Why saying "fuck so-and-so shop" is a waste of time

Dear all "skateboarders" that hate on other shops,

You're not helping your sport. You don't like a shop? Don't shop there. Period. Your power stops there in all reality. But when you say, "fuck that shop" (most likely because someone else told you, you should think that) you just sound like a moron. I know that small shops tell you to stay away from mall stores like they are some sort of virus among skateboarding, but the simple fact of the matter is that those "stupid" mall stores have done more for skateboarding than just about any independent shop ever since Zephyr in Dog Town. Those mall stores are the reason some shops even started and are still alive. Don't get me wrong, I love the indy shops. I love what they do, I love visiting them, I love talking to the kids there, and they are vital to the sport in every way, but so are the mall stores! Mall stores are where so many kids discover and obtain their first skateboard. Then as they grow older they migrate to the smaller shops. Kind of a skateboarder evolution. Basically, every time you let the ignorant words "fuck mall stores!" come out of your mouth I want you to go sit down, pull out a sheet of paper, and at the top of that paper write:

"What have I done for skateboarding today?"

Then I want you to list all the things you did today to help skateboarding grow. If you can't list at least 10 positive things each day, then STFU! Munition, and all other mall stores, have done more for a sport you "love" than you have. They organize comps, donate to parks, donate to other skate events, bring teams in for demos (which help get kids exposure!), and all sorts of other things indy stores just don't have the budget for but still get to reap the benefits of. Munition took a chance on our brand when we were new. They were the VERY first ones to buy our boards and stock them. They are the reason that you get to ride our amazing boards today, and for that they we are in debt to them, and they get our eternal love. Don't like it? Then don't ride our shit. It sounds stupid to not ride a brand of boards simply because it's sold in a shop somewhere in the world that you have no REAL grudge against other than some different shop told you they "suck." We're sold in lots of other shops go to them instead.

There is a political game that must be played too. One of our goals here at Ravage is to keep our existing accounts happy and the demand up. So for that very reason we do not sell to shops if they are too close to a pre-existing account. Every skate, shoe, and clothing company has that rule. There are, however, ways around it by using a distributor or diverter (illegal) and not selling directly to shops. Shops can only buy my goods direct. We want to know where our stuff is and the types of shops we're in. I don't sell shops that have an attitude problem, or talk shit about another shop for no real reason, straight up. Don't like it? Too bad. It's my company and I choose who I sell to and who I don't.

When I started skateboarding the sport was small. We were a community of people all doing the same thing and we had mad respect for each other. We wouldn't even know each other but a head nod was all it took to be accepted. Our team rider Lui says it best "I support skateboarding, not the other way around." For some reason the new breed of skateboarder only supports a shop or their locals and everything foreign and new is "stupid and trying to control them." Sounds foolish and close-minded to me. With a skatepark in every town there are tons of new skaters. And that isn't a bad thing. But any sort of community feel among this new breed of skater is gone. No longer can you roll up to a park with a bunch of anonymous people; they'll yell at you and tell you to get out of "their" park, even if your company donated money to get it built or you actually worked on it. They're probably too young to even remember when that park was built! The kids trash the parks and throw litter into the bowls and soda all over the street courses. Park etiquette is gone. No one seems to know when to drop in or who's turn it is anymore. It’s just one big cluster-fuck of people unwilling to budge from where they are standing. Snaking lines as if they have something to prove. On Friday I watched a group of "skaters" run an old man and his, I assume grandchildren, out of a park just because the kids didn't like that he was there. What the hell is that? I am kind of rambling, but I guess I just feel that all the haters have it all wrong. Mall stores aren't ruining skateboarding, disrespectful asshole kids are. They are their own disease. Sometimes I am ashamed of what it has become, but I love it too much to walk away.