Tuesday, 24 Sep 1996

campers manifesto

Something really strange happened to me this weekend, and I'm not sure what I should do. I would kiss it off as a bad dream, or the leftover fish I had for dinner Saturday night, except that I still have the notepad "the camper" gave me. I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing, but I believe that the participants on this newsgroup might be able to help me sort it out.

I live in a Redwood forest canyon a couple of miles from the beach. The canyon rises steeply on either side, filtering early morning sunlight. Early Sunday morning there were occasional heavy wisps of morning fog drifting down the canyon through the trees, following the offshore breeze to the ocean. The fog deadened the usual forest sounds. I woke up feeling a little edgy and thought I heard a strange noise outside the house, threw on some sweats and went out to investigate. Things happen in these ancient forests. Unusual things. I've lived in them for most of the last thirty-five years, and I've witnessed extraordinary things, so I never take strange sounds or edgy feelings for granted. At first I saw nothing as I strolled around the deck. I peered through the patches of fog weaving among the trees, and listened down the road for any other activity that might have caused my alarm. When I turned around to go back into the house, I was shocked to turn face to face with a man.

I never heard him coming, and he was between me and my kitchen door. He was wearing only a ragged O'Neill T-shirt, and a pair of frayed, stained surfshorts. He had no shoes, and from the looks of his feet he hadn't worn any for quite a while. He was medium height, weighed about 165 pounds, and from his gray hair and week old growth of salt and pepper stubble I'd guess he was probably fifty to sixty years old. I say "guess" because he was in great shape. He was muscled and sinewy without an ounce of fat. He had the tan of someone who had been outside for a long time, and his face was criss-crossed with permanent squint wrinkles. His build looked familiar, strong arms and shoulders, narrow waste and powerful legs. He moved like a cat. Quick, graceful, his feet gripping the earth as he paced in front of me. He had to surf, I thought. At first, I couldn't quite catch his gaze, in fact he acted almost wild, like a hunted animal who was cornered. He kept glancing around with quick snaps of his head and eyes. Side to side...up...down...back...down.

I was speechless. I didn't know whether to hit him or help him. Suddenly he looked straight at me...straight into my eyes...straight into me. His eyes pierced me and held me silent. After he stared at me for what seemed minutes, his breathing steadied and he spoke.

"You surf don't you?"

I hadn't expected this as an opener but took it as an opportunity to get on his good side. "Yeah!", I managed to croak in response.

He stared at me another long moment and asked, "You the Hulk?"

I tried to speak but nothing came out, my jaw flapped and I nodded my head. This was getting really weird. This man was a stranger and he knew me, he knew where I lived.

He continued, "I'm the camper. I don't have much time, and we need your help."

Here was my chance to get rid of this guy. It was obvious that he was not completely sane. "Sure camper, (gulp) I'll help yuh." Was about the best I could come up with.

He went on, barely acknowledging my response, "...You must take this manifesto and share it with other surfers...I wasn't always the way you see me now....But that was before..." He was mumbling to the deck by then.

I figured "that" was before his nervous breakdown, and continued to press for how I might "help" him.

His head twitched back up to me and he said, "You've got to take this message...before they come...before they finish us..."

With that he thrust a tattered notepad at me. Funny, I hadn't noticed it before. I wasn't up to this. I apologized, telling him he had the wrong hulk and if he told me where he was going, I could give him directions. His eyes bulged, I could see the panic rising in him, then in a shrill voice he cried out, "Take it Now!", and threw the pad at me. It hit my belly and fell to the deck before I could react.

Now I had done it. I had really agitated him. I mumbled, "ok, ok." and bent over to pick up the notepad. When I straightened up he was gone. There were only the trees, the fog, and a chorus of jays shouting at a couple of woodpeckers a little farther down the canyon.

I can't explain it. I didn't hear him leave. One second he was there, and the next instant he was gone. That's when the leftover fish theory came to mind, but I still had the damn notepad. There were several pages of notes, some very neat and organized and others scratched down, almost illegible. I was shaking. If this was a joke, someone would pay.

