Ethnicity and skateboarding..

[Bleep]

Obligatory Racism disclaimer: I do not dislike any culture that is not my own, I accept it as different, but not better or worse in any way shape or form. if this thread takes a turn for the worse, im sure mods know what to do.


it seems that outside of the world of music, skateboarding is virtually the only north american cultural movement that is compromised predominantly of skinny white people! I do not know much about the origins of skateboarding itself but it seems much easier to get motivated to me, being a skinny white person myself, in a sport is comprised mostly of people similar to myself. I find watching skate vids I sort of relate more in that I can see myself being in that persons shoes as opposed to sports more tailored to jocks as professionals (hockey for example, im a canuck) and people with more muscular builds or different cultural backgrounds that I will never/could never achieve in other venues.

I don't know if its just me but it definetly makes me more eager to get out on the board rather then say going to shoot some basketball knowing that I am part of the culturally dominant ethnicity of the sport.

[Snaker]

I'm not white, I'm red.

And I'm sure as hell not skinny, by any definition.

[spenser]

wait.. so.. you want to go skate more because youre part of the "dominant race" in skateboarding?

[crypticpoet]

This is a uh....an odd thread.

[StevoElSupremo]

Pretty fly for.a.white.guy

[FireFreek]

Probably because a bunch of skinny blonde sufer kids founded the sport.

Same thing with wrap, black people kinda started it and inovated it, so its mostly black people rapping.

[Bleep]

Firefreek hit the nail on the head, and I am speaking at purely a professional level.

I know lots of people who are not skinny white guys who love to skate, but the fact you don't have to be 6"8 and built like a brick house to shred well is definetly something that helped me get started. it is not a matter of race as much as a combination of size and age for me. I suppose I should choose words more carefully ;)

[Shadow2kx]

Maybe this has less to do with race and more to do with just the fact that your a skinny twirp like most of us here

[FIGHT!]

in case you haven't noticed, skinny white guys run the planet.

[kcirtap]

he's right, but there are plenty of not skinny white skaters, a majority of them conquering all technical aspects of skating, or at least manuas/ledges, theres black guys, asians, spaniards, some more different forms of white people (aussies, europeans, etc.)

[XBLinK182sk8rX]

Yeah, both my parents are from Venezuela(it is a country in South America, if you didn't know) but I was born here in Florida. I don't have an accent and I look white, I'm not the tannish brown color that Venezuelans usually are. But I'm not like really proud like most of the Puerto Ricans in my school. All of them are like,"Oh yeah, Puerto Rico is the best country in the world!!!!!" Yet they don't live there for some reason..... I'm proud to be what I am, but I'm not that proud. And I still love to skate and I want to skate the rest of my life, even if I never get good enough to get sponsored or go pro or something. I just want to skate forever.

[Rappin Rabbi]

Well I am a Jewish skater, and in certian areas where there are predominatly jewish people, you go to the skatepark, and usually find somebody jewish and stuff. Thhoush this is about ethnicity, I am a skinny white boy with brown curly hair, so yeah, I am cauciaisen. My area is filled with Aisens too, and a lot of my friends are korean, and they skate too. The only minorities that arent in my areas are afro americans, but they skate too.


Well I see skating like a hobbie or a sport, invented in America by caucaisens, but that does not affect who could do it

[Mr.42]

One of my favorite skaters is a little black kid.

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. I don't really know what to say, but race doesn't matter. Whether you start skating or not probably depends more on your environment than what color your skin is.

And most of the white guys who skate are skinny because... THEY SKATE ALL THE TIME! And a lot of them are fat because they drink and party all the time.

[Bleep]

Its kind of hard to really explain, its the difference between say me (a short skinny white guy) playing basketball where I could NEVER become a pro in the NBA whereas it would be more realistic although still far fetched to become a professional skater. Say if I were to go gung-ho on basketball people would just laugh and turn there heads but when you do sports that are suited to you people seem to pay a bit more respect to your talents.

It's not to say that you have to fall into predetermined stereotypes to be successful, Tiger woods is a tremendous example of that. But you still see way more golf players joining the leagues that fit what you'd expect a typical golf player to look like.

[edward]

you want to go skate more because most of the skaters are white? i think your skating for the wrong reasons man. skating is one of those sports that are mostly whites, but it seems to me in the last year or so i've been seeing alot more of black skaters, plus they got mad pop. i like watchin them skate, actually i like watching anyone with style skate but yeah. theres also A TON of brazilian/spanish skaters out there that kill it. i like watchin them skate, fabrizio santos (brazilian), brandon turner, bastien salabanzi, alex carolino (brazilian), tx (brazilian), and stevie williams are some of my favorite skaters. race doesn't matter to me (especially in skating), as long as they have style and are a cool person to chill with then i'm down with them, who cares what they look like. i skate because its fun, anyone else who wants to skate because its fun then they're alright with me.

[Bleep]

you want to go skate more because most of the skaters are white?


