2025 unpopular opinion thread

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

I hate skating somewhere and asking myself "why did i even come here?"

This is the key point. Avoid this at all costs.

[SatanicPanic]

I kind of understand that going to a park doesn't feel like skating in the same sense as it does to be at a street spot or cruising down the street. but I've never really enjoyed transitions. If I did I think I would feel differently about parks.

[Buttworm]

If you are over the age of 30 and going to a skatepark alone you gotta reevaluate your life choices. Go do something productive. If skateboarding is the only interesting thing about you, go fix a street spot or start building a diy or something. Parks are for kids. Skating is so toothless and domesticated right now and skating a park is reinforcing the status quo

Inspire others to inspire themselves

[CreepySweaty]

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I hate skating somewhere and asking myself "why did i even come here?"

[close]

This is the key point. Avoid this at all costs.

The older I get the more I ask this question. Not exclusively about skating.

[skatefresh]

I know I’ll probably get roasted for this, and I hate to say it because he’s still one of my favorites. Penny just doesn’t look that good on a board anymore. Obviously age plays a role, but the exaggerated steez holding his hands down way too long after every trick, doesn’t come off smooth or graceful. It looks forced, and the flow he used to have just isn’t there anymore. Still a legend, no doubt, but you can see the difference.

[luke_gardner]

This is such a boring and oft-repeated opinion but I still feel it strongly: the proliferation of skate parks ruined skateboarding as an outsider cultural force by reducing it to something you see in any town's parks (like a tennis court or running track) but, in some degree of tension with that decline, raised the overall quality and quantity of skateboarding as a competitive activity so that it resembles a sport - but without the resulting standardization and regimentation that makes a sport - even as the markers of an outsider cultural force seem to persist (magazines, art, lingo, fashion) albeit in a comparatively diminished state. Ok, tell me I'm wrong or dumb please

[91FeelGoodOnWood]

This is such a boring and oft-repeated opinion but I still feel it strongly: the proliferation of skate parks ruined skateboarding as an outsider cultural force by reducing it to something you see in any town's parks (like a tennis court or running track) but, in some degree of tension with that decline, raised the overall quality and quantity of skateboarding as a competitive activity so that it resembles a sport - but without the resulting standardization and regimentation that makes a sport - even as the markers of an outsider cultural force seem to persist (magazines, art, lingo, fashion) albeit in a comparatively diminished state. Ok, tell me I'm wrong or dumb please

I think you might be right.

[Sedition]

I know I’ll probably get roasted for this, and I hate to say it because he’s still one of my favorites. Penny just doesn’t look that good on a board anymore. Obviously age plays a role, but the exaggerated steez holding his hands down way too long after every trick, doesn’t come off smooth or graceful. It looks forced, and the flow he used to have just isn’t there anymore. Still a legend, no doubt, but you can see the difference.

I •never• liked his style.

[spooky electric]

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I know I’ll probably get roasted for this, and I hate to say it because he’s still one of my favorites. Penny just doesn’t look that good on a board anymore. Obviously age plays a role, but the exaggerated steez holding his hands down way too long after every trick, doesn’t come off smooth or graceful. It looks forced, and the flow he used to have just isn’t there anymore. Still a legend, no doubt, but you can see the difference.

[close]

I •never• liked his style.

I don't think anyone thinks he looks particularly great on a board anymore. I think it's more just that people are excited and/or appreciate seeing him still riding a skateboard at all.

[Blind Fisherman]

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I know I’ll probably get roasted for this, and I hate to say it because he’s still one of my favorites. Penny just doesn’t look that good on a board anymore. Obviously age plays a role, but the exaggerated steez holding his hands down way too long after every trick, doesn’t come off smooth or graceful. It looks forced, and the flow he used to have just isn’t there anymore. Still a legend, no doubt, but you can see the difference.

[close]

I •never• liked his style.

