whats also interesting is the way surfing is now being co-opted into the mainstream of society and that includes mainstream social mores wrt to violence.
Violence would not be considered acceptable at the golf club, the tennis court, the soccer grounds etc etc.
I’ve been working with a fellow from Griffith university Centre for Coastal Management (based on the Gold Coast).
let me tell you that legislators have recreational surfing violence in their sights and some of the plans they have for dealing with it will make your nose hairs curl. Licensing, enforceable codes, cops on jetskis etc etc.
This isn’t some sci-fi look at the future : this is on the table and being discussed by politicians NOW.
Councils worried about duty of care and exposure to litigation are looking to the States and elsewhere for solutions.
Violence at the Superbank is front page news and that makes politicians nervous.
Silly , I agree with you. i have a wife and kid to support…it’s amazing how quickly violence can escalate and as Nels so graphically pointed out when humans are attacked they can quickly turn into killing machines. That is a harsh outcome for a bloke having a bad day who just wanted to ride a couple of waves.
When I see the local areshole paddle out here I usually just paddle in or go somewhere else but if pushed I will use the courts and common law rather than resort to a violent solution. I’ve given alot of thought to that. my daughter doesn’t need her life ruined because her dad couldn’t control himself.
To me localism should imply stewardship of an area : education of visitors who are often ignorant of local respect patterns, protecting an area from external threats such as over-development and pollution, grooming youngsters in local lore and providing an example of firm but fair tactics. For sure , good role models are thin on the ground but they are there.
MooneeMick, from what I understood from the surferspath article some of the shenanigans of the visiting aussies included stealing boards, telling local people they weren’t welcome to surf “their” break and other acts of pure fuckery.
I’ve seen this kind of shit in the third world plenty of times from bitter transplants of below average intelligence. It’s a pretty ugly sight when a couple of Aussie yobbos claim a third world break , take a couple of young local girls as their prize , get a god complex and generally make first class pricks of themselves. Usually , they go one step too far and get run out of town and this is what happened to those guys in the Phillos (from what I understood).
Steve