I needed to clear my head. Without reading it, I set the notepad inside on the kitchen counter, locked up the house, and went surfing. The surf was crap, small low tide shorebreak closeouts, and the wind blew strong onshore just as I paddled out. I practiced fin-first takeoffs and hit my head and both shins with my board, got a bucket of sand in my wetsuit when I fell on my last wave, and dinged my new board putting it in the wavemobile afterward. It was the kind of session that left you feeling more frustrated afterward than when you arrived.

When I got home, my wife was really upset. My two year old son had found the notepad and begun coloring on it. She had thought he was ruining some important notes of mine, and had taken it away. When she had read it, she had become angry that I would leave it lying around the house where anyone might read it, and asked why I would write such ridiculous trash? I tried to explain that I didn't write it, and this camper guy had appeared out of the mists and.... I stopped mid-sentence. If she didn't believe me, my sanity was in question. If she did, her safety might be at risk. I decided I didn't want to worry her, took the blame, and apologized.

I retreated and began to read the notes. After some careful reconstruction, a strange document is emerging. It seems to be part history...part fiction, part razor-keen analysis...part revolutionary rhetoric. It is interesting, provocative, even motivational. But I can't believe the camper, whoever he is, would want me to share it with other surfers. Why me? Why didn't he do it himself? What surfers?

That's when I began to think that I might post it on the newsgroup. You read everything. Maybe someone knows who the camper is. Maybe you can help me understand this manifesto...I'm just not sure.

da hulk, MBS

Friday, 27 Sep 1996

campers manifesto 2

I thought I could bail on this but I can't.

I've now had some time to sort out the notes in Camper's notebook, and reflect on the experience last weekend. I'm still not sure what happened. Maybe he was just some homeless guy, maybe he was a ghost, maybe he was from the future, or the past, maybe he's one of you. This experience and the notebook have become a kind of obsession. I haven't been sleeping much. I pace the house at night. During the day I cruise likely spots the camper might be hanging out. I stalk the hills around my house looking for recent camping sites. I have even harassed my friends to see if any of them were setting me up. I finally explained what happened to my wife on Wednesday, and she and the baby flew to her dads till "I get over it". I didn't even surf during the swell that passed through this week.

As I have gone over the notes, some sections are written in distinct writing styles with different handwriting, so I am pretty sure more than one person contributed to the notebook. I am now pretty much convinced that the document is the raving of some paranoid lunatic fringe. I have known conspiracy enthusiasts before and this is classic. But, I can never quite tell where reality ends and fantasy takes over in conspiracy theories. Sometimes they know more of the truth than we are willing to recognize. The note I am including was written in the top margins of the first page of the notebook, so I take it to be some kind of preface.

Kooks, Grommets, and Wanabes:

If you are thinking that you want to surf, read these notes first. I am risking my life in order to share them with other surfers. It represents years of experience, and the sacrifice of many people you will never know. It concerns a conspiracy of such a vile nature that you may find it hard to believe. If you read on, you do so at your own risk. Once you understand the hideous truth, your eyes will be opened. If you choose to start surfing after being informed of the risks you are exposing yourself to, I admire your courage and shudder at your misguided naiveté. As for me and my kind, we have become hunted shadows who's ranks are reduced each day. I myself have become reconciled to a life on the run, doomed to extermination.

the camper

I've been transcribing the rest of the notes and have almost finished, but its so long and complicated. The main text is titled "Surfing as a Revolutionary Threat to the Status Quo".

It's like I'm possessed or something. I seem unable to just toss the notebook and forget it. I've tried that already. I've tried that already. Instead I have this raging compulsion to pass the notes along and get them and the camper out of my mind. But if some of this is true I could be in real trouble. We all could. This whole thing is just too weird.

da hulk

Friday, 27 Sep 1996

campers manifesto 3

Here's the first part of what I've been calling "campers manifesto". I will post the rest as I finish transcribing it. I still don't know why I'm doing this. If having this document places you at risk with some authorities, don't save it.

da hulk

The Revolutionary Nature of Surfing

Surfing in its purest and most elemental form is by its very nature revolutionary. It has transformational qualities that change individuals, and link them to an international network of surfers.

The nature of the transformation is so radically different from the traditional status quo in society that becoming a surfer removes you in part, or in whole, from the established order.