Not exactly what I was going for. I was not focusing on colour but moreso on the fact you do not need a Fabio physique or be a giant in your mid 20's to be a pro. The pro skaters look the same as physically as everyone who hangs out the parks I frequent, its just more for the dedication they give themselves then the way god made them or how much time they hang out at the gym for. Cultures do not have to be limited to one race, size or shape, but its a fact that most of the people who are getting paid to skate are skinny white males. I simply can visualize myself in the shoes of a pro skater easier then I could a pro football player.

There are tons of people of all backgrounds and all sizes doing the same, but the majority in paid positions for this case is what I was going for. Skate culture to me includes anyone with the balls to get on a board and is not an arsehole, I wouldn't go to a park because its all bigger guys or mostly latin or something, all that matters is that they aren't going to be idiots.

[FireFreek]

Its also kinda weird that you can see the difference in people who skate different styles.

Pros that skate bangers and stuff are usally small and skinny.

Vert riders usally look lanky.

alot of tech riders and stuff are kinda heavy set, not fat but like beefy I guess, like brandon beible.

[edward]

yeah i understand what you sayin, but its not like its going to be that much easier to turn pro for skateboarding than it is in basketball. there about 16 million skaters in the U.S. along last time i heard, you gotta not only have amazing skill, huge balls to pull the shit when it needs to get done, extraordinary style and then ontop of that you still need to be crazy lucky to get noticed. but try not to skate with the hopes of turning pro, chances are you'll get let down. skate for fun, thats what its all about and what it should always be about.

[XBLinK182sk8rX]

Yeah, if you are good enough, shit will just fall into place and you'll get noticed.

[edward]

^i think it used to be like that, now its not even like that anymore. theres tons of amazing skaters out there who only have maybe a local shop sponsor. theres just so many skaters out there that you have to have luck on your side just to make it big in the skateboarding business. but i mean yeah, you can still make it on talent/style in some cases, its just alot harder overall now a days.

[CinciSkater2011]

On the whole race side of this thread, I think skating is one of the only cultural thingy that is actually a lot of different kinds of people. Other sports you need to be a certain height, weight, be able to bench press so much, or even be a certain race. Today I was watching FX, and on the Sunny in Philadelphia ad, they're picking teams for basketball, and the dude picks all the black kids. Truth is, most people I know think of tall, built, black guys when they think of basketball and they aren't racist...I don't really know where I'm going with this, but skating is probably the one "sport" where there really isn't any prejudice in who is good or who goes pro. I mean if some one sees a picture of a 5 foot guy and a 7 foot guy, they're gonna think the 7 foot guy is better at basketball, but in skating there isn't really a way of telling simply by appearence alone. Skating welcomes all kinds of people...Like for example, Tommy Sandoval. He's 50% white, 40% black, 8% Mexican, and 2% Native American, and poeple still know he's good. Everyone who skates has a chance at going pro, no matter how they look.

[Poser Park]

White Power!!!!!!!!


I joke. I agree with everyone else, you're skating for the wrong reasons.

[FireFreek]

yeah you can't really make it in skateboarding unless

A - you live in california.. possibly SOME citys on the east coast, but look at the cali pros to east pro ratio.

B - you know the right people

[Rappin Rabbi]

^^^^ FLorida has skating
think Miami

[I_Eat_Emo_Kids]

Is it true black people have bigger dicks than white guys???

[loganownzj00]

Is it true black people have bigger dicks than white guys???

Dude, go watch some porn.

[JoeyKovacs]

i don't watch the porn with dicks in em. Lezbo for me!

[McJesus]

Firefreek hit the nail on the head, and I am speaking at purely a professional level.

I know lots of people who are not skinny white guys who love to skate, but the fact you don't have to be 6"8 and built like a brick house to shred well is definetly something that helped me get started. it is not a matter of race as much as a combination of size and age for me. I suppose I should choose words more carefully ;)

You said brick house

[CinciSkater2011]

She's a brick... HOUSE! She's mightay mightay, jus' lettin it all hang out!

[TrAnCe]

mate mate maaate; when you see a person walk past, you dont go "LOOK, A NON SMOKER!" but when a smoker walks past, you're like "what a fag".... you notice the smoker for smoking, but not the non skomer for non smoking.... and this leads us where, skateboardwise? well, umm, if theres 50 Black people that skate past, you might be like "meh" but when two 'skinnywhiteguys' walk past, you're like "OMG HOW MANY WHITESKINNY SKATEBOADERS ARE THERE??!!???". so you notice what you see. when someone says "hey look at that guy" you usually expect to see a whiteskinnyguy, right, but if its a Black man, you're like "what guy?" coz the white guy stands out more, as the skateboarder than the Black guy to your eyes.
(PN I'm a Latino tan with Brown eyes and Black afro hair. dont anyone call me rascist please? Danke)

[Sk8 Shorty's]

hm... I think that yes there are more white guys that skate more than any other race, just like someone said before its easier to notice a white guy skating than a black guy for instance. but i mean does it matter? just go out and skate and have fun, thats what its all about, you dont need reasons to skate just go and have as much fun as u can. and oh yeah.......beware of girls, they love skaters, ive found that out lol, its kinda creepy but wierd what theyll do to get your attention when skating.
oh and another thing, dont be mad if you cant learn everything right away, it takes lots of time and practice.



sorry if that last part was off topic.