[close]

I don't think anyone thinks he looks particularly great on a board anymore. I think it's more just that people are excited and/or appreciate seeing him still riding a skateboard at all.

Just like people getting stoked on Rickk and Mike clips. We all know they’re past their prime. We just wanna see them skate.

[j....soy.....]

I know I’ll probably get roasted for this, and I hate to say it because he’s still one of my favorites. Penny just doesn’t look that good on a board anymore. Obviously age plays a role, but the exaggerated steez holding his hands down way too long after every trick, doesn’t come off smooth or graceful. It looks forced, and the flow he used to have just isn’t there anymore. Still a legend, no doubt, but you can see the difference.

How about getting roasted for a 20 year old take…..

[TorontoTrustFund]

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I’m really trying to give you all the benefit of the doubt here. You’ve never considered what skateboarding means to you, or the culture at large (aka a thesis)? Do you really think the idea ends at “useless wooden toy”? The beauty is in making stories around the toy.

[close]

none of what you said supersedes finding a moment of peace and accomplishment through the actual act of skateboarding, regardless if takes place in the streets or at a solo session at skatepark, and grandstanding as if you're making some sort of political statement and everyone else is myopic for, ironically enough, having a wider view than you of what skateboarding can be and how it's fulfilling is honestly embarrassing.

signed, a 34 year old who enjoys skateboarding in the streets with my friends, at skateparks when i feel like it, and partakes in numerous fulfilling hobbies outside of skateboarding

[close]

Ugh, 😩 thank you for this. Got me dead to rights. I’ll need to tweak the foundation of my argument, because I don’t think I have space for this perspective in my current framework. I’m still not sold on the solo session, but I do like the thread of “why compartmentalize? Isn’t it all skating?”

[close]

i'm definitely being unnecessarily harsh but for the record i understand your point more and more as i age. do i want to spend the last three years i can do this at a high level in a park? but i like the balance of skating a park and actually getting to roll around doing tricks versus going out and trying something, or just watching someone else try something and experiencing the city. to me, it's not one or the other, it's two sides of the same coin

[close]

Ah no worries it’s fun to be harsh/super critical online (as I’ve shown).

I’m in a similar place. 33yo. I have 5 kids all under the age of 10. Ive never made much money, even for the Rust belt city I live in (just started making the most I’ve ever made this past year — 57k). I’ve experienced a lot of loss/death over the past 2 years. It’s all made me question how much time I can spend on anything and why I should spend any time at all. I’d say the only tethers keeping me interested in skating are friends and this idea that it adds to a larger picture of an American city in a certain time and place.

Just get a hooker, or a therapist or some friends for the first time in your life or something. But also I’d be a salty loser too if I was only making 57 peanuts a year

[roba]

^bro probably makes 58

[Sila]

Penny still looks good on a board

[TorontoTrustFund]

^bro probably makes 58

Nah 57 includes tips and hard staring when people tip the minimum.

[CreepySweaty]

Sorry if I bummed anyone out with my responses the other day. Been dealing with another loss in the family and just started firing posts off to release some stress. I do have strong feelings about skateparks, but if you are a good, kind person I don’t care where you skate. Just glad you’re out there. Peace.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

It honestly made me reflect a bit. Many of us are defaulting to the skatepark because it’s easy to. Letting yourself default to the park every single time is not a beneficial habit for some, or many, skateboarders.

Furthermore, filming yourself is nothing but a project in self assurance, especially at the park

[Mystical Leader]

Skateboarding looks better in slim or regular cut pants than in baggy pants if you have great style. This only applies to people with great style. For everybody else it doesn't matter.

Skate shoes are overrated.

Diy culture/parks are overrated as in skating in skate parks is the lowest from of skateboarding. Fixing spots is ok to me.

[backside_frontside]

I’d go to the skate park every day if I had a good one near me.

[pop idiot]

Skateboarding looks better in slim or regular cut pants than in baggy pants if you have great style. This only applies to people with great style. For everybody else it doesn't matter.