Surfing has an ethno-magnetic functionality that, once started, cannot be corrected. The activity and the camaraderie are irrevocable. Once one becomes a true surfer, the process cannot be undone. It forever transforms the individual's perceptions, passions, values, decisions, and social life.

The values associated most closely with surfing are a clear and present threat to the values of the traditional status quo. The fundamental values most threatening to the establishment are as follows:

Geocentricity: the preference to live near temperate coastal regions with surf, even when it challenges social and economic demands for geographic mobility. This often leads to lower income, fewer professional opportunities, and impoverished living conditions;

Non-linear Temporal Framework: the adoption of a time reference measured by tides, swells, and wind conditions. An experiential framework strung together by surf experiences rather than traditional family, work, and social highlights;

Mind-Body-Spirit-Reunification: the fundamental recognition that the mind, body, and spirit are all critical and interdependent aspects of the individual. A higher state of consciousness is only possible through the pursuit of this unity, and surfing is one of the few truly unifying activities that accomplishes this reunification quickly and joyfully.

Economic Subordination: while economic activity is necessary for survival, surfers adopt economic roles which optimize surfing opportunities, and distance themselves from economic roles which compromise their role as a surfer, and their involvement in surfing..

Tribal Enlightenment: surfing enlightenment is not simply an individual experience. It is reinforced through the universal bonds shared by surfers everywhere. It is rooted in local group development, and quickly evolves to its fully enlightened form.

Ecological Complementarity: surfers interact intimately with the tidal zone environment. They become tidal zone organisms themselves and are regularly exposed to other life forms on an intimate basis, and come to understand and respect them.

Holism: surfers grow to view the world as an inter-related whole. This fundamental view that the world has meaning only when the parts are understood in relation to one another, is in direct conflict with the predominant world view that things can be best understood by subdividing and analyzing life in smaller and smaller specialized units without concern for holistic connectivity.

Environmental Awareness: surfers interact intimately with the natural environment so frequently they are often witness to, and even the victims of environmental abuse and neglect. The nature of their culture prevents them from accepting arguments of economic expediency, elite comfort, or progress as legitimate reasons for continued environmental abuse and exploitation.

As a result of the fundamental value shifts inherent to Surfing, Surfing is inconsistent with existing cultural, moral, political and economic realities.

The very foundations of the existing world order are threatened by these values. If surfing culture spreads at recent rates of growth, the basis of the current world order would be irrevocably undermined, and existing world leadership would be deemed irrelevant and completely displaced. In particular it would challenge the monolithic stranglehold that economic realities have on all dimensions of modern human existence. Witness the continued expansion and influence of Surfing on the public, in spite of concerted efforts to undermine and discredit the surfing movement.

The history of surfing is one of struggle and repression. The ancient birth and spread of surfing in the Hawaiian Islands demonstrates the contagious nature of surfing. Hawaiian culture was dominated by its relationship to surfing activity for many centuries. Unfortunately it became dominated by the Hawaiian ruling classes making it vulnerable to isolation and attack. When Western Culture invaded Hawaii, one of the first actions of the western invaders was the eradication of surfing. Surfing went underground, and re-emerged as an entertaining diversion during the first half of the 20th century.

In the late 1950's surfing once again emerged as a viable cultural alternative. In the 1960's surfing spread at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, and among youth in particular. The power of the culture was such that it reached nearly every corner of the world, and even youth in non-surfing areas were drawn to it. Considered a youth fad by the world elite, the importance of the movement was seriously underestimated. Since its modern inception, surfing has had a tremendous influence on the language, music, attitudes, organization, technology, and priorities of the masses. Furthermore, it has been recognized that as surfers have matured, they have not stopped being surfers, nor are they fully cooptable into the old world order. This history, and the rapid spread of surfing is evidence of the revolutionary nature of surfing. Eventually surfing's threat to the existing status quo was recognized and is now being effectively neutralized.

