What the Fuck?

I try not to swear in my post titles. No, I take that back. I usually try to watch my language in the titles. Part of it is out of respect for the sensibilities of those who read this blog. Part of it, a major part of it, is that my damn child reads better than I thought he would at this age; he happened upon me at the computer a few weeks ago watching a Surfy Surfy post on a hysterical video about Hitler's ruined surf trip. (Yeah, I know Hitler isn't funny but if you're a surfer you would have chuckled at this video . . . until your child read the subtitles, saw the word "fuck" and then happily shared the fact that he knew that word). Obviously, I'm typing this while he is still at school, probably spreading the f-bomb hither and yon to the kids in his first grade class who were not told the word by his best friend, the Harry Potter look-alike. And, as usual, I digress.

Things are bad right now. And it seems that people are attacking each other about the way they live, the way they surf, the houses they bought, the houses they lost, living above their means, and on and on. You know what? Eyes on your own paper!! What the fuck is wrong with everyone these days? Stop the finger pointing. Whatever troubles people are having as a result of this huge financial meltdown all over the world, your holier than fucking thou attitude is not helping. It's not helping in the surf world either. Things are bad enough without everyone feeling free to be a critic. Accept where YOU are and be humble. So you don't like Al Knost's tight pants and interesting hair. What the fuck? He still surfs better than you and is apparently a nice guy. So you have a house and a job while someone else lost it all. Don't you dare feel smug about that shit. You could be next.

Why am I so mad? Well, I sit here reading and listening. (There was nothing to surf today and the pool wasn't calling to me.) I'm fine with where we as a family are right now. As far as I'm concerned, it could be worse, much worse. I walk the dog around a neighborhood where houses used to get snapped up days after the "For Sale" signs went up. Now, the signs stay on the lawns for months. Now, I watch the weeds on those lawns, and the lawns of the quietly abandoned houses, get taller and taller. All I can do is wonder what happened to the people who ran off or those whose "For Sale" signs are accompanied by the words "Bank Owned". I worry about them. It's not like they are criminals. These were people who lived here for years. All it takes is a lost job or a fucked over retirement to make everything fall apart.

How does this relate to surfing? I don't know, really. I'm just sensing this collective anger. People are slinging mud, hoping it sticks so they can be even more critical of those who don't fit their idea of a surfer (or a homeowner or an American). And the point of that is what? Go drop some LSD if that's what you need to expand your mind. Stop worrying about what everyone else does, what everyone else rides or how everyone else surfs. Do your own thing and don't be afraid to celebrate those who are doing the same.