Yup. This about sums it all up.
I’m not sure I really understand the current drama surrounding Lunada Bay, the “Bay Boys”, and the bubbling legal repercussions. Maybe it’s because it’s happening on the other side of the world, in a surf culture so removed from my own experience that I sometimes find it hard to relate to. But I think it’s more likely that the whole thing is no more than piss and wind. It reeks of a society festering in litigation, and a surf culture embroiled in childish tittle tattle which amounts to the sum total of absolutely fuck all.
From my objective vantage point it all seems quite trivial. On one hand you have the “Bay Boys” attempting to protect their spot with laughably juvenile tactics like name-calling and vandalism (They even built a fort! How cute!); and on the other, non-local surfers attempting to charge these men – yes, actually legally charge them – for “verbal heckling!” Somewhere in the background are the local police department, led by Chief Wiggum, or whatever his name is, apparently standing around with his fingers in his ears going: na na na na…
Totally bizarre. And whilst I will never agree with bullying and intimidation, the fact that someone can effectively complain: “he was mean to me so he should give me money” is proof of a justice system where outrageous cry babies are taken seriously. I would say that a case like this might set a precedent for other surf spots, but I think it is more likely that litigious culture has long been established in wider society and perhaps we are lucky it has taken this long to infect surfing.
Personally I think they should all just give up: the Bay Boys and their accusers. If surfing makes you that miserable, and that childish, then find another pastime.
Perhaps road rage, or throwing pebbles at cats. Or maybe education is the answer, judging by the sign posted by the Bay Boys which read “Unlocals Will Be Hassled.” I might be more concerned about their literacy than their threats.
I’d also question a group of middle-aged men who refer to themselves as “The Bay Boys.” They sound like a troupe of strippers. Allegedly, the “Boys” are “middle class and affluent.” Hardly surprising. The situation smacks of bored middle-aged men reaching for primitive roots in a society which lacks challenge. It’s like a shitty version of Fight Club. And if they are a “gang” I want to know who they might wage turf wars against. The Quinoa Crew, perhaps?
I don’t blame the Lunada Bay locals for trying to protect their spot, but they’ve fronted as tough guys and acted like cowards. The irony of course is that the immature manner in which they have acted has created a soap opera style melodrama, and merely served to publicize the spot. Visiting surfers are so expectant of hostility that they have become hyper-sensitive to being scowled at or being labelled a “kook.” Perhaps if the locals traded in respect rather than name calling it would never have reached this stage, but they have created a slightly pathetic situation where visitors run off to tell tales to cops and lawyers.
Localism is a term best defined as mutual respect. People shouldn’t be chased away just because they aren’t “local” in the literal sense. But if they act like assholes they should be treated accordingly. Likewise, if respect is received then respect should be given. This is how life works, not just surfing. From the outside looking in, the situation in Lunada Bay pays heed to none of this and, honestly, it just seems achingly petty.
The Lunada Bay grievance amounts to nothing more than sticks and stones and name calling. Juvenile nonsense, in other words. According to one unnamed local, no-one has actually been assaulted in years. I’m not sure who to have more disdain for – the Bay Boys, or their accusers. Trust surfers to take a “gang” and water it down to something so wet and pathetic. This whole situation is much ado about nothing that unfortunately might just sum up our pitiful, insular little surf society and communicate its pettiness to the rest of the world.
