do for instance my friends shop hasn't ordered any stuff from sole tech in a while because they need more cash, they cant order from vans because the people there are really slow and getting an order can take up to a month, they are trying to get more lakais, and they are now setting up an account with vox. the new deluxe rep has been screwing up lately and orders come in days late and in one case a week and a half late. then theres the unexpected stuff like having an order come in only to find out its a money order even though the distrributer always bills the credit card
its sick though how the smaller shops also carry smaller companies or companies that not a lot of people in the area have heard about

[suckafoo]

Skateboarders need to take back skateboarding.....you can all start by throwing away your Nikes.

[loudwizard]

Basically most people including skateboarders are whack motherfuckers and the best thing you can do is try to ignore them and do your own thing.

i think this covers everything pretty nicely.

[dalycitymassive]

vertical urge