Street Piracy

July 28, 2014

Skateboarding “scenes” - from the birthplace of skateboarding in sunny Southern California to the recently trending raw hot spots of the East Coast, specifically, New York City, they are out there.

The internet is bringing us all together; this is a good thing.

It used to be word-of-mouth, exclusive zines, and local videos that kept these individual scenes going; but with the omnipresent nature of the internet, the skateboarding scene is becoming a global phenomenon shared with all of those whom choose to partake and care.

Professional skateboarders heralded by the American skateboard scene often travel throughout the world to skate untapped, virgin spots in their attempt to stay relevant: Barcelona, China, Japan, Paris, and other various “exotic” locales - how many edits or videos have you seen of American professionals visiting and skating said places? Undoubtedly innumerable. But, visit each of these places and you will see they have their own individual “scenes” that rival that of North America.

I shouldn’t have to emphasize that skateboarding isn’t about competition (but, I apologize, we Americans have a hard time forgetting about ourselves and our endless struggle to become “the greatest” of the world and even amongst ourselves).

The international skateboarding “scenes” of the world often rival those found in the US - there is often times a greater sense of community, artistry, and overall concern for the inherent artful nature of skateboarding. This is not to discredit anything being done in the US; but I dare to say that if you’re from the US you have undoubtedly shown a considerable interest in a skateboarding community beyond your own domestic scene.

There are many arguments as to how the internet is ruining skateboarding; I wholeheartedly disagree.

No longer is skateboarding limited by the realm of the physical format. Despite the physical format and its inherent value, the internet allows us all to be connected. While I value each individual scene for their uniqueness - both those domestic and international - the internet allows me to view and feel as if each of these scenes are my own; I argue that they indeed are.

The internet, as harmful as one may view it, is our friend. Skateboarding is a global community and the internet is a tool that is bringing us all together.

There is so much that I have learned about myself and skateboarding, by watching videos of and about skateboarders and skateboarding communities beyond my own international borders, that to discredit the internet in my own development as a skateboarder, and human being, would be a farce.

2:11pm | URL: https://tmblr.co/Z9yjdx1Mlnoez

(Notes: 45)