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Well frankly, I'm glad my co-workers aren't comfortable with skating enough to start conversations with me about street league etc. I'm quite happy to have a pastime which is considered weird. My dad is into wargaming, my grandpa flies model aeroplanes. Who gives a shit.
I kinda agree with the east coast comment. At least in reference to a lot of new york. Though, after skating provincial towns in the north of the UK for 14 years, it's got to the point now where if I were to turn up at a smooth marble floored ledge spot I'd almost feel limited by the perfection.
I agree. People shouldn't give a shit. I suppose the UK is pretty conservative in many ways. It seems like people's attitudes towards skating haven't moved on much in the last decade. It isn't so much being viewed as weird that is a problem, more being frowned upon as a delinquent or being talked down to by the police. It would have been nice to see a few girls skating or families showing up to parks too.
I find it a strange mix actually. I barely ever get thrown out of spots in the UK because the police or security see it as a small nuisance and nothing more, they never act on it and most of the time they actively engage me and ask me questions about skateboarding. But then again people are very conservative, most people have a view that we're weirdos and I relish the moments when I get things shouted at me by people in cars, reminding me that it's still not cool to skateboard in England. This in comparison to when I went to Arizona recently, there was a ridiculous amount of skateboarders (which I loved, lots of people to skate with all the time) and I had random people asking me about X Games. but then I'd skate a spot for 5 minutes and some security guard would get stupidly aggressive with me and i've never had that before. People still show up at parks, I like it, people still look in awe at basic tricks, and I really like seeing that.