Monday, 30 Sep 1996

campers manifesto 4

I realize that I have lost control of everything. I now know that everything I thought I had was simply what others allowed me to possess. I can only follow the path that destiny has put me on. I will deliver campers notes, no matter what the cost. Despite abandonment by family and friends...Despite harassment by the others...Despite your sheeplike apathy...

da hulk was not a name I gave myself. It was a result of the collective wisdom of those who surfed with me, who knew me best. Where injustice exists, or I get cornered, my anger boils over, logic and reason evaporate, and a raging creature void of concern for personal consequences takes over. It is my fate.

I have not found the camper. Instead I have observed RV's parked in front of every major surf spot in Santa Cruz, occupied by non-surfers. Why are they there? Why are they taking pictures of us? There were three fly-bys of m house by unmarked helicopters this weekend. That was two more than have been here in the past year. I'm beginning to think this is not a coincidence?

Here is part two of camper's manifesto.

There is a clear and present global conspiracy instituted by non-surfing interests that extends to the very center of the surfing revolution.

As a result of the inevitable and continued clash between Surfers and the ruling elite who prey on the unenlightened masses, the conspiracy continues to escalate. The methods being used to end the surfing threat to the radical reactionary old world order are subtle but unrelentingly effective. Consider the following:

Geographic Compression: Recognizing the geo-local nature of surfing, concerted efforts have been made to reduce access to particularly desirable coastline regions. This has been done through restricting public access to surfing areas. Restriction has taken the form of permitting private exclusive gated communities, resort developments that privatize or charge for access to coastal areas, and the establishment of public parks which also charge for access and parking. Constriction has also taken the form of discriminatory regulation of available beach areas through such methods as "Blackballing" and other like policies.

The establishment have prevented radical political consequences to such policies by appeasing surfers and the masses, "guaranteeing" public access which is not then enforced, charging fees to the public for access to publicly owned lands, and proposing the development of new recreational opportunities such as artificial reefs which it then fails to fund.

It is only a matter of time until you are required to register with the government. Surfing licenses will be issued and required to be prominently displayed while surfing. All violators will then be subject to identification, prosecution, and legal discrimination.

Migration to underdeveloped regions, and extreme climates only serves to delay the inevitable and weaken the movement. At current rates of growth all surfing areas worldwide will be overpopulated within the next two decades.

Demographic Bombing: The utilization of population growth and migration to compound the geographic compression and population densities in specific surfing regions.

The growth of the world's population in recent years has been unprecedented. This growth, and the lack of commitment to restricting growth, has been no accident. The Population Explosion has provided the economic elite with an eager expanding market of consumers, and a growing labor pool willing to work for lower wages. Profits have gone into elite pockets rather than into maintaining or improving the quality of life for the masses.

Immigration into desirable surfing areas has several negative impacts on growing surfing populations. First, it creates overcrowding of available surf locations. Second, it dilutes the population with non-surfing interests, sustaining non-surfing political and economic infrastructures. Finally, it systematically raises the cost of living in desirable surfing regions, putting additional pressure on surfing populations not owned by the industrial economic machine.

Overpopulation of finite usable space inevitably leads to a form of overcrowding hysteria which has long been recognized by psychologists through tests on rats, and confirmed in numerous historical human population retrospectives. Overcrowding has been shown to lead to apathy, mental illness, hoarding, and violence. These are increasingly common symptoms at many surfing locations.

x

Capitalism: At the root of all organized activity in modern western society is an economic doctrine based on capitalism. This philosophy is founded on the belief that society is best served by the unrestricted optimization of individual members economic self-interests. This approach assumes that all members are equally able and willing to compete in such a cutthroat arena. This is an assumption that was a myth in its inception. It is however, an effective ideology for the construction of a hierarchical system which serves an elite and exploits the masses without any questions being asked.

Capitalism, particularly corporate capitalism, is based on the singular concept of Profit. Profit motives are inherently driven by the goal of exploiting both laborers and consumers. It is void of ethical, moral, spiritual, environmental, or humanitarian constraints.

The current economic structure is obsessed with Short Term Returns. The investment of large amounts of capital in long term ventures with no guaranteed profit margins does not exist today. Adoption of short-term investment strategies has led to a general failure to proactively participate in meaningful economic or social change, and permits economic leaders the rationale by which they can avoid broader, non-economic ethical responsibilities.