[edward]

^i think its easier to notice the black skater. if theres 25 skinny white kids at the park and then 1 black kid then which guy stands out? also i think like cinciskater said, this is probably one of the few sports that everyone can make it pro. you don't just see mostly 6' 8" black guys like in basketball or 315lb black linebackers like in football. you see all kinds of pros and good skaters. willy santos, jerry hsu, daniel shimizu, stevie williams, jamie thomas, eric koston, p-rod, jason wakuzawa, and evan hernandez. thats quite a bit of diversity right there. and it doesn't have to be one body type either, theres tall skaters and short and some are a little heavier. i think the sport is a lot more diverse than some of the others out there.

[lemonade man]

in case you haven't noticed, skinny white guys run the planet.
While rich black men get framed by them, haha, just kidding. For those of you who watch South Park you will know what I am talking about.

[reuben661]

yeah i see where he's coming from. i think this more about the "skinny" thing than the "race" thing. me being a skinny black skater. i kinda see what he means. cause the majority of other sports are dominated buy these big "jocks" and its kinda inspiring to know that you can be famous and good in a sport with out being Mr. T.

[reuben661]

but skateboarding is prety diveres though. and dats whats so cool about it.

[z-boyatheart]

hmm, i don't really get the point. that doesn't mean i'm accusing anyone of being anything but think about THIS...

in all of modern skateboarding's stages of progression, 'non white' people have played CRUCIAL parts in the sport moving forward! classic examples would be...

pool skating i.e the birth of vert - Tony Alva, Marty Grimes, Shogo Kubo.
progression of vert in the 80's - Christian Hosoi, Steve Caballero.
One of biggest street innovators of all time - Daewon Song.

of course that's just an example. there's much, much more but just think about where the sport would be without these people!

skateboarding is most commercially successful in the West, where there are more white people ANYWAY, so of course there are gonna be more white people to skate!

[XBLinK182sk8rX]

^i think it used to be like that, now its not even like that anymore. theres tons of amazing skaters out there who only have maybe a local shop sponsor. theres just so many skaters out there that you have to have luck on your side just to make it big in the skateboarding business. but i mean yeah, you can still make it on talent/style in some cases, its just alot harder overall now a days.
Yeah, but if you are good enough and you start entering lots of contests like at a big skatepark like the one in Tampa, and you keep winning, you'll get noticed. It is a lot harder though, you're right about that.
yeah you can't really make it in skateboarding unless

A - you live in california.. possibly SOME citys on the east coast, but look at the cali pros to east pro ratio.

B - you know the right people
Um, both Rodney Mullen and Andrew Reynolds grew up and became pros in Florida. But besides Florida, you are right, there is a lot more people from like California and stuff that are pro.

[TrAnCe]

look at some skateboard adds.... whos skating? white people. also Edward, why did you imply there might be 25 white people at the skatepark, but only one Black person? (no offence) but as we can all see, we notice the white guy.... though the black guy stands out, the numbers of white guys stand out more "hey look,t heres ONE black guy"

[TrAnCe]

look at some skateboard adds.... whos skating? whiteskinnyguys. also, as Edward implied there might be 25 white people at the skatepark, but only one Black guy (no offence) but as we can all see,though the black guy stands out, the numbers of white guys stand out more "hey look,theres ONE black guy, standing next to those STACK of white guys"

[crypticpoet]

Um, why does this even matter?

[TrAnCe]

"um", why did the Aussies smash the Lebs last December? hmm.... read the other posts, then work out why it matters ^o)

[crypticpoet]

I just don't think it matters who you see on a skateboard. Do your own thing. Black skaters rock, and are often better than some white skaters I see. But who cares? Skating; it's all the same.

[mcwattersm]

And this thread is why the chicken crossed the road.

[Bleep]

I definetly was thinking more on body size and age when I made the thread, not so much about race, just a word mix up on my part. I was not thinking culture as in white culture although moreso as in more skate culture, in that skinny people dominate it and seem to be more involved in it. Ethnicity is not limited to your race / religion but to all aspects of who a group of persons are. Of course there is nothing from stopping a 40- year old brick house from getting on a board himself but he would probably have a much harder time excelling at it then Joe Mctwig who is 16 years old at 110 pounds and 5"3. I personally am about 124 pounds, 5"7 and 19, which is reaaaally old considering most of the skaters around here. there are lots of kids two thirds my age who can absolutely stomp me skating at the local park here, but it doesn't really matter because none of them are dicks about it, its all about having fun.

[TrAnCe]

uh huh.... good point; why would a Black dude skate when he sees faces of white guys everywhere skating, unless he's an Independent individual. like me.... also, in America, isnt punk music more a 'white' persons music and rap/rnb a "black" persons muzic? because if it is, and punk influences skateboarders....

[Ramp]