is ti true that the industry encourages drinking/partying/dropping out of school so the skaters wont be the wiser when the company's make all the profit while paying skaters pennys on the dollar for representing their subpar products?
Why you gotta ask the hard questions?!
It depends on what section of the industry we're talking about.. skateboarding "taps" a certain risk taking/freewheeling mindset. Plenty of pro level skaters would've become drunk/drugged out lunatics if they weren't skating all the time. It's not a conspiracy, its just people prone to substance abuse trying to make as much money as possible (with popular culture still romanticizing all kinds of mind altering substances).
If you're willing to put the effort in, you can put your real life on hold and have skating be your main "thing". There might not be a focused effort to exploit and push harmful lifestyles, but some companies will indirectly profit from them. This is why older skaters always have a place in the market, there's an unspoken narrative that your youth is for busting your ass (so that in your middle age you can have fun/be healthy and stay relevant).
Could it be that young skaters will think older rippers are boring, and older skaters will usually appreciate mature healthy people skating for enjoyment (instead of crushing huge gaps and snapping every bone in their body). If you think in terms of advertising, you need people in every category of lifestyles. There's always going to be PD and people drinking coconut water.
Topic: I am the ultimate industry insider, AMA (Read 32496 times)