Commercial Co-optation: Surfing like most emerging cultures has modeled some institutional structures after its parent. The need for an economic base on which surfing could exist and grow meant that it had to adopt certain features of the capitalist model. While this strategy was vital to the phenomenal growth of surfing it has also compromised the free spirited nature of surfing. There are three areas which have become so tightly joined to traditional capitalism, non-surfing values, and power structures that they now betray the very movement they helped create.

Surfing Industry Leaders, helped start the surfing revolution by establishing an image many could identify with and rally to, an economic base for cultural survival and continuity, and the technology to enhance the range and rewards of surfing during the early years. There comes a time when surfers must stop being grateful for this. As the surfing movement has grown, the nature of the surfing economy has changed radically. It is big business. It is dominated by corporate entities run by non-surfing shareholders and administrators, applying traditional capitalist guidelines, with no sense of loyalty to surfers and the surfing movement. They will consistently sell you out for a larger market, or a bigger market share.

Professional Athletes have become the dupes of agents, industrial interests, and the entertainment media. They have chosen to sell their talent, image, soul, and charisma to serve non-surfing masters. In doing so they have allowed insidious anti-surfing values to infect vulnerable segments of the surfing population. Values such as self-promoting competition for pecuniary remuneration, and the exploitation of a naive and unsuspecting public are inherent to their role as professional athlete/entertainers. Functioning as important role models within the culture, while at the same time exemplifying how cooptable surfers are to anti-surfing interests has proven to be one of the surfing movements greatest vulnerabilities. The introduction of "signature model" surfboards coincides with the co-optation of central role models. This era was capped by the introduction of "da cat" model which clearly demonstrated the dark commercial nature of the surf industry to a whole generation of young surfers, and continues to undermine surfer solidarity.

Marketeers are the media and advertising interests who will make every effort to capitalize on the unique qualities and image of surfers and surfing. We are now an image of choice for alcoholic beverages, automobiles, soft drinks, ESPN, and MTV. They don't surf, they cheapen our image, they turn our culture and our movement into a cardboard prop to be further exploited by the establishment.

These can no longer be serendipitous advertising opportunities. They are no longer opportunities to rip-off the establishment and remain pure. These economic strategies have now become a key tactic in the organized destruction of the surfing movement.

Monday, 30 Sep 1996

campers manifesto 5

I am so tired. The helicopter came again last night. The forest is silent.

Environmental and Biological Contamination: The application of biological and environmental weapons directed at surfers has proven one of the most effective strategies in the industrial elite's arsenal. Consider the following examples:

Sewage: The intentional release of raw sewage, sewage processing plant by-products, and urban surface drainage have targeted surfers for decades. Such material are not generally directed at public swimming areas. Surfing beaches in particular are most often affected. Outcries from surfers are patently ignored. In addition to effectively discouraging surfing at certain coastal areas, posted beaches contribute to the overcrowding of non-posted beaches.

Disease: Surfers are the victims of biological warfare. The release of sewage, surface runoff and hazardous medical garbage dumping in or near coastal surfing areas by government and economic elite's targets coastal organisms and surfers in particular. Surfers have suffered countless, "rare" or non-specific skin and intestinal infections, saprophytes, and parasites. In addition they are the victims of rare and fatal waterborne diseases at rates much higher than the general public. This is not an accident, it has been the result of conscious decisions by traditional government and economic leaders, and is continuing with the full cooperation of the authorities.

Chemical and Nuclear Wastes: In addition to insidious biological attacks, surfers are also the innocent victims of highly toxic chemical agents. The immoral release of toxic chemicals associated with economic interests such as agriculture, utilities, and manufacturing has also targeted surfers for decades. Efforts to save the California Brown Pelican and the California Sea Otter have been very effective. Stopping the legal and illegal release of highly toxic chemical agents into the rivers, bays, estuaries, harbors, oceans, and the air in the same areas known to be populated by surfers has been met with extraordinary resistance. These agents have been released without warnings, without assumption of responsibility, without any remediation for victims, and is taking a long and painfully insidious toll on surfers exposed over extended periods of time.

