10-09-2017, 12:15 AM
As a surfer, the most dreaded thing one can see, when one is out in the water, is more surfers crossing the dune, even if they are friends. Fucking Crowds fucking suck the joy out of riding a wave, and there are already too fucking many of us.
I feel the same way about van dwelling. When there are too many in any one urban or semi urban spot/area, what was good becomes bad. What has the potential to be joyful, becomes something/somplace to avoid entirely as it could be dangerous or just anger inducing.
I don't even surf on weekends anymore when there are good waves, as it is so disgustingly crowded, and on my best days, I just don't like humans very much.
If one is already wise to the benefits of this lifestyle, is respectful of the area in which they habitate or transit, then all is good, there will always be the rat racers to continue the consumer based, keeping up with the Jonses economy.
But the tune in turn on move into a van and drop out message, should not be shouted from vantops across the internet by the pied piper of fake good will, when perhaps the prime motivator is a lining of one's pockets through you tube hits and ad revenue.
Out here and likely everywhere with a coastline, there are surf schools. They take people out in massive groups, and teach them some of the very basics, but teach them nothing about etiquette. Who has priority, how to stay out of the way, how not to be a menace. These people learn only how to turn their disgusting rubber costco chinese made surfboards toward land, paddle furiously, clumsily get to their feet, and then inpersonate a monkey on meth riding a line of piddly whitewater straight to sand, and insult the ocean, the wave, and Nature itself, and consider themselves surfers.
The few people who actually have the ability to get a small sense of that preorgasmic pleasure of riding a a wave mostly parallel to shore on open face before it breaks, and get hooked, then never consider that just because they can catch a specific wave on a crowded day, does not mean they are right to do so. While there is no rulebook or legal based enforcement, there are traffic rules. These surf schools are turning loose people on the roads with no concept of traffic signals or right of way, or even other traffic. It is rather insane and totally irresponsible, as on some days boards and bodies are flying all over the place, it is like playing frogger.
There is no point.
In the past some enforcers would/could keep some order, but that cannot be done anymore, which is both good and bad, but anybody showing respect and deference to elders /locals, or those more skilled, and waiting their turn, would not have problems. But today there is no respect. Just Me ME me and mine right now and screw you, and I'm only 45. Hearing the older surfers complain about the crowds today make me yearn for the time before I was even born.
At least Bob tried to keep some rules going regarding dwelling, and keep people from being horrible inconsiderate selfish bastards, but it seems that is the direction of humanity's devolution.
But these surf schools release these 'students' unfit to enter an already over crowded lineup. Is BW's the more the merrier message doing the same thing?
I am seeing more and more people living in their vans round these parts in recent years, and more and more complaints in the local news about it, and it makes me a little sick inside. Perhaps somebody once saw me and though the same thing, perhaps recently.
As the numbers increase so will the problems for those of us tuned in well before the pied piper cheered their decision and enabled them.
Yes, I realize my hypocrisy.
Heck, I should have followed Gunny's lead and not clicked post reply
I feel the same way about van dwelling. When there are too many in any one urban or semi urban spot/area, what was good becomes bad. What has the potential to be joyful, becomes something/somplace to avoid entirely as it could be dangerous or just anger inducing.
I don't even surf on weekends anymore when there are good waves, as it is so disgustingly crowded, and on my best days, I just don't like humans very much.
If one is already wise to the benefits of this lifestyle, is respectful of the area in which they habitate or transit, then all is good, there will always be the rat racers to continue the consumer based, keeping up with the Jonses economy.
But the tune in turn on move into a van and drop out message, should not be shouted from vantops across the internet by the pied piper of fake good will, when perhaps the prime motivator is a lining of one's pockets through you tube hits and ad revenue.
Out here and likely everywhere with a coastline, there are surf schools. They take people out in massive groups, and teach them some of the very basics, but teach them nothing about etiquette. Who has priority, how to stay out of the way, how not to be a menace. These people learn only how to turn their disgusting rubber costco chinese made surfboards toward land, paddle furiously, clumsily get to their feet, and then inpersonate a monkey on meth riding a line of piddly whitewater straight to sand, and insult the ocean, the wave, and Nature itself, and consider themselves surfers.
The few people who actually have the ability to get a small sense of that preorgasmic pleasure of riding a a wave mostly parallel to shore on open face before it breaks, and get hooked, then never consider that just because they can catch a specific wave on a crowded day, does not mean they are right to do so. While there is no rulebook or legal based enforcement, there are traffic rules. These surf schools are turning loose people on the roads with no concept of traffic signals or right of way, or even other traffic. It is rather insane and totally irresponsible, as on some days boards and bodies are flying all over the place, it is like playing frogger.
There is no point.
In the past some enforcers would/could keep some order, but that cannot be done anymore, which is both good and bad, but anybody showing respect and deference to elders /locals, or those more skilled, and waiting their turn, would not have problems. But today there is no respect. Just Me ME me and mine right now and screw you, and I'm only 45. Hearing the older surfers complain about the crowds today make me yearn for the time before I was even born.
At least Bob tried to keep some rules going regarding dwelling, and keep people from being horrible inconsiderate selfish bastards, but it seems that is the direction of humanity's devolution.
But these surf schools release these 'students' unfit to enter an already over crowded lineup. Is BW's the more the merrier message doing the same thing?
I am seeing more and more people living in their vans round these parts in recent years, and more and more complaints in the local news about it, and it makes me a little sick inside. Perhaps somebody once saw me and though the same thing, perhaps recently.
As the numbers increase so will the problems for those of us tuned in well before the pied piper cheered their decision and enabled them.
Yes, I realize my hypocrisy.
Heck, I should have followed Gunny's lead and not clicked post reply
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