B Happy...Go Surf!!!

2nd Light Forums
Decrease font size
Increase font size
Topic Title: "The Skateboarding Ethic and the Spirit of Anti-Capitalism."
Topic Summary: The important stuff is finally being given academic treatment.
Created On: 01/14/2025 05:34 AM
Linear : Threading : Single : Branch
Topic Tools Topic Tools
View topic in raw text format. Print this topic.
 01/14/2025 05:34 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


johnnyboy

Posts: 26851
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

http://www.npr.org/sections/pl...ks-and-less-capitalism

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 01/14/2025 06:06 AM
User is online View Users Profile Print this message


Cole

Posts: 71501
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

Skating was transformative in my life. It took away the idle time that can lead a kid in the wrong direction and filled it with travel, pain and accomplishment. It was also wonderful therapy. If life was a bummer, I'd grab the board and head out, no matter the time. It's a wonder what landing a five step ollie can do to the teenage mind.

And yes, I realize that's five steps are child's play in today's skate world, but I'm talking 40 years ago. To the new school: have you ever tried to ollie a deck with no nose? You rely on pop. We relied on speed, trajectory and hope.

-------------------------
I was right.

Edited: 01/14/2025 at 06:11 AM by Cole
 01/14/2025 06:16 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


RustyTruck

Posts: 34615
Joined Forum: 08/02/2004

My wife sent this one to me this morning. My objection is that I think it's cute, but the negative effects of capitalism on healthcare are much easier to quantify yet Americans accept the false notion that nothing can be done about it.

Econ papers on the benefits of public skate parks is nice, but to me it's a frivolous academic exercise. My more cynical nature would suggest it's meant as a liberal distraction from any serious critique of capitalism.

However I don't question the public utility of skate parks or the personal value of skateboarding.

-------------------------
Nothing screams cuck like flying a flag with another man's name on it.
 01/14/2025 08:43 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


johnnyboy

Posts: 26851
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I thought it might be a bit too entry level for you Rusty. I thought that treating capitalism fairly for its anti-social tendencies might fight in nicely with skateboarding's counter cultural non conformity, but I guess I have to get my PHD for that.

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 01/14/2025 10:12 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


RustyTruck

Posts: 34615
Joined Forum: 08/02/2004

Originally posted by: johnnyboy

I thought it might be a bit too entry level for you Rusty. I thought that treating capitalism fairly for its anti-social tendencies might fight in nicely with skateboarding's counter cultural non conformity, but I guess I have to get my PHD for that.


I think you're right, especially since my wife said the same thing in response to my criticism. I'll lower the red flag and sit down, this isn't NSR.

-------------------------
Nothing screams cuck like flying a flag with another man's name on it.
 01/14/2025 05:57 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


CurtisEflush

Posts: 881
Joined Forum: 09/28/2012

It's an interesting set of economics.

In the 1970's, few if any of the skateparks were built by municipalities; almost all were built by private "capitalists." Despite traveling great distances to skate at these parks, most skaters could barely afford the entry fee and a hot dog at the concession stand. As soon as the thrill wore off (and the sport slumped, or migrated toward backyard halfpipes), the parks went under and got bulldozed.

As a result, few of the capitalists ever received a positive return on their investment. The high figures cited in terms of benefit per skater per day are hard to assign to a recipient. It usually wasn't the skatepark owner, and if it had been the skaters themselves getting that much out of it, they wouldn't have stopped going.

The fact that municipalities decided to "socialize" the costs (by all taxpayers) and build more free, public parks both helped with the sport's resurgence as well as removing some of the "nuisance" skating in other public and private areas. (I was an absolute menace to society in the 70's!) So there was some financial benefit to business and property owners by redirecting skaters to dedicated areas.

Similar economic analyses have met with mixed results in our own area related to beach renourishment. The studies generally try to quantify the financial benefit in terms of property taxes paid by oceanfront housing, and dollars spent at local businesses by tourists. I've seen it taken down to the granularity level of fishermen and surfers when burying the mid-reach reef, but I think the numbers come down to more of a WAG than science.

 01/14/2025 07:29 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Wavewatcher

Posts: 7747
Joined Forum: 07/24/2003

https://www.konaskatepark.com/

-------------------------
wavewatcher - >ww - >wavewatcher, again
 01/15/2025 07:14 AM
User is online View Users Profile Print this message


Cole

Posts: 71501
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

A good skate park is like a good sports field. They are a public draw.

At one time, the Cocoa Beach soccer fields were host to eight separate teams. The fields were allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and now they are empty weed lots. The cash they generated for the city is gone. The same can be said for the skate park. The city closed the in house skate shop that oversaw the park. Once gone, a BMX crew came in and damaged the coping. The city did a low bidder deal on repairs and those repairs failed. Numbers to the park dropped, and now the city is attempting to do the correct fix. We shall see what happens.

-------------------------
I was right.
 01/16/2025 03:35 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


johnnyboy

Posts: 26851
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

Palm beach gardens is actively trying to categorize our skate park as under utilized so they can bulldoze and give the land to Wayne Gretzky to build an ice arena. It's absurd. It's literally bordering PBG high school. The town appears to believe the economic development would offset the scores of really good reasons not to do this but it appears that the oppositions' effort thus far have caused enough backlash to give them the name "the malcontents" and they have sought to amend their permit approval process to keep everything secret. I've been to three or four meetings and the council members get a ton of shit every time but they are playing the long game. A couple of basketball courts, a softball field dedicated to a murdered softball player and some old pickle ball courts also get the dozer under this plan.

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

Statistics
146552 users are registered to the 2nd Light Forums forum.
There are currently 3 users logged in to the forum.

FuseTalk Basic Edition - © 1999-2025 FuseTalk Inc. All rights reserved.

First there was Air Jordan .