Biological/Psychological Warfare: The use of biological predators to attack and intimidate surfers and non-surfers has resulted in the systematic reduction of the surfer population, the surfing movement, and surfing's credibility to the masses. This has not been done by accident.

Sharks and Chumming: The most famous predator associated with surfers is the shark. Surfers have always had a relationship with sharks based on an acknowledgment of their predatory nature, and a familiarity with the inter-tidal coastal environment. This relationship has proven relatively safe considering the fact that the two species share a common range. The balance has shifted in certain places as a result of chumming and other non-surfer activities. It is no accident that such activities now occur near surfing areas regularly.

Jaws: The movie "Jaws" and other television and video specials designed to frighten and intimidate the public, are also designed to stereotype, discredit, and ridicule surfers. This psychological warfare is bent on undermining any credibility surfers may achieve. They choose to emphasize a false perception that surfers are sharkbait intentionally trolling for shark attacks, instead of pointing out the attack survival rate among surfers, celebrating the courageous rescues surfers effect almost daily, and expressing admiration for the surfers ability to explore, understand, and adapt to an alien environment and coexist with other aquatic species.

x

Localism and Other forms of Divisiveness: The principle of "divide and conquer" has found its home within the very heart of surf culture. Surfers have embraced the very poison that will allow the establishment to destroy us.

Localism/Regionalism: The conflict among surfers associated with localism and regionalism have their roots in the adolescent need to claim and control an environment not dominated by traditional authority structures. In it's early stages this phenomenon functions as an effective way of extracting the neophyte surfer from non-surfing culture and effectively socializing them into surfing, preparing them for the inherent conflict between surfing and non-surfing societies. Through the intentional overcrowding of surfing regions localism has led to misdirected aggression of surfers toward other surfers. The diversity, and constructive competition dynamic that local and regional distinctions provide is a strength among surfers. The desperate efforts to preserve a culture and a local way of life that is under attack is also heroic, however, to waste aggressive and militant energy on other surfers is counterproductive and results in undermining the very things it is meant to preserve.

Shortboard/Longboard/Bodyboard/Bodysurf: The internal division and degradation of the surfing movement has also been advanced by internal prejudices and discrimination against other wave riders. The basic values of surf culture are shared by all surfers. Their differences pale when compared to their differences with non-surfers. It was no accident that the introduction of the shortboard and the bodyboard were introduced and distributed at the very time that the threat of the surfing movement was recognized by the non-surfing establishment.

x

Drugs and Alcohol: The introduction of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction into the surfing culture has resulted in the greatest single deterrent to the surfing movement. Chronic use inevitably leads to the destruction of the mind-body-spirit unification principle. It is likely that drug and alcohol abuse and dependence has led to the complete and permanent loss of more surfers than any other single cause. It has also led to the serious diminishment of effective leadership and talent among surfers involved in the revolution. The close association of drugs with surfing has further served to discredit and undermine the surfing movement. It has long been recognized that youth are most vulnerable to drug use ideology. The introduction of alcohol and drug abuse has been an effective counter-revolutionary tactic against almost every radical youth reform and revolutionary movement during the past century. The surfing movement has been no exception.

Tuesday, 01 Oct 1996

campers manifesto 6

This is the last part of camper's manifesto. In the few weeks I have been transcribing this document, Summer has changed to Winter. It is time to check my gear and prepare for the storms ahead, and the swells.

a)

The Justice System: One gauge of the status of a group in a hierarchy is their relationship with Law Enforcement and the Justice System. Surfers are commonly characterized as rebels, drug addicts, and petty criminals by state and local law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement infiltration of surfing groups is common. Despite the fact that extensive and known illegal acts are perpetrated by some surfing elements, arrest and conviction records rarely reflect the image that surfers are characterized with. Why is this? Because it is in the elite's interests to allow such behaviors to continue as long as the crime is directed at other surfers, or the activity serves to further discredit the surfing movement. Arrests for violence and truly anti-social behavior by surfers inevitably get a high profile only when the behavior are directed at non-surfers. As long as other surfers are the victims, the eye of the law is turned elsewhere. Criminal behavior and legal action against those who inflict harm on surfers rarely occurs. This is particularly true of governmental and corporate criminals whose acts of assault and discrimination against surfers are not recognized.

