I really enjoyed reading the "Bustin down the Door" article by Rabbit. I like how he was being really straight forward with what he was discussing. I what he said about people not realizing how long it took him and many others to reach his status. He states that "...people don’t realize the background and relevance of these statements. Some people even look upon our performances last winter as being overnight successes, but little do they realize how much time and money we spent in reaching our current status. " So many don't realize what it takes for surfers to get to the status they are at. It is a lot of hard work and dedication, especially if you are form Australia and South Africa or any country that is not in the native surfing lands. One of the best lines Rabbit says is "The fact is that when you are a young emerging rookie from Australia or South Africa you not only have to come through the backdoor...but you also have to bust that door down before they hear ya knocking." Sometimes you even have to "bust down the doors" when you are not invited and can't come through the back way. This is the dedication and hard work that made surfing that got surfing to become a professional sport and revolutionizing the surfing world dramatically fast and way before its time.
Marisol -
ReplyDeleteBut how did this attitude clash with indigenous modes of he'e nalu and notions of malama 'aina? What was it about Rabbit, and the 'Bronzed Aussies', that brought about such a violent response from the natives of Oahu's North Shore? I'm glad you liked the article, but it's important that you complicate and challenge the ideas presented, particularly when it is such an implicit part of this era in surf culture.
- Trey