I just wanted to discuss a few conversations I've had in past weeks. About the double entendre that exists between people who are soooo passionate about their hobby that they wish no one else would adopt it. I admit to these feelings at times, of course. But when it’s brought into the context of an industry conversation it’s contradictory, counterproductive and unreasonable.
It's natural to feel these urges. But Mommy taught us to share, and so we learned. How much fun can you have if there's no one else to enjoy it? I've never tasted something amazing in a restaurant but hoarded it all for myself; I'd want everyone to try it, too.
While I enjoy exploring both, I wouldn't call myself a skater or a surfer. But snowboarding is my favorite thing in the world. I'm not going to say I don't hate the old days on Hunter Mountain where you're plopped off the lift on top of a pile of snowboarders on one of few snowboardable trails. Or that I don't enjoy fresh turns out west. Days when no one came and then it dumps for the twenty of us on the hill.
BUT I don’t waste time measuring my level of “‘core”. I don't think I have ever said, "I wish everyone would stop snowboarding. I wish Burton would stop their campaign; it's bringing too many people into this sport." The progression of the sport easily trumps any greed I have for snow. It certainly doesn't correlate with passion, so don't give me that BS.
Another example this reminds me of people who move to the North Shore, HI from the mainland, then slap a "keep the country country" sticker on their bumpers. Before you join the cause, at least acknowledge you're part of the problem!
Oh, it's great to belong to something. And to share a viewpoint. A strong opinion, even. But when it becomes part of a conversation that's discussing realities and trends it just sounds hypocritical. In theory, if you truly enjoy something, you shouldn't be concerned with who else is doing it. And you should wish for its progression. A skater who wants no one else to take up skateboading is as much a poser as the hipster in Brooklyn who likes a band until they get paid for a song to hit the top 40 or serve as background music to a UPS commercial. To me it’s simple: you liked it for the wrong reason (or at least a disingenuous one).
To bitch about the “kooks” twenty feet away when you're waiting for the one precious set every 20 minutes or when some little kid cuts you off from hitting a rail is part of the program. It’s natural for people to hate on a mass invasion of something they enjoy. But growth and sprawl into the mainstream is the nature of commerce and the evolution of any sport, and I just wanted to point out how stupid trite irrational it sounds in the context of an industry conversation.
Our industry is one of a only few where the Players actually play. In my opinion the successful ones know when to separate their emotion from the business.
-VV