x

The Media and Multi-Stereotyping: The use of the mass media in the assault on the surfing movement has been subtle. Knowing the contagious nature of surfing, the risk of direct image assaults on surfers have been rare. It has also been noted that many surfers originated in families from the upper middle and elite classes, therefore care was taken to emphasize the myth of surfing as a transitional phase. This avoids the risk of alienating segments of the middle and elite classes, and keeps the door open to surfing "prodigal sons and daughters." As a result of a determination to halt the surfing movement, preserve the marketing value of the surfing image, and avoid alienating influential middle-class families; surfers have become the unwitting victims of a sophisticated dual image campaign.

The Perfect Youth Image: Surfers have always found it flattering and beneficial to be the object of image-maker's attentions as they portray us as: Youthful, healthy, energetic, social, sexy, tan, blonde haired, and blue-eyed. This image has kept us quiet. Even those of us who do not fit the image have exploited this association. While this image has served to enhance adolescent prestige, it has also served to trivialize surfers and their culture.

The Perfect Anti-Youth Image: Surfers have also found it flattering to be labeled as rebels, con artists, indigents, and generally outside the mainstream. The media exploits this image without impunity.

The Real Image? What has not been portrayed with any reality is who surfers really are. We are not all youth. We are not all blonde. We are not all sexy. We are not all indigent, or con artists. Our culture is much richer and our social structure more complex than anything the leaders of the status quo are willing to let the media portray.

x

Political Neutralization

Stereotyping: Stereotyping has always been a two-edged sword. Surfers living in regions where surfing is a legitimate cultural entity have always enjoyed the advantages of being "a surfer". Surfers who step outside the safe boundaries provided by local surfing culture quickly discover that the stereotype of surfers held by the rest of the world is inaccurate, negative, and based primarily on limited media portrayals.

Prejudice: Positive prejudice has been exploited by surfers for decades. The existence of Ho-dads, Pseudo-Surfers, and a wide collection of other wannabes confirms this phenomenon. Negative prejudice against surfers has also existed for many years. Such prejudice, based on negative stereotypes, has been directed at surfers regardless of individual character, performance or accomplishments.

Discrimination: Negative prejudice has served as the basis for systematically denying surfers access to mainstream social, economic, and political opportunities. In situations outside the surfing infra-structure, where sophistication, intelligence, reliability, maturity, and responsibility, as defined by non-surfers, are expected; surfers are consistently denied access. Surfers active in the dominant world order find it to their advantage to withhold their involvement with surfing in order to prevent such treatment.

Surfers as Minorities: Surfers now represent a group who share unique cultural attributes and yet are not equitably empowered as individuals, or as a group. As a result of this unequal distribution of power, decisions are made "for them" by non-surfers without concern for surfer's experience, concerns, integrity, or dignity. The basis of this patronage is closely associated with the media images that have been used to portray surfers.

Repression: In spite of the devastating consequences that anti-surfing prejudice and discrimination have had on surfers, simple discrimination against surfers has had two benefits to surfers. It has drawn a clear boundary by which to identify surfing culture, and surfers from the non-surfing world. It has also served to separate those who are truly committed to the movement, from those who merely wish to recreate. The defenders of the old order have gone much further.

Economic Displacement: The economic exploitation of surfers because of their geocentricity has become commonplace in the form of underemployment. The denial of professional advancement opportunities because of prejudicial attitudes against surfers has also become common. Corporate relocations and layoffs also target surfers unfairly, since most of these moves are away from surfing regions. The enforcement of educational and employment practices and policies which unnecessarily prevent surfers from surfing at times when conditions are optimal, are obvious examples of cultural conflict and economic repression. These acts are clearly aimed at the destruction of the surfing movement through the defusing of potential pro-surfing leadership. This strategy has not been fully effective since surfers tend to be creative opportunists, willing to take calculated risks, who have established new or independent economic roles for themselves.

