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> the dickheads might be those who use the purchase of expensive handmade gear as an exclusionary mechanism haha, you pretty much hit the nail on the head here. surfing is really bizarre. when you start out, the guys who are better and probably have more expensive boards are the dick heads in your mind. when you get better, you slowly become one of the dickheads, and of course, you're not a dickhead, so the other guys who you once were become the dickheads in your mind. i personally try to keep it at a balance... i'll help new ppl out, won't freak out on anyone in the water, tell a new surfer to go if they're in better position, etc. that said, i will burn you (snake you or back paddle) if you've missed a couple takes offs and we're going for the same wave as long as it's not a critical take off or anything like that.. i know, i know, shitty thing to do. though, i don't discriminate based on board type in these situations. i don't care if you're on a foam board, pop-out, or custom shape. i'm just kind of a greedy asshole like most dickhead surfers from the perspective of beginner surfers. so i guess to answer your question, it is about making sure nobody dies, but is less about cheapening the subculture and more about serious surfers getting serious with their equipment. people do go gear head with surfboards, and that can be used by some people to show perceived hierarchy in the surf ecosystem, but like the other guy said, most people surf handmade boards because they are of higher quality and you work with the shaper to come up with a shape that works for you - your style of surfing, how you want to board to surf, the waves you will surf the board in, your weight, your height, design or artwork, etc. there's really nothing better than picking up a custom stick from a guy who you know made it by hand for you, and often, you can get a custom board from a shaper for roughly the same if not less than the heavily marketed big name brand but still not total pop-out companies (the ~$500 high performance boards i mentioned earlier). |