Slap darling Ethan Fowler has great style in Nervous Breakdown but I find his That's Life part to be so visually unappealing due of his beefy thighs in boot-cut jeans.

[Dwayne Hoover]

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Skateboarding looks better in slim or regular cut pants than in baggy pants if you have great style. This only applies to people with great style. For everybody else it doesn't matter.

[close]

Slap darling Ethan Fowler has great style in Nervous Breakdown but I find his That's Life part to be so visually unappealing due of his beefy thighs in boot-cut jeans.

also because he clearly hadn't skated in three years

[GnarAlarm]

Diy culture/parks are overrated as in skating in skate parks is the lowest from of skateboarding. Fixing spots is ok to me.

Parks are great for people who don't have all day to skate and in general can't break out for a session as often, especially if you live in a city where spots are sparse and spread out.
Saturday mornings I could go to the ledge spot, then drive 15 minutes to the bank spot, then drive 10 more minutes out to the flat bar spot and hope nobody is parked in front of them. I typically only have a couple hours to skate so that's about a quarter of my skate time spent traveling (and having to warm up again), so just hitting a park and having a mix of everything in one place works better for me.

I'd agree parks aren't as cool and I dislike seeing park footage in videos for the most part, but for the bare bones act of skateboarding the park does it's job fine for me.

[pop idiot]

also because he clearly hadn't skated in three years

I was still more offended by his style of trouser! Maybe the weird edit too.

[TorontoTrustFund]

Sorry if I bummed anyone out with my responses the other day. Been dealing with another loss in the family and just started firing posts off to release some stress. I do have strong feelings about skateparks, but if you are a good, kind person I don’t care where you skate. Just glad you’re out there. Peace.

Good on you for admitting that you’re just salty, depressed and broke and were trying to get a reaction out of people. That’s what the internet is for right?

[Boomerforums]

I mean let's be real though if your skating after 25 and not getting paid for it your on some Beavis and Butthead shit skatepark or not

[jums]

I mean let's be real though if your skating after 25 and not getting paid for it your on some Beavis and Butthead shit skatepark or not

Wanna know how i know you're not a skater?

[Boomerforums]

How do u know

[Willie]

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Skateboarding looks better in slim or regular cut pants than in baggy pants if you have great style. This only applies to people with great style. For everybody else it doesn't matter.

[close]

Slap darling Ethan Fowler has great style in Nervous Breakdown but I find his That's Life part to be so visually unappealing due of his beefy thighs in boot-cut jeans.

Possibly unpopular opinion but Dark Prince Fowler had the best style, narrowly beating Thrift Store Fowler (A Visual Sound), solidly ahead of Flannel Fowler (Tincan Folklore), and miles better than Skynrd Fowler. Unfortunately, he really kooked himself out of the conversation and I have a hard time appreciating any iteration today.

[Southernmost]

Obviously the streets will always reign supreme but skateparks are just so convenient. Like GnarAlarm mentions just the time and energy to go skate street is a lot. I can go to the skatepark and land tricks on the bank, hip, rail, ledge, ramps etc. I can’t do all that in the street. I think it’s nice to balance the two. I appreciate skating street more when I go to the park too much. And vice versa.

[SatanicPanic]

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Skateboarding looks better in slim or regular cut pants than in baggy pants if you have great style. This only applies to people with great style. For everybody else it doesn't matter.

[close]

Slap darling Ethan Fowler has great style in Nervous Breakdown but I find his That's Life part to be so visually unappealing due of his beefy thighs in boot-cut jeans.

[close]

Possibly unpopular opinion but Dark Prince Fowler had the best style, narrowly beating Thrift Store Fowler (A Visual Sound), solidly ahead of Flannel Fowler (Tincan Folklore), and miles better than Skynrd Fowler. Unfortunately, he really kooked himself out of the conversation and I have a hard time appreciating any iteration today.

This is 100% the correct take