Disappearances: Ultimately efforts to eliminate the surfing movement have resulted in even more extreme covert activities. The early years of surfing were dominated by local and regional isolationism. This provided leaders of the status quo with many opportunities for the targeting and removal of individuals whose presence posed a threat to the existing order. The recent establishment of a global surfer network has resulted in a broader class awareness that individual surfer breakdowns and disappearances have not always been the result of individual failures, but are often the result of a systematic effort to reduce the influence of those who could not be coopted in any other way.

x

All that was left in the notebook camper gave me was a carefully written letter on the back of a paper placement. I won't tell you what restaurant it came from.

To Whom It May Concern,

All of these forms of divisiveness, and methods of extermination are already in place. Without really knowing it we engaged the establishment, we betrayed ourselves, and now we fall in retreat, whining and fighting among ourselves. The surfing revolution now appears to be effectively neutralized, and may ultimately be relegated to history books and museums. We will be remembered as a foolish and futile Millenarian Movement, if we are remembered at all. Crushed by the unstoppable march of capitalistic progress, and the mindless masses who are led by the media, sophisticated pimps for the capitalist elite. The richness of our surfing culture will become the fodder of fashion hyenas, marketing the myth they created for us, producing neoprene bathing suits, trunks without wax pockets, video games, and surfboard shaped coffetables. They will piss on our bones and bury us, even as the masses mindlessly lurch toward their next vicarious thrill.

It is only a matter of time until I am isolated and terminated. I have seen too much. I have said too much. I am drawn to surfing's center and cannot leave even if I want to. I will die as I have lived, surfing, not knowing what will come after I am gone, only hoping that others find the truth, organize, and turn the tide. Surfing has risen from the ashes before, it could happen again. It would be good to see it happen. The beauty of our movement was that you didn't have to throw bombs, just surf as much as you can, and share your stoke with others.

In the meantime, wherever a surfer dies of asbestosis, Nuclear Radiation, or Hepatitis B; I'll be there. Wherever a surfer crawls to the beach bleeding from a chum induced shark attack; I'll be there. Wherever another beach is closed for a new boat harbor, or a sewer spill; I'll be there. Wherever a professional surfer-entertainer sells out the movement; I'll be there. I'll be there for the grommets first ride, and the old man's last glide.

A world consistent with the spirit of surfing would have been profoundly different, it would have been radical...it would have been bitchin. It would truly have been a revolution, it would have taken unwavering dedication, it would have taken great personal sacrifices; but look around you at the alternative....

If you are already in the lineup, keep Surfing, and accept your fate. Charge it if you can. Otherwise heed my warning, and enter the water at your own risk. You will not be able to resist surfing's charms, and the non-surfing world will devour you...

the camper

So now you know what I know. When I got up this morning the surf report said an unexpected new swell had arrived, accompanied by a fresh offshore wind! As I got ready to leave home, I glanced in the mirror and thought I caught a reflection of the camper in the corner of my eye, but when I stopped and turned, there was only my own pasty image on a misty mirror.

Camper, I did what you asked! If you're still out there...let me go!

The helicopters came by again last night, they are getting closer each time. I know this forest better than anyone. I know the coastline better than most. I know a lot of dedicated surfers all over the world. I'm good with my hands, I can pick up odd jobs. I have begun stashing camping equipment and supplies where no one will find them. My boards are stored with friends. Years of surfaris have taught me how to live on the road. If they come, I'm ready.

Coming to your lineup soon...

da hulk, RSO

Wednesday, 02 Oct 1996

camper manifesto postscript

In case anyone was really wondering, it turns out that camper's manifesto actually was the result of the leftover fish, and a big itch I needed to scratch. I feel much better now....

The guy I encountered on the deck really was a lunatic lost in the woods, who swore the CIA was after him. I drove him into town and dropped him off on the west side. The RV's were just stoked tourists. The helicopters turned out to be my neighbor's VW after his muffler fell off. The rest came from you. This time...

Are we an endangered species? Hell Yes!

History hasn't treated folks like us kindly.

Can you make a difference? Only as an informed and unified force!

Save the backstabbing for after the revolution.

I sometimes think our greatest strength, and paradoxically our greatest weakness is our tendency to not take ourselves, or anyone else, too seriously. (sigh)

Have a great Halloween!

da